Wisconsin Assembly Passes Constitutional Amendment to Weaken Governor's Veto Powers

Thursday, February 22nd, 2024 -- 2:00 PM

(Anya van Wagtendonk, Wisconsin Public Radio) Wisconsin governors would see one of their most unique veto powers weakened under a proposed constitutional amendment that passed the state Assembly Tuesday.

According to Anya van Wagtendonk with Wisconsin Public Radio, the partial veto power, in which a governor can cross out words, numbers or punctuation from an appropriation bill, could not be used to create or increase taxes or fees, according to the proposal.

The plan comes months after Gov. Tony Evers made national headlines when he used his partial veto to cross out some words, numbers and punctuation in the budget passed by Republican lawmakers to extend school funding for 402 years, up from the two years that had originally been intended.

Both Republican and Democratic governors have wielded their veto pen in a variety of ways. Walker, a Republican, used the partial veto to make one state program last indefinitely, in what was termed a “thousand-year veto.”

Fellow Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson used what was then known as the “Vanna White veto” to piece together letters from different words to create new words, a practice that was eventually banned.

And Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle used a “Frankenstein veto,” another practice ended by voters, to move more than $400 million out of the state’s road fund to pay for schools instead.

Even though it’s not as broad as it used to be, the partial veto of a Wisconsin executive is unique among states. While 44 states have some form of a line-item veto, only Wisconsin has the partial veto, which gives governors more freedom to carve up spending bills.

The plan passed on a 64-34 party line vote and heads next to the Senate. No other lawmakers spoke during debate. As a proposed constitutional amendment, the plan would need to pass the full Legislature in two consecutive sessions before it can be brought to voters for approval.

It has support from the conservative groups Americans for Prosperity, Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, and is opposed by the Wisconsin Education Association Council.

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