The voluminous 2001 Omnibus Act landed heavily on Gov. Charles W. Turnbull's desk Wednesday, a far-reaching bill that is likely to be sliced and diced by Turnbull before passage.
The bill passed by the skin of its teeth as the 23rd Legislature approved it in heavily amended form, after a nine-hour final session Dec. 21, 2000.
Normally, the governor would have 10 working days to sign the measure, after which it would become law without his signature, but because the Legislature submitted it after adjourning sine die, he has 30 working days to act on it. That gives him until Feb. 13, 2001.
The governor has said publicly that he foresees vetoing many of the massive bill's sections. He said in December that the bill was an act of compromise on the part of the Legislature, and because of that, he would "act accordingly."
Many of the bill's more controversial measures were voted down in the 23rd Legislature's last session, including a rezoning that would have allowed Marriott's Frenchman's Reef to build a timeshare development north of the existing hotel, and one to allow hotels to prearrange tours and pickups for their drivers.
Taxi operators claimed that would put them out of business.
The governor and his legal staff will have their hands full with the more than 200-page document, which covers everything from tax increases and zoning changes to a model law governing the U.S. tobacco settlement, to the creation of a public/private Tourism Authority and a measure to consolidate the three government housing departments under one umbrella.
