The most important question a legislator can ask is not “What law can we pass?” but “What problem are we trying to solve, what will this policy cost, what incentives will it create and what might go wrong?”

The U.S. territories are in the spotlight most of the time because their concerns are often ignored. Whatever disagreements they may have with U.S. federal policy can be disregarded because they are disconnected from the exercise of power over themselves and others. This is true for Guam, the Northern Marianas and American Samoa.

Anthony “Tony” P. Chargualaf Jr. Last week, the Guam legislature took up Bill 343-38, introduced by Sen. Therese Terlaje and co-sponsored by Sen. Sabina Perez, continuing their work on behalf of Guam’s veterans and military families. The bill provides greater clarity on who qualifies as a spouse or legal guardian for certain benefits available to veterans and their families. These include waivers of driver’s license fees, waivers of annual vehicle registration fees available