Why the Line-Item Veto is NECESSARY!

• Because Rhode Island has such a lopsided legislature, there is no real check and balance on the state budgeting process.



• A budget submitted and approved by the House is usually rubber stamped by the also lopsided Senate and then sent to the Governor, who can only approve or reject the budget in its entirety – or let the budget pass without a Governor's signature.



• Special and narrow interests know that if they can get their project as a line-item into the budget that their work is done.

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  What is a Line-Item Veto?

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• A line-item veto is a a budgetary check and balance, which allows a governor to veto a specific spending line from a budget, subject to a veto override vote by the General Assembly.



• Rhode Island's current budgetary process (without a line-item veto) is this: a governor proposes a budget which is given to the House of Representatives in January. The House holds public hearings, but makes changes to the governor's budget in secret and behind closed doors until a final, modified budget appears a week or two before the legislative session ends. Once the House finishes its work with the budget, no one can make any changes to any part of the budget. It is right here where the line-item veto can make a huge difference.



• Governors in 44 other states can strike a budget line-item and force the legislature to hold a vote specficially to override that veto. It is this piece which adds transparency to the budget process. A truly awful budget line-item is unlikely to get an override vote. Massachussetts has a line-item veto which has been working well for decades.

  Please join this effort to make sure our elections truly reflect the will of the voters by asking your elected officials to pass the line-item veto bill.

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