11/06/24

Please pass Line-Item Veto legislation

To: Governor McKee
      House Speaker Shekarchi
      Senate President Ruggerio
      House Majority Leader Blazejewski
      House Finance Chairman Abney
      Senate Majority Leader McCaffrey
      House Judiciary Chairman Craven
      Senate Judiciary Chairwoman Coyne
      Senate Finance Chairman Pearson


I am asking you to actively engage in your chamber to advocate for and lobby for a line-item veto in Rhode Island. Will you do so?

For eight years now, thousands of Rhode Island citizens have sent you a similar letter to this one, asking that the Rhode Island legislature institute a line-item veto.

In the 2019 legislative session, we saw two major issues arise that screamed out for a line-item veto.

1. The itemized budget contained a million taxpayer dollars to go to Dr. Pedro, a Cranston-based chiropractor, to pay for procedures that Medicaid refuses to pay for because the procedures were not scientifically proven. It is important to note that the original budget from the governor did not include this line-item - it was added by the House. The office of the governor stated that it would have absolutely vetoed this terrible spending item had a line-item veto been available. After a large public outcry, the House removed the $1,000,000 to Dr. Pedro.

2. The House inserted budget language that attempted to impose legislative oversight over the permitting for a new marijuana program. This language would have very likely been determined to be in violation of the separation of powers clause in our constitution. Keep in mind the recent corruption attached to marijuana licensing that arose in Fall River, MA. This sort of legislative power grab buried in the budget is exactly what a line-item veto is designed to defeat. After a lawsuit was threatened, the legislature agreed to revoke this power grab.

Senate President Ruggerio - I ask that your chamber quickly and unanimously sponsor the governor's line-item veto bill, in the same manner that the Senate did in 2018, but then go the last key step and actually bring the bill to the floor for a vote.

Speaker of the House Shekarchi - I ask that you simply allow your chamber to vote on the line-item veto bill that will be proposed by the governor this year. Let your chamber vote as their constituents desire - please let democracy reign.

44 other states in our great country provide their governors with a line-item veto - it is beyond time that Rhode Island do the same.

There is tremendous public support for a governor's line-item veto, and I write today to add my name and voice to that support.

When Rhode Island stands out negatively and alone relative to most of the rest of the country, it sends the wrong message about our state. The lack of a governor's line-item veto in Rhode Island is very much a wrong message.

A line-item veto adds desperately needed transparency to our budget process. Our budget process also becomes much stronger when a governor is able to do more than meekly pass or reject the budget in its entirety as it is delivered from the legislature. With a line-item veto, if a governor decides to strike a line from the budget, the General Assembly can always decide to override that veto. This check and balance is what is desperately needed in Rhode Island.

77% of the states with a line-item veto have a veto override threshold of 66%. 65% of states with the line-item veto require the override threshold to be from all elected legislators, as opposed to those present on the day of the vote.

Massachusetts' version of the line-item veto allows the governor to reduce a line-item as an option to just eliminating the entire line-item, which is a very good option that should be part of Rhode Island's version of the line-item veto.

44 other states do not have it wrong. Please pass a line-item veto for Rhode Island's Governor.

Sincerely,