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Veto Facts

Veto Facts
The veto is a government concept/policy that can be traced back to the ancient world. It essentially allows for a member of government, usually the executive office holder, to override laws and policies that another government body or office created. Veto is Latin, meaning "I forbid," which indicates its Roman origins. The veto was originally used in the Roman Republic (509-30 BC) by the consuls or the tribunes to override policies and laws put forth by the Senate. The consuls were executives elected by the Senate to serve one year terms, while the tribunes were elected by the plebeians to represent that class of Roman citizens. When the Roman Empire was established after 30 BC, the emperors had ultimate veto power over the Senate. In modern times, especially in the United States government, the veto is used by the president to nullify potential laws passed by the Congress. The Congress can override a presidential veto with a 2/3 vote of the House and the Senate, which is extremely difficult.
Interesting Veto Facts:
Although most modern republics have some type of veto power, the concept is more important and used more frequently in presidential and semi-presidential systems.
The veto is fairly common in the United States, although there are different types: the line-item veto and the pocket veto.
The line-item veto involves the president vetoing specific provision of a bill, while signing the rest into law. Line-item vetoes are most common in budget bills.
A pocket veto is when the executive simply does not sign a bill into law. In most countries there is a time limit whereby the executive must sign a bill into law or it becomes "dead." In the United States, there is a ten day limit.
American President Franklin D. Roosevelt used the pocket veto 263 times.
The Brazilian government essentially has a reverse version of the pocket veto. The Brazilian Constitution states that if the president doesn't sign a bill into law after fifteen days, it then automatically becomes law.
Since each American state is modeled on the federal government, all fifty governors have some veto powers, although it varies from state to state.
Besides the line-item and pocket vetoes, some states allow governors to use what are called amendatory, reduction, and package vetoes.
An amendatory veto is similar to a line-item veto, although it allows a governor to add content to a bill.
A reduction veto is specifically related to budge bill. Similar to a line-item veto, a reduction veto allows a governor to veto specific amounts of funds.
A package veto is essentially just a complete veto. The entire bill or "package" is vetoed by the governor.
As with the federal veto, most states require 2/3 of their elected assemblies to override a governor's veto. Alabama, Arkansas, Indian, Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia only require a simple majority, while Illinois, Maryland, Nebraska, North Carolina, and Rhode Island require a 3/5 vote.


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