THE Senate on Tuesday unanimously overrode Gov. Arnold I. Palacios’ veto of House Local Bill 23-6 which would appropriate $62,518 in Tinian local funds for the mayor’s office and the Tinian Athletic Sports Association.
H.L.B. 23-6 now becomes local law.
All eight senators present voted to override the veto. Sen. Celina R. Babauta was excused.
Sen. Frank Q. Cruz made the motion to act on the House communication informing the Senate of its override of the veto on May 10, 2023.
Prior to the roll-call vote, Sen. Paul A. Manglona asked Sen. Karl King-Nabors, who chairs the Tinian Legislative Delegation, to provide a background of the local appropriation and why the House had to override the governor’s veto.
King-Nabors said the $62,518 that Rep. Patrick San Nicolas proposed to appropriate for Tinian through H.L.B. 23-6 pertains to lapsed funds from the past appropriations going back to the 18th Legislature. He said the funds were already with the Tinian Treasury, and the Tinian Legislative Delegation had already accounted for them.
The House overrode the governor’s veto after House members learned that the funds were accessible.
In vetoing the local bill, the governor said the Department of Finance had informed him that the funds were not available. It turned out, however, that Finance was referring to a different account.
Sen. Paul A. Manglona, second right, gestures as he speaks during a Senate session on Tuesday.
