Monday, May 21, 2007
Governor Culver Signs Supplemental Appropriations Bill
Invokes Line-Item Veto Authority
(Des Moines) Today, Governor Chet Culver signed into law Senate File 403, the Supplemental Appropriations bill.
In signing this bill, the Governor also invoked his line-item veto authority. In his veto message, Governor Culver wrote:
- “I am unable to approve the item designated as Section 26 in its entirety, which provides a standing limited General Fund appropriation of $160,000 to fund the operational expenses of the Real Estate Education Program at the University of Northern Iowa. Funding the day-to-day expenses of this program with a standing appropriation effectively removes this function from annual oversight by the Governor, the Board of Regents and the Legislature.”
- “I am unable to approve the item designated as Division VIII in its entirety, including Sections 30, 31, 32,33,34,35,36,37 and 38. This division deals with the Executive Branch’s authority to dispose of real property with a fair market value of at least $5,000,000 and imposes an additional requirement that such transactions must be approved by not only the Governor but also by a majority of each House of the General Assembly. It imposes an unnecessary legislative requirement on the Executive Branch’s authority to manage state property in the best interests of the State and could, for instance, adversely affect the timing of certain transactions for the Department of Transportation and the Department of Natural Resources.”