Tina Rose Muña Barnes (born August 24, 1962)[1] is a Guamanian politician, currently serving as her 7th term as a senator in the Guam Legislature.[2] She formerly served as the Speaker of the 35th Guam Legislature from 2019 to 2021.
Tina Rose Muña Barnes | |
|---|---|
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| Vice Speaker of the Guam Legislature | |
| Assumed office January 4, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Telena Nelson |
| Speaker of the Guam Legislature | |
| In office January 7, 2019 – January 4, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Therese M. Terlaje (Acting) |
| Succeeded by | Therese M. Terlaje |
| Legislative Secretary of the Guam Legislature | |
| In office January 5, 2009 – January 2, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Ray Tenorio |
| Succeeded by | Regine Biscoe Lee |
| Member of the Guam Legislature | |
| Assumed office January 7, 2019 | |
| In office January 1, 2007 – January 2, 2017 | |
| In office January 6, 2003 – January 3, 2005 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 24, 1962 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Jake Barnes |
| Children | 4 |
Family
editTina Muña Barnes, born August 24, 1962,[1] is the daughter of William Pereira "Bill" Muña and Ana Atoigue "Ann" Muña.[3]
Career
editBarnes has worked for Public Defender Service Corporation,[4] the Law Office of Brooks and Klitzkie,[4] Atkins Kroll Toyota,[1][4] and Guam Autospot.[4] Barnes was appointed by Governor Carl T.C. Gutierrez to serve as deputy director of the Department of Integrated Services for Individuals with Disabilities.[1][3][4]
Personal life
editTina is an athlete, having played softball, basketball and volleyball in Guam, and for teams representing Guam at the South Pacific and Oceania Games in 1987, 1989 and 1991. She was a South Pacific Games Commission member in Tahiti in 1995, and Guam basketball tournament director in the 1994 Micronesian Games.[5] She is married to baseball member Jacob Cruz "Jake" Barnes and have four children (Tiffany, Coby, Jathan and Minna), including five grandchildren.
Guam Legislature
editElections
editBarnes was elected to the 27th Guam Legislature in the general election of 2002. In the 2004 election, she failed to win reelection, but Barnes won a seat in the 2006 election and remained in the legislature for 5 consecutive terms. She failed to win reelection in 2016, but Barnes returned to the Guam Legislature after winning a seat in the 35th Guam Legislature, where she is currently serving as Speaker. In addition to becoming Speaker of the Guam Legislature, Muña Barnes also serves as the Oversight Chairwoman for the Committee on Public Accountability, Human Resources and the Guam Buildup.[6]
| Election | Legislature | Primary Rank (Votes) | General Rank (Votes) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 27th Guam Legislature | 5 (12,995) | 9 (22,187) | Elected[7][8] |
| 2004 | 28th Guam Legislature | 5 (7,666) | 17 (13,889) | Not elected[9] |
| 2006 | 29th Guam Legislature | 6 (13,998) | 11 (18,425) | Elected[7][10] |
| 2008 | 30th Guam Legislature | 5 (7,317) | 10 (16,116) | Elected[7][11] |
| 2010 | 31st Guam Legislature | 2 (6,149) | 3 (21,149) | Elected[7][12] |
| 2012 | 32nd Guam Legislature | 4 (6,833) | 11 (14,746) | Elected[7][13] |
| 2014 | 33rd Guam Legislature | 6 (5,918) | 11 (16,635) | Elected[7][14] |
| 2016 | 34th Guam Legislature | 10 (6,896) | 16 (12,510) | Not elected[7] |
| 2018 | 35th Guam Legislature | 5 (13,499) | 4 (18,885) | Elected[15][16] |
Speakership
editSpeaker Tina Rose Muña Barnes was elected as Speaker by a majority of her Democratic Caucus, after shoring up more votes from her colleagues compared to Acting Speaker Therese Terlaje.[17] During her tenure as Speaker of the 35th Guam Legislature, and focused on improving the economy of Guam, Muña Barnes focused on implementing many of the revenue generating laws that she had passed in her tenure in the Guam Legislature.[18]
War Claims
edit
During her first year as Speaker of the 35th Guam Legislature, coinciding with the 75th year of Guam's Liberation, Speaker Muña Barnes advocated for the compensation of Guam's World War II survivors who were abused during the Japanese occupation of Guam.[19] The Speaker, along with Legislative Secretary Amanda Shelton and Minority Leader William Castro introduced legislation July 2019 to pay off living compensable Guam victims with adjudicated claims.[19] At the request of Guam's Delegate to Congress, Congressman Michael F.Q. San Nicolas, discussion on this matter was stalled.[20] After months of waiting, Speaker Muña Barnes had called the Guam Legislature into session to address her War Claims Bill.[21] On December 20, 2019, the Speaker's measure was voted on in the Guam Legislature, which passed by a vote of 12–3 to pass.[22]
| YES votes | NO Votes |
|---|---|
| Speaker Tina Muña Barnes, Vice Speaker Telena Nelson, Sens. Wil Castro, Clynton Ridgell, Jose Terlaje, Sabina Perez, Amanda Shelton, Kelly Marsh (Taitano), Regine Biscoe Lee, Joe San Agustin, Therese Terlaje, and Telo Taitague | Sens. Mary Torres, James Moylan and Louise Muna |
Surrounded by a roomful of World War II survivors,[23] on January 3, 2020, Speaker Muña Barnes's local legislation to pay war claims was signed into law by Governor Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero.[24] Bill 181–35, the Speaker's War Claims Bill was signed into law as Public Law 35–61.[24]
Public Policy Institute
editAs Speaker of the 35th Guam Legislature, Speaker Muña Barnes introduced legislation to create the Public Policy Institute. Having seen the successes of the program in her previous terms,[25] Muña Barnes felt that it was her responsibility to train the leaders of tomorrow.[26] The Public Policy Institute provides interns exposure to a vast network of leaders in the public and private sectors as well as to an array of professional and training opportunities for them to gain leadership, research, and work place skills and experiences. The institute is a unique and rigorous program where interns have the opportunity to learn first-hand about the island's legislative process by participating in a variety of activities from bill research and writing, organizing and conducting public policy briefings, paging, and by providing executive-level staffing. Interns may also respond to constituent inquiries, draft correspondence, and assist with general office operations. Promising students are selected from public and private schools on Guam and are placed in various offices of the Guam Legislature for an eight-week period over the fall, spring, or summer terms. Interns meet with distinguished leaders from a range of professional backgrounds. Interns also take field-trips to other branches of government in order gain a broader understanding of the three branches of government. For the 2019 cohort, 10 students from Guam's Public and Private High Schools graduated with distinction.[27]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Candidate Profile - Tina Muna Barnes". Pacific Daily News. 2006.
- ^ "Muna-Barnes: Not a rubber-stamp legislature". Guam Palau CNMI FSM news | Pacific Island Times. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
- ^ a b Pacific Daily News (January 7, 2019). "Tina Muna Barnes leads 35th Guam Legislature".
- ^ a b c d e Pacific Daily News (August 7, 2018). "Tina Muna Barnes, Democrat candidate in Guam's 2018 Primary Election".
- ^ Dem, TX (July 6, 2019). "Tina Rose Muña Barnes". Our Campaigns.
- ^ "35th Guam Legislature - Senators". www.guamlegislature.com. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
- ^ a b c d e f g Guam Election Commission (June 29, 2017). "2016 Election Comparative Analysis Report". Page 77
- ^ Guam Election Commission (January 30, 2003). "2002 Election Comparative Analysis Report". Page 80
- ^ Guam Election Commission (June 8, 2005). "2004 Election Comparative Analysis Report". Pages 134-146
- ^ Guam Election Commission. "2006 Election Comparative Analysis Report". Page 86
- ^ Guam Election Commission. "2008 Election Comparative Analysis Report". Page 101
- ^ Guam Election Commission (January 18, 2012). "2010 Election Comparative Analysis Report". Page 45
- ^ Guam Election Commission (July 5, 2013). "2012 Election Comparative Analysis Report". Page 53
- ^ Guam Election Commission (June 29, 2015). "2014 Election Comparative Analysis Report". Page 56
- ^ Guam Election Commission (September 13, 2018). "Summary Report - Primary Election 2018".
- ^ Guam Election Commission (November 23, 2018). "Summary Report - General Election 2018".
- ^ Gilbert, Haidee Eugenio. "Acting-Speaker Therese Terlaje, Tina Muna-Barnes vie for speakership". Pacific Daily News. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
- ^ "Barnes: Implement vacation rental tax and other laws". Pacific Daily News. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
- ^ a b Eugenio, Haidee V. "Ahead of Liberation Day, bill introduced for 754 war survivors' $7.5M reparations". Pacific Daily News. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
- ^ "Legislature suspends discussion on local war claims bill". Representative Michael San Nicolas. 2019-08-22. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
- ^ Kerrigan, Kevin (2019-12-10). "Speaker calls session for her own war claims bill". PNC News First. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
- ^ Staff, Daily Post. "Senators pass war claims bill". The Guam Daily Post. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
- ^ Post, Nick Delgado | The Guam Daily. "War survivors speak up". The Guam Daily Post. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
- ^ a b Post, John O'Connor | The Guam Daily. "$37M reparations closer to payment". The Guam Daily Post. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
- ^ Shedd, Aiyana (May 29, 2020). "Public Policy Institute looking for interns". Pacific News Center. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ Staff, Daily Post (May 29, 2020). "Public Policy Institute offers internships". Guam Daily Post. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ Scoop, The (August 21, 2019). "Public Policy Institute trains leaders of tomorrow". Guam Daily Post. Retrieved October 6, 2020.