Senate Majority: Every Veto is a Possible Override
Meeting today in caucus, the Hawai‘i Senate Majority determined that each measure on the governor’s list of potential veto targets represents the possibility of a veto override.
“It should go without saying that we think each of these measures addresses important issues in our community,” said Senate President Colleen Hanabusa. “At this point, we will not rule out the override of a veto on any one of them. We’re already hearing from members of the public who have concerns about the bills the governor could target, and we’re telling them, ’The legislature heard you. We understood how important these issues are and we passed these bills. Now you have to make sure that the governor understands this, too.’”
“I’m not saying that we will necessarily override every veto,” Hanabusa continued. “That’s why it is so important for the public to take their support for these bills to the governor, and show her why vetoes will go against the pressing needs and the overwhelming opinion of the people of Hawai‘i.”
Senate Majority Leader Gary Hooser called upon the governor to respond to pubic concerns. “These bills represent the will of the people. Within the legislature, the process includes a lot of public input and a lot of collaboration,” he said. “We often work with the governor’s office as well. Our charge is to find workable solutions to important community concerns. These measures are the result of just that kind of open, collaborative effort. The constitutional process now leaves their fate in the hands of a single individual, the governor. The public needs to impress upon her the importance of making her decision by consensus as well.”
“Many of these bills passed without opposition, some with unanimous and bi-partisan support,” concluded Hooser. “It would be a pity to see them fail at this late date.”