Senator Moylan Tackles the Rising Cost of Goods
In 2015 a law was passed to create a Truck and Enforcement Screening Station (TESS) where the Department of Public Works would be able to regulate the size, load, and weight of commercial vehicles, including containers carrying goods. The same law also established the maximum weights and measures allowable on Guam’s roads, with the intent of assuring the long term sustainability from the wear and tear of our roads. Lighter vehicles meant better care of our roads.
Senator James Moylan introduced Bill 71-35 this morning, which would amend the size, weight, and load limitations for certain vehicles. Public Law 33-106, which was enacted in 2015, established such measures, including a bridge formula for our roads that required a very conservative standard which forced importers to lighten their incoming shipments, thus resulting in increased shipping costs for goods entering our island. These costs were added to the goods, which unfortunately meant that island residents would end up paying more at the cash registers.
“One of the issues we want to prioritize is the rising cost of goods. While we cannot control the actual cost of shipping, this bill aims to adjust our weights and measures law. Through this bill, we would then be able to increase loads of our imports, therefore reducing shipping costs for those products,” said Senator Moylan. “Bill 71-35 is our commitment to continue to find other ways to assure that island residents are paying less at the cash registers.”
After speaking with many industry experts, Bill 71-35 was introduced as a means to not only modernize the law associated with weights and measures, but utilize standards applied nationally to assure that while we still maintain some size, weight, and load limitations, there is balance so that our cost of goods are not dramatically impacted. The legislation identifies some of the everyday commodities that have seen price increases, and how the revised formula would create savings for island residents.