House overrides governor veto on 2 bills
Citing the need to immediately implement the proposed measures, the House of Representatives over the weekend nullified a move by Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio rejecting two bills passed by the 11th CNMI Legislature.
The lower house overruled the governor’s veto on Senate Bill 11-148 and House Bill 11-493. The proposed measures will be transmitted to the Senate for the upper house’s action.
Should the Senate act to also override the governor’s veto, the proposed measures will become law even without the approval of Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio.
Mr. Tenorio rejected SB 11-48, which requires the private sector and the CNMI government to pay for their non-resident workers’ medical insurance, pointing out that bill would “create rather than resolve existing problems.”
According to Mr. Tenorio, the only medical insurance subsidized by the state is the Government Health Insurance Program under the Retirement Fund.
Under existing policies, government employees have the option to enroll under GHIP or other private insurance. If they chose to enroll in a private insurance company, they will have to pay the full premium.
The governor also raised concerns that SB 11-148 constitute unfair approach since it requires the government to cover embalming and transportation costs of a deceased nonresident employee, a benefit not provided to local workers.
Instead, he suggested that a legislation mandating all contracts for non-resident workers employed in the government be enrolled at either GHIP or other private insurance companies.
At the same time, HB 11-493 was vetoed also on grounds that the proposed measure favors a particular business sector, while also providing preferential treatment to one Senatorial District over the others.
Telecommunications company that will install relay equipment in Rota, under the provisions of HB 11-493, will be exempt from paying excise taxes for a six-month period.
The legislation was expected to stimulate the Commonwealth’s sluggish economy by encouraging telecommunications company to set up relay equipment in the island of Rota through tax breaks.
“I understand the desire to stimulate the economy by providing incentives to telecommunications business, [but] this would not be a fair practice as it favors one type of business over the others,” Mr. Tenorio wrote the Legislature.
