Line-item veto draws praise, criticism at Rhode Island legislative hearing
PROVIDENCE, R.I. Ken Block, chairman of Watchdog R.I., told a special legislative commission Wednesday afternoon that a Rhode Island governor should have the power to make line-item vetoes in a budget passed by the General Assembly.
Weve seen the last-minute shenanigans, said Block, who ran for governor in 2014. We dont like them.
In Rhode Island, he said, extraordinary budget powers are concentrated in the hands of just a very few people. Only six states, Rhode Island among them, do not give their governor the line-item veto power. As a result, he said: We have a lack of checks and balances.
Robin Muksian, the director of administration for Cranston Mayor Allan W. Fung, called the line-item veto a protection against any reckless entity.
Read more: http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20180523/line-item-veto-draws-praise-criticism-at-ri-legislative-hearing