Guam – The Legislature’s Majority Leader, Senator Rory Respicio today [Tuesday] acknowledged receipt of Governor Eddie Calvo’s election reform bill and suggested that “it might be possible for I Liheslatura to work through Bill 449-31 so we will accomplish our goal of real election reform.”
The Governor submitted the measure as an alternative to Bill 413 which he vetoed.
The Governor’s revised version keeps intact the controversial provision to audit the 2010 election results, but it removes the 2010 “deadline voting extension” which led the Governor to veto the Legislature’s version.
In a release today, Senator Respicio said he introduced the Governor’s Bill himself and it has been numbered Bill #449.
The measure has been referred to committee and will not be voted on in this session, neither will the over ride attempt of the Governor’s veto of Bill 413.
Senator Respicio has already said that any override attempt will await the return of Senator Ben Pangelinan.
But in his release today Respicio says any override attempt remains just a “possibility.”
READ Senator Respicio’s release in FULL below:
April 24, 2012
For Immediate Release
Majority Leader Respicio Introduces Governor’s Election Reform Bill
Majority Leader Rory J. Respicio confirmed today that I Liheslatura received the Calvo Administration’s version of an election reform bill
yesterday, Monday, April 23rd. Respicio immediately introduced the bill on behalf of the Governor, and it has been numbered as Bill No. 449-
31 (LS).
Respicio said: “As Rules chairman, I referred the bill to the Committee on Election Reform, and the committee and I Liheslatura will do their
due diligence in reviewing the Governor’s submittal. I have also been reviewing Bill 449-31, and my cursory review is that the Governor’s claim that his bill is a mirror image of Bill 413-31 is incorrect and misleading.
“Notwithstanding the ongoing Legislative review process on the Governor’s bill, and the possibility of an override attempt for Bill 413-31, it might be possible for I Liheslatura to work through Bill 449-31 so we will accomplish our goal of real election reform. Guam’s voters can be confident that they will have the free and fair elections they deserve.”
UNSWORN DECLARATION: I hereby declare that the foregoing is true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief, under penalty of
perjury of the laws of Guam, this declaration being sworn and made in lieu of an affidavit pursuant to Title 6 Guam Code Annotated §4308, at
the place and date identified herein
Rory Respicio
