Three bills vetoed
 
November 25, 2009    
 
Governor Felix P. Camacho today, enacted the following Public Laws:
 
    •    Bill No. 176-30 - PL No. 30-59: Establishes a separate notary public revolving fund and increases the fee collected by the government of Guam for notary applications from $50 to $100. It also allows a fee to be collected form the issuing of certificates of authenticity and apostilles. It further clarifies that apostilles are issued by the director or deputy director of the Department of Administration.

    •    Bill No. 177-30 - PL No. 30-60: Authorizes the Office of the Attorney General to collect a fee for its attorney general clearances. It also establishes a separate fund for the deposit of those fees, entitled the “Victim or Witness Travel – Housing Fund” for use by the Office of the Attorney General.

    •    Bill No. 181-30 - PL No. 30-61: Amends the Guam Code Annotated, relative to Judiciary of Guam judges and justices’ annually compensation adjustments.
 
Among other action taken on bills, Governor Camacho vetoed:
 
    •    Bill No. 108-30, which sought to re-establish the Guam Community Police Review Commission. Among several other reasons, the governor’s decision to veto the proposed law was the absence of a funding source to support the measure’s mandate.
 
In his veto message to Legislative Speaker Judi Won Pat, the governor further stated, “The determination of a person’s guilt should only be made by those properly trained and equipped such as Internal Affairs and the Attorney General’s Office. The bill gives the Commission this tremendous authority, which may lead to unsubstantiated determinations of misconduct or criminal activity that would be deemed final.”
 
    •    Bill No. 209-30, which attempted to amend Guam’s financial disclosure law to include individuals who are delegated to have sole authority to enter into procurement contracts or approved change order.
 
“Unfortunately, it is unclear whether such an individual exists as no single individual has sole authority to enter into procurement contracts,” said Gov. Camacho. “Guam law also requires that all contracts, after approval of the attorney general, shall be executed upon the approval of the governor. As evident in all government of Guam contracts, no single person has the authority to enter into procurement contracts. Rather than sign legislation that has no effect since it will not apply to anyone, I have vetoed the measure.”
 
    •    Bill No. 200-30, attempts to adjust the compensation of the Attorney General of Guam to be comparable and equitable with other legal officer positions of the government of Guam.
 
“I appreciate the responsibilities and demands of the position of the attorney general and recognize that a salary adjustment may be warranted. However, as this legislation will not be effective until 2011, I simply ask that we wait for the outcome of the study (Government-Wide Position Classification Compensation and Benefits Study) to recommend a salary level commensurate with the role of the Attorney General of Guam,” said Gov. Camacho in his veto letter to Speaker Won Pat.

Veto message bill 108-30.pdf
Veto message bill 200-30.pdf
Veto message bill 209-30.pdf