Prohibiting partial vetoes of parts of bill sections (first consideration)

What it would have done

Summary by the Legislative Reference Bureau, the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

This proposed constitutional amendment, proposed to the 2009 legislature on first consideration, amends the Wisconsin Constitution to prohibit the governor, in exercising his or her partial veto power over an appropriations bill, from partially vetoing parts of bill sections of an enrolled bill without rejecting the entire bill section. Currently, in exercising the partial veto power, the governor is limited only insofar as that he or she may not create a new word by rejecting individual letters in the words of the enrolled bill, and may not create a new sentence by combining parts of two or more sentences of the enrolled bill. The new restriction on the governor's partial veto power contained in this resolution subsumes and expands on the current restrictions in the constitution.

A proposed constitutional amendment requires adoption by two successive legislatures, and ratification by the people, before it can become effective.

Who's behind it

13 lawmakers are its authors⁠. 12 are Democrats and 1 is a Republican.

5 more lawmakers signed on in support⁠.