 |
The Governor in Wisconsin has by far the most powerful partial-veto pen in the nation. Through a series of court decisions, the Governor has gained the power to cut out any word or number from any bill that appropriates money. |
Every two years, by law the Legislature must send the Governor a budget bill. In 2005, that bill was 394 pages long, containing 5,490 distinct words out of a total of 217,284. The bill the Governor just introduced is nearly twice that, at 379,805 words.
As this site demonstrates, it is possible to 'partial veto' such a large document into practically any law a Governor would want. Hence the term, "Frankenstein Veto".
The Amendment
Last year, the Legislature acted to curtail this dangerous power by passing the first consideration of a constitutional amendment. In Wisconsin, an amendment must pass the Legislature in two consecutive sessions before it can be placed on the ballot as a referendum.
This year, the second consideration of the amendment passed the Assembly by a wide margin (75-20), but on January 31st Senate Democrats announced that they would block its passage. By doing so they have deprived the voters of Wisconsin the opportunity to return the state to a democratic balance of power.
The Website
I created this site to demonstrate just how dangerous the Governor's power is. It will take the text you give it and show you how the Governor could create your new law with absolutely no legislative oversight.
Please, contact your State Senator and tell them you want the amendment on the April ballot. Democracy must be restored in Wisconsin.