Override votes on Ige’s vetoes unlikely

As Gov. David Ige continues working on which bills he will approve or veto from the 2015 session, a key lawmaker says the Legislature is unlikely to override any vetoes once the list is published.

Rep. Scott Saiki, the House majority leader, says colleagues will meet to decide on a special one-day session after they learn which bills may be vetoed.

Ige has until Monday to notify the Legislature of which bills he may veto and a final deadline of July 14 to sign, veto or allow bills to become law without his signature.

"My sense is that we would not be inclined to override any vetoes and instead we would work to address any concerns next session," Saiki (D, Downtown-Kakaako-McCully) said in a recent interview. "We’ll be having a caucus when the list comes down to discuss the bills and get input from the committee chairs and the members."

Ige has given little indication on which bills he is contemplating for veto.

After a recent bill signing event this month, Ige said only that he was "working through" all of the bills that had come across his desk since the session ended on May 7.

"I think that there are some that we’ve identified — that we have concerns (about) and we’re trying to reach out to those that were advocating for the measures," Ige said, adding that he hopes to discuss any such bills to "try and understand what they were hoping to accomplish and just express the concern that I would have."

If he is vetoing a bill, he wants advocates to understand the reasoning behind the veto, Ige said.

Among the key measures still awaiting a decision is House Bill 134, which allows the City and County of Ho­nolulu to extend the half-percent excise tax surcharge for five additional years to provide more funding to cover projected cost overruns for the city’s $6 billion rail transit project. The surcharge is scheduled to end in 2022, but the extension would continue it through 2027. The measure also allows counties to impose a similar surcharge if they act by July 1, 2016.

Ige said he had not yet made a decision on the proposal.

"I have been meeting with people, proponents and opponents, just trying to get their view of it," the governor said.

Saiki said he did not have a hunch on what Ige might do.

"I’m assuming the one that he is really contemplating is the rail tax, so I have no idea what he’s going to do with that one," Saiki said.

Another measure being closely watched by lawmakers is House Bill 321, to establish a system of up to 16 medical marijuana dispensary sites for certified medical marijuana patients, with applications by potential operators accepted by the state starting in January. The bill allows dispensaries to open for business as early as July 2016.

"That’s a big one," said Rep. Will Espero (D, Ewa Beach-Iroquois Point), the Senate’s vice president. "We’ve got 13,000 patients and who knows how many caregivers, and odds are that if this measure passes, that number will increase because people will now feel that there is a safe, secure, quality-controlled supply."

Saiki said he expects the governor to approve the dispensary system.

"I think dispensaries should be OK," Saiki said. "I’m assuming that the attorney general is really vetting the medical marijuana dispensary bill along with the Health Department."

Last year, his final year in office, Gov. Neil Abercrombie vetoed seven bills. He issued four vetoes in 2013, 14 vetoes in 2012 and 17 vetoes in 2011. The Democratic-controlled Legislature did not override any of Abercrombie’s 42 vetoes during his four-year term.

By comparison, Gov. Linda Lingle, the only Republican to be elected governor, issued 148 vetoes during her first term. The Legislature overrode 25 of Lingle’s vetoes in her first term. In her second term, Lingle issued 199 vetoes, and the Legislature overrode 85.

Before Lingle, the Legislature had only overridden one governor’s veto since statehood, Gov. Ben Cayetano’s rejection of an age-of-consent bill in 2001.

Overall, lawmakers said they do not expect many vetoes. Ige already has signed more than 100 bills into law.

"I have been checking on a number of bills, and I don’t think there’s too many bills he’s looking at vetoing right now," House Speaker Joe Souki (D, Waihee-Waiehu-Wailuku) said.

Lawmakers noted Ige has had more of a low-key, collaborative style since taking office from the more outspoken Abercrombie.

"It’s different," Souki said. "In a way, he’s more open than when he was a senator — I think it requires more of that, more openness. I find my working relationship is quite well.

"It’s new, but I think he’s working through the task OK," he added. "I see him getting more confident every day and I think in the end he’ll be all right. … He’s going to be a little more deliberate — that could be good for the state. So far things are moving."

Espero agreed with the assessment.

"That’s how he was as a state senator as well — very bright and intelligent," Espero said. "He is low-key and quiet and he’s not loud and flashy, but he did pass some good legislation as a senator, as the (Ways and Means) chair, and if anybody understands our state government and the process, he certainly does without any doubt at all."