Reyes slams governor on 3-time veto

Sen. Pete Reyes slammed the Babauta administration over what he billed as a personal and irrational way to get back at him—a three-time veto on all his sponsored bills.

Reyes sounded the alarm during the recent Senate session and accused the administration of being vindictive, saying the veto actions are affecting legitimate measures that could have benefited the CNMI people.

The Babauta administration disapproved all Reyes’ sponsored bills—the DNA testing for child support, restrictions on hiring of nonresident workers for the Marianas Visitors Authority, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Day bill.

“I think all my bills would be practically vetoed. I am not saying that it should all be signed into law but they did not justify the veto of the bills,” said the senator in an interview. “I think it [veto] is very personal. A vindictive action that affects the lives of people,” he added.

He claimed that the reasons given by the administration on the vetoes are “sloppy.” He stressed that, like the removal of the President’s Day, the CNMI should be allowed to celebrate its own holiday that it is significant to the islands.

“If we are properly represented in the U.S. and if we are allowed to vote for the U.S. president, then we can celebrate the President’s Day. But even California is allowed to celebrate a holiday significant to California residents. If we have room for more holidays, I would support the veto but we don’t have,” said Reyes.

Reyes said he would try to muster enough votes for the override so that the bills’ veto could be turned around. If this does not happen, he said he still did his best to serve the CNMI people.

He pointed out that what is so disturbing about all the vetoes is that the administration did not even take time “to make the disapproval convincing enough” to justify it.

He urged members of the Senate to examine the circumstances and inform the governor that the Legislature would not tolerate an unjustified veto that threatens the well-being of the public.

The administration disapproved Reyes’ DNA testing bill, saying it failed to mention funding sources for the test; the MVA bill was vetoed because it said the MVA needs nonresident workers when the CNMI expands its tourism marketing efforts in China. The administration made concession on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day measure by still incorporating the President’s Day in the substitute bill.