GOVERNOR SENDS NOTICE OF INTENT TO VETO 9 BILLS

News Release from Office of the Governor June 24, 2013

HONOLULU – After reviewing 293 measures passed by the 2013 Hawaii State Legislature, Gov. Neil Abercrombie today notified legislators of his intent to veto nine bills.

As required by the State of Hawaii Constitution, the Governor must provide 10 working days’ notice for any measures that he may veto by July 9, 2013.  As such, these bills are still under consideration and further review.

“I greatly respect the legislative process and the work of individual legislators in forming public policy,” Gov. Abercrombie said. “This past session resulted in meaningful measures that will ultimately benefit the people of Hawaii. However, there may be difficulty in implementing some of these bills as they are currently written, and there are other measures that require further consideration.”

The following bills are on the Governor’s intent-to-veto notice:

• HB763 (Relating to the State Building Code)
• SB1265 (Relating to Contracts)
• HB619 (Relating to Feral Birds)
• HB988 (Relating to Native Wildlife)
• HB424 (Relating to Timeshare Conveyances)
• HB654 (Relating to Nursing)
• HB1130 (Relating to the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation)
• SB3 (Relating to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs)
• SB68 (Relating to Sentencing)

Most of these bills are potentially objectionable because of concerns, raised by state departments or agencies, reflected in testimonies provided during the hearing process. The purpose of the notice is to allow sufficient time for the Governor to give additional consideration, have further discussions and inquiries, and conduct deeper analysis before he makes his final decision.

In addition, the Governor notified the Legislature of his plan to line-item veto SB909 (Relating to Making Appropriations for Collective Bargaining Cost Items). Specifically, the Governor will use his line-item authority to veto the funding of the bill associated with the rejected Bargaining Unit 13 settlement offer.

To date, Gov. Abercrombie has signed more than 172 measures into law. The Governor continues to review legislative bills that he must either veto or sign into law by July 9, 2013, or allow them to become law without his signature.

# # #