Senate OKs override of budget veto

The expected unanimous vote to override the governor’s veto of the budget didn’t happen at the Senate yesterday but it still managed to garner enough votes to sail through the upper house.

The override action on the government’s budget plan for FY 2009 was supported by the majority except for Tinian senators Joseph Mendiola and Henry San Nicolas, who cited the need to wait for the House’s action on the veto message and the standing bills related to the budget legislation.

Offered by Floor Leader Sen. Jude Hofschneider, the motion to override was made by Sen. Felix Mendiola.

Prior to voting for the measure, Joseph Mendiola, who is also the Tinian Legislative Delegation chairman, urged his colleagues to suspend the decision until the House acts on the standing bills being asked by the upper house.

“I am voting for the override. But what I am asking the members is to suspend the voting today until the House finishes its session on Friday to see whether they will act on the standing bills related to this budget legislation…because those bills were supposed to be included in this budget bill. However, there was an agreement that they will do it in the form of a standalone bill,” Mendiola said during yesterday’s session, referring to the restoration of the salaries of resident directors for Rota and Tinian, which was not considered in the budget legislation.

Disappointed over the “unwillingness” of colleagues to put off the vote, Mendiola later said: “I am supportive of the override…but I apologize that I can’t affirm my vote if we will do it today.”

Sen. Maria Frica Pangelinan, chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Fiscal Affairs, pushed for the immediate action.

“Delaying the passage of this bill may give the governor more avenue to make reductions on the budget projection. We don’t want to take this chance. We don’t want to give the governor time to stall this override decision,” she told the other senators.

Before the session, members went into an hour-long leadership session to come to a common decision.

While admitting that he recognizes Sen. Mendiola’s point, Sen. Paul Manglona said it is about time the Senate makes its own statement on the budget.

“We were not accorded the chance to do it the last time [override] because the House failed to pass it. It is time for the Senate to make a statement. I understand that from numerous meetings with the House members, ‘override is a commitment,’” Manglona said.

The lawmaker expressed “confusion” over the recent stand of these lawmakers.

“I was under the assumption that everyone is committed to the override…but what’s happening now?” he asked, adding that both chambers did everything to have a budget plan, which may just go to waste.

Manglona wants the Senate to take action now, whatever the House may decide on the override.

“If the House won’t pass it…at least in the Senate, we did it,” he said.

Sen. Jude Hofschneider, for his part, said that what concerns him most is the government’s continuous hiring practice.

“The first time it was vetoed, it was because of a decrease in revenue. Now, with the Northwest decision…I don’t question the administration’s arguments and justification…but what concerns me is the continuous hiring,” he told members.

In passing the override, “At least we can stop the bleeding…if I may.”

He revealed that over 900 were hired by the government in the last three fiscal years and whatever “pathetic” revenue the CNMI has had, override “is the right thing to do.”