Appellate court backs Schwarzenegger on line-item vetoes
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Reporting from Sacramento — A California appeals court sided Tuesday with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in a fight with state lawmakers over his line-item veto authority.
Last summer, Schwarzenegger cut about $500 million from a state spending plan passed by the Legislature, saying it was not balanced. Advocacy groups, supported by legislative leaders, filed a lawsuit arguing that the governor had overstepped his legal rights.
Legislative leaders told the court Schwarzenegger did not have the right to use his line-item veto because the legislation they passed cut an existing budget. They said the governor can use that veto only when a budget is originally approved.
“This argument amounts to little more than wordplay,” the court ruled.
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