TITLE 1: GOVERNMENT
DIVISION 1: LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
§ 1405. Review by Mayor. (a) No local bill or local appropriation or revenue bill may be enacted by a legislative delegation until the mayor from the respective senatorial district has had an opportunity to review and comment on it. The mayor or his designee shall have 30 days in which to review and comment on all local bills. If the mayor fails to comment with the applicable period, the legislative delegation may act on the matter without input from the mayor. Provided, however, that the provisions of this section shall not apply to the Tinian Legislative Delegation in enacting an appropriation of casino gaming revenues pursuant to section 50 (5) of the Revised Tinian Casino Gaming Control Act of 1989; provided further that the provisions of this section shall not apply to the Rota Legislative Delegation in enacting an appropriation of casino gaming revenues pursuant to the Rota Casino Act as it was enacted by popular initiative or as it may be amended. (b) A local bill or local appropriation or revenue bill shall be enacted by an affirmative vote of the majority of the members of the legislative delegation. Upon enactment, the local bill or local appropriation or revenue bill shall be certified by the chairman of the legislative delegation and forwarded to the presiding officer of the house of origin. It shall then be certified by the presiding officer and transmitted to the Governor for his consideration pursuant to N.M.I. Const. art. II, § 7. The Governor may veto an item appropriating funds in a local appropriation bill. In the event the Governor vetoes the local bill, the local appropriation bill or item, or revenue bill, it shall be reconsidered by the legislature which may enact the bill over the Governor’s veto by affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members of each house of the legislature pursuant to N.M.I. Const. art. II, § 7. Local appropriation authority of N.M.I. Const. art. II, § 9(a). Source: PL 3-77, § 5; amended by PL 11-17, § 3; amended by PL 16-04, § 5, modified. Commission Comment: See the comment to 1 CMC § 1403. It appears that in the last sentence of subsection (b), following the words “Local appropriation”, the phrase “bills shall not be subject to the continuing appropriation” had been inadvertently dropped in the amendatory language of PL 11-17, § 3. The Commission changed the instances of “subsection” to “section” in this section pursuant to the authority granted by 1 CMC § 3806(d).