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SEC. 15. Regular and Special Sessions. – Except as
provided by its rules, the Regional Assembly shall meet in open
session. Regular sessions shall commence on the 4th Monday of
October and shall continue to be in session for such number of
days as may be determined by the assembly until thirty (30) days
before the opening of its next regular session exclusive of Saturdays,
Sundays, and legal holidays.
The Regional Assembly may meet in special sessions at
the request of one-third (1/3) of all its Members or by call of the
Regional Governor. The special session shall have a specific agenda.
SEC. 16. Passage of Bills. – No bill shall become a law of
regional application unless it has passed three (3) readings on
separate days and printed copies thereof in its final form have
been distributed to its members three (3) days before its passage,
except when the Regional Governor certifies to the necessity of its
immediate enactment to meet a public calamity or emergency.
SEC. 17. Approval of Bills and Overriding of Veto. – Every
bill passed by the Regional Assembly, shall, before it becomes a
law, be presented to the Regional Governor. If the Regional
Governor approves the bill, he or she shall sign it; otherwise, he
or she shall veto it on the ground that it is ultra-vires or it is
against public policy and return it with his or her objections to
the Regional Assembly. The Regional Assembly shall, thereafter,
enter the objections at large in its journal and may proceed to
reconsider it. If, after such reconsideration, two-thirds (2/3) of all
the Members of the Regional Assembly shall agree to pass the
bill, it shall become a law. In such cases, the vote shall be
determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the members
voting for or against shall be entered in the journal. The Regional
Governor shall communicate his veto of any bill to the Regional
Assembly within thirty (30) days after the date of its receipt;
otherwise, it shall become a law as if he had signed it.
SEC. 18. Submittal of Bills to the President and Congress.
– The Speaker of the Regional Assembly shall within ten (10)
working days from their approval thereof, submit to the President
and to both Houses of Congress a certified true copy of all laws
and resolutions approved by the Regional Assembly.