44 States give their governor the power of a line-item veto.
RI Needs to Join the Rest of the Country!
Our Purpose
Rhode Island is 1 out of 6 states in the country that does not give its governor the power of the line-item veto. 44 other states balance budgetary power between their governors and legislatures via the line-item veto. In this election year, we have a unique opportunity to bring this important good government reform to Rhode Island. Every major candidate for governor supports a line-item veto. There are two roadblocks: the Speaker of the House, Joe Shekarchi, and the RI House of Representatives.
With Your Help, We Can Win a Governor's Line-Item Veto for RI!
Help us ask Speaker of the House Joseph Shekarchi and Senate President Valarie Lawson, the two people who have the power to bring the line-item veto legislation to a vote, to give our governor a line-item veto and bring Rhode Island in line with most of the rest of the country!
Of equal importance, we need you to put pressure on your state senator and state representative to take a meaningful stance on the line-item veto issue. In the past, the vast majority of our legislators have taken the coward’s way out by taking no public stance on the issue, or they say something lame like ‘if it comes to the floor I will vote for it’, rather than own the issue and state that they will push hard to bring the line-item veto to the floor for a vote.
SEND A PRE-WRITTEN EMAIL FROM THIS WEBSITE TO YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS (See below).
Please join me in reminding our elected officials how important a line-item veto is to Rhode Island's economic health. Checks and balances are a good thing! Keep an eye on our progress by visiting the various pages on this website, where we will track the positions of all our elected leaders as the session progresses.
Thanks for helping!
- Ken Block
Email your elected officials
Let your elected officials, including Senate President Valarie Lawson and House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi, know how you feel!
Please fill in your information at the end of the text and click 'SEND EMAIL'.
Your personal information will be used ONLY to support a line-item veto and will not be shared with any other organization.
Please pass Line-Item Veto legislation
To: Governor McKee
House Speaker Shekarchi
Senate President Lawson
House Majority Leader Blazejewski
House Finance Chairman Abney
House Judiciary Chairwoman McEntee
Senate Majority Leader Ciccone
Senate Judiciary Chairman LaMountain
Senate Finance Chairman DiPalma
Are you in favor of a line-item veto? Will you actively engage in your chamber to advocate for a line-item veto in Rhode Island?
Can you please reply with your answers to the questions above?
Since 2013, thousands of Rhode Island citizens have sent members of the General Assembly letters similar to this one, asking that the Rhode Island legislature allow Rhode Island citizens to vote to enact a governor's line-item veto.
The line-item veto is a tool of good government - it provides a budgetary check and balance between the legislative and executive branches of government. Checks and balances are a good thing!!!
Thank you, Governor McKee, for including a line-item veto in the budget draft that you sent to the legislature!
Senate President Lawson - I ask that your chamber quickly and unanimously sponsor a 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 - Like every Speaker before you, you are the main impediment to this good government reform. We don't need to study the issue or take a poll - 44 other states don't have it wrong, and a line-item veto enjoys broad, bipartisan support from RI voters. All I ask is that you simply allow your chamber to vote on the line-item veto bill this year. Let your chamber vote as their constituents desire - please let democracy reign. The major candidates for RI Governor in 2026 all support a line-item veto.
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 a very wrong message.
Please pass a line-item veto for Rhode Island's Governor.
Sincerely,
RI Residents
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