Plans would alter veto overrides, panel makeup

Two proposed rule changes for legislators could change the management of veto overrides and the makeup of the Executive Appropriations Committee.

One would place control of bills vetoed by the governor in the hands of either the Senate president and House speaker or the respective rules committee. All of the vetoed bills now go directly before the legislative bodies during a veto override session.

The rule would not apply to any bill that received the support of two-thirds of the legislators during informal polling of members — required by the state Constitution before an override session. Those bills would still be automatically placed on the special session calender for consideration.

The other proposed change would add as many as four new members to the Executive Appropriations Committee, which already includes leadership from both houses and the committee co-chairmen — a total of 18 voting members. The new members would include the vice-chairmen of the committee, which are from the majority party, and two new minority party members, for a total of 22 votes on the budget. That would mean that almost a quarter of the legislators would be voting on budget bills before they even gets to the floors for debate

Both of the changes, which were discussed Thursday during a joint meeting of the Senate and House Rules Committees, were suggested during a review of the legislative rules because of legal recodifications. They will probably be voted on during a second joint meeting scheduled for November.

There is also a chance that the proposed changes could be further amended, including a move to give just the vice-chairmen a vote, which would mean that Democrats, as the minority party, would have a two-vote disadvantage in each house on the Executive Appropriations Committee. For a budget measure to pass the committee, it must be approved by both houses.

While that make-up would better represent the overall proportions of the Legislature currently — a shift favored by some members of the Rules Committees — it could give the majority party a much more distinct advantage in budget negotiations if either the Senate or House becomes more balanced.

The vice-chairmen are expected to attend every executive appropriations meeting and are allowed to participate in committee discussions; however, they are not given a vote. It is also the only legislative committee in which the vice-chairman is not allowed to vote.

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E-mail: jloftin@desnews.com