“We should override,” Rep. Diego T. Benavente, R-Saipan, told his colleagues during the session that started at 9 a.m.
Rep. Heinz S. Hofschneider, R-Saipan, then moved for an override vote which was quickly seconded by other lawmakers.
At this point, Rep. Tina Sablan, Ind.-Saipan, reiterated her opposition to the bill, H.B. 16-108, due to the “weakness” in its language, and reminded her colleagues that “a better” version of the measure has been introduced.
But the author of H.B. 16-108, House Floor Leader Joseph N. Camacho, R-Saipan, was more interested in knowing the number of votes required for an override.
“Is it two-thirds of the members present and voting?” he asked House legal counsel Jeffery Warfield, who replied, “It’s two-thirds of all the members in each house.”
There were only 14 House members present early in the session, which meant that all of them had to vote for an override.
Two of the members present, however, are the governor’s party mates — House Minority Leader Oscar M. Babauta, Covenant-Saipan, and Rep. Raymond D. Palacios, Covenant-Saipan.
“We don’t have the votes,” Hofschneider said as he withdrew his motion.
“We have 60 days to do it,” Speaker Arnold I. Palacios, R-Saipan, noted.
In his veto message, Gov. Benigno R. Fitial said the Legislature has no right to clip his executive powers or redefine emergencies contrary to the provisions of the CNMI Constitution.
Since 2006, Fitial has invoked his emergency powers at least 17 times — the most by any CNMI governor.
Under an emergency declaration, the governor can, among other things, award contracts without going through the bidding process.
