Bill > SJR11

This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment to significantly modify the governor's partial veto power in Wisconsin, specifically for appropriation bills. Currently, the governor has broad partial veto authority with only minor restrictions, such as not creating new words by rejecting individual letters or creating new sentences by combining parts of existing sentences. The proposed amendment would dramatically narrow this power, allowing the governor to only reject entire bill sections that are capable of standing alone as complete, workable laws, and to reduce appropriations in the bill. This change stems from ongoing legal debates about the scope of partial veto power, including a 2020 Wisconsin Supreme Court case (Bartlett v. Evers) that previously attempted to limit the governor's veto authority. For this constitutional amendment to take effect, it must be adopted by two successive legislatures and then ratified by voters in a public referendum, which is the standard process for amending the Wisconsin State Constitution.

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https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/proposals/reg/sen/joint_resolution/sjr11