A veto too far? Lawmakers may sue Inslee to figure it out
OLYMPIA — When Gov. Jay Inslee vetoed a 12-word sentence in the transportation budget in May, he knew what he was doing was without precedent in this state.
Now lawmakers are gearing up to sue the Democratic governor because they think it was not just unprecedented, it was illegal.
Since Inslee acted May 21, attorneys for the Democratic and Republican caucuses have been researching whether the two-term governor crossed a constitutional line separating his veto authority from their legislating turf.
The veto — which concerns how millions of dollars are handed out to transit agencies — has been described as “troubling” and “concerning” by leaders of the Democratic and Republican caucuses in the House and Senate. They have been building a case for months. As of Wednesday morning they had not said if they would take on Inslee, who in the past week ended his bid for president and embarked on a campaign for a third term.
While overriding his veto is an option, that would mean waiting until the start of the 2020 session in January and lawmakers have sounded of late like they want to do something sooner.
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In the budget, lawmakers included the line “Fuel type may not be a factor in the grant selection process.” They said this would ensure transit agencies who are unable to make the transition to zero-emission vehicles right away are not shut out from getting some of the roughly $200 million in grants offered through the state’s public transportation program.
That line is what got cut. Inslee argued at the time of the veto that it amended existing law by changing the rules for the grant selection process. He contended the constitution requires such a revision be done with a separate bill and not through the budget.
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/a-veto-too-far-lawmakers-may-sue-inslee-to-figure-it-out/