State voters may finally get a say, on the governor's partial veto power. Wisconsin governors have long had the most powerful line item veto in the nation, dubbed the "Frankenstein veto" because they can stitch together words, letter and numbers to make totally new legislation. A committee chaired by Senate President Fred Risser holds a hearing today, on a constitutional amendment that would reign in that veto power. Committee approval could put the amendment before the full Senate, where passage could give state voters a say in the matter as early as next year.
Mike McCabe with the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign says it's past time for the legislature to assert itself. Still, McCabe says this constitutional amendment is just a start: " it wounds Frankenstein, but doesn't kill him ." Governors would still be able to cut words out of individual sentences, giving new, unintended meaning to legislation.
