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Senate passes ‘Frankenstein’ veto bill

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by Jessi Polsky

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

The Wisconsin state Senate unanimously passed a ban Tuesday on the "Frankenstein" veto power currently held by the governor.

In addition to the line-item veto — which permits the governor to cut individual items from legislation — Wisconsin currently grants the governor a "partial veto," the power to slash individual words, numbers and sentences from paragraphs and then piece the remaining parts of the bill together to essentially create new legislation.

The joint resolution awaits a vote on the Assembly floor. If passed, it will go to public referendum in April 2008.

Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, said passing the measure was good for Wisconsin, adding the vote count proves the governor's veto power should be reined in.

"I thought it was a great thing that it passed unanimously," Grothman said.

Doyle's veto pen, Grothman added, moved money the Legislature intended for highway funding to the school fund.

By voting to send the resolution to the public, Grothman said "even the Democrats think Doyle was a little over the top."

Ryan Murray, communications director for Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, echoed Grothman's sentiments, agreeing governors have abused the "Frankenstein" veto.

"This past budget the governor used it to raise property taxes," Murray said. "Those are things the Legislature never discussed, debated, or intended."

Senate President Fred Risser, D-Madison, said he is pleased with the outcome of Tuesday's vote, adding in a statement that outlawing this power "brings us one step closer to a veto authority that more accurately reflects the proper balance of power between the legislative and executive branches of our government."

But Carla Vigue, spokesperson for Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, said the public should seriously debate the matter if it is on the ballot in April.

"People really need to be careful when looking at this issue especially because governors for many years have been using vetoes to stop some of the Legislature's most extreme actions," Vigue said.

Although the resolution was passed by the Legislature in 2005, because it is a constitutional amendment it must pass in two legislative sessions, and then go before voters in a referendum.

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