Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The House of Representatives this past week unanimously approved the Senate Joint Resolution proposing to remove the veto override power currently held by the Secretary of the Interior. The vote was 13-0.

This would change the constitutional provision, which requires any bill that is vetoed by the Governor and re-approved by the Legislature 2/3rd vote of the membership of each chamber, to be decided by the Secretary of the Interior.

Under the resolution now being reviewed once a bill is vetoed by the Governor and is re-approved by the Fono it would become law. The change would be on the ballot in the general election in November. The removal of the veto override power from the Interior Secretary still has to go to the U.S. Congress for approval.

During the discussion of the bill, faipule were in agreement that the veto override power should be removed from the Secretary of interior. The only concern raised by several faipule was whether this would affect federal funding for the territory.

Some faipule didn’t agree that one man should have the power to approve constitutional changes and felt this power should be given to Congress.

BACKGROUND

The Senate Rules Committee endorsed a verbal motion to send a resolution to Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata requesting appropriate legislation that would remove Congressional approval.

The committee’s motion was made at the conclusion of a hearing in late January where senators discussed the Senate Joint Resolution seeking to give the Fono the authority to override the governor’s vote of a bill, instead of the Secretary of Interior — as it stands now.

Senate legal counsel Mitzie Jessop-Ta’ase was the sole witness and she explained the purpose of the resolution, which — if endorsed by the Fono — would go to voters to decide on in the next general election.

As previously reported by Samoa News this is not the first time the proposed amendment has come before the Fono and been presented to voters, who rejected it — at least three times in past elections.