Slide 40 of 84

The final aspect of constitutional budget law is the governor's veto power. The governor has three types of veto power. The governor can veto the entire bill (Article IV, Section 33). The governor can pocket veto a bill, but this power is more of a curiosity than any thing else. If a bill has been presented and it is within the 14 day window the governor has to act and the legislature is adjourned, then the governor can just sit on the bill and it will be the equivalent of a veto. The final veto power and the one that really matters in the budget is the line item veto power (Article V, Section 19). It is used frequently, sometimes dozens of times on a given budget. The veto may only be made against parts of the appropriation bill that makes an appropriation, those typically are line items where it says the XYZ program… $100,000. The governor draws a line through the item, initials it, and it is vetoed.

An appropriation can be made in a language section of an appropriation bill or a basic statute for the year the basic statute passes. So it is possible to veto a language section in a bill that makes an appropriation, but only if it authorizes spending. If language sets conditions on the expenditure of the appropriation, directions to the agencies on how to operate the program, or requirements for reporting, it may not be vetoed.