Madison, Wisconsin, — On Wednesday, Republicans in Wisconsin put forth a constitutional proposal that would eliminate the governor's ability to veto increases to taxes or fees, thus limiting the governor's veto authority.
Democratic Governor Tony Evers utilized his partial veto in July to secure more financing for public schools for the following 400 years, prompting this decision. After Evers utilized his partial veto to raise school spending by $65 million in 2019, Republicans introduced a comparable proposal, but it was never voted on in the Legislature.
Unlike governors in other states, Wisconsin's have the option to strike almost any portion of a budget package, giving them the most sweeping partial veto power in the nation. As an example, expenditure bills can have numbers, punctuation, and words removed, leading to the creation of new laws that were not intended by the legislature.
After being established by a constitutional amendment in 1930, Wisconsin's partial veto authority has been gradually diminished throughout the years, particularly in response to vetoes issued by former Democratic and Republican governors.
To circumvent Evers' vetoes, Republicans have been increasingly relying on constitutional changes. No governors will have to sign off on the changes. They go on the ballot for public approval if they pass in two consecutive sessions of the Legislature.
Therefore, the earliest the most recent plan might be approved is in the year 2025.
“If accepted, this amendment will correctly counterbalance authority between the executive and the legislature and further prohibit the administration from fully rewriting laws that are not representative of the people," stated the Republican email seeking co-sponsors who submitted the idea.
State Senator Dan Knodl and Representatives Amanda Nedweski, Joel Kitchens, and Shae Sortwell are the legislators putting the legislation forward.
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