DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Annelle Amaral was one of the sign wavers in front of the Capitol yesterday urging Lingle to sign the long-term care bill.
Legislature unlikely to
override Lingle vetoes
CORRECTION
Friday, June 20, 2003» If the state Legislature is to override a veto by Gov. Linda Lingle, it must reconvene before noon on the 45th day after its adjournment -- this year that is July 8 -- and vote on the override. A story about possible vetoes by Lingle incorrectly said the Legislature had until July 18 to override a veto.
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Editor Frank Bridgewater at 529-4791 or email him at corrections@starbulletin.com.Gov. Linda Lingle is signaling that she will reject five or more legislative measures as a deadline to announce her vetoes fast approaches.
Lingle has already vetoed bills dealing with airport concessionaires, rebuilt autos and unions for part-time teachers.
Now under scrutiny are bills that would create the first mandatory, state-run, long-term care insurance program, provide tax breaks for hotel construction, restore public unions' rights to binding arbitration instead of strikes to settle contract disputes, and two measures to expand the use of emergency contraceptives for women who have been raped or had unprotected sex.
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So far, no bill has won enough support to attract the needed two-thirds vote to override a veto, according to legislative leaders.
The deadline for announcing what bills she will veto is Monday, 35 days after the close of the Legislature. Lingle has until July 8 to actually veto a bill, 45 days after the session's close. The Legislature then has 10 days, until July 18, to reconvene to override the vetoes.
Only once has a governor's veto been overridden -- in 2001 -- when the Legislature overrode former Gov. Ben Cayetano's veto of a bill to raise the age of consent.
Cayetano holds the record of vetoes, with 312 rejections. Since statehood, 818 bills had been vetoed before Lingle took office.
Because overriding a veto takes a two-thirds vote of both House and Senate members, legislators say they are reluctant to predict it there is enough support to overturn a Lingle veto.
"I haven't heard that we would be willing to override any of the possible vetoes," said Sen. Colleen Hanabusa (D, Nanakuli-Makua), Democratic leader.
Senate Health Chairwoman Suzanne Chun Oakland (D, Kalihi-Liliha) said she was still hoping that Lingle would not veto the long-term care bill but agreed with Hanabusa that the Legislature did not appear to have the needed two-thirds vote majority to override.
"We are trying our best to educate her," Chun Oakland said.
"There are some basic concepts about long-term care she needs to learn a little more about," Chun Oakland added.
Lingle previously said she had concerns about the bill because it would force all wage earners in the state to pay $10 a month for a long-term care insurance package. After 10 years of payments, a person would be eligible for one year of long-term care, under the bill.
Speaker of the House Calvin Say added that he had not heard of any groundswell among House Democrats to return to override a veto.
"I don't think the House is doing anything at this period," Say said.
Some lawmakers had talked about supporting an override of a possible veto of the binding-arbitration bill, which is heavily supported by the public worker unions, but Say said yesterday that he wasn't sure he could get a two-thirds majority vote for that bill.
"As of today I would be open to it (an override attempt) if the Senate was also open, too," Say said.
Say added that he would wait from a call from Senate President Robert Bunda. The Senate leader, however, said yesterday he is "not planning to call the House speaker."
