Overview

• The court unanimously struck down Evers’s partial veto on a literacy framework bill because the measure only outlined spending mechanics without appropriating funds.
• In the same decision, justices affirmed that the Legislature’s budget committee can deposit and manage funds for certain state programs in an emergency account.
• The ruling reverses earlier guidance by the court this year that had upheld broad veto powers for the governor.
• Justice Rebecca Bradley wrote that the state constitution restricts partial vetoes to direct appropriation bills, not ancillary legislation.
• With about $230 million now in the emergency fund from the last budget, legislators gain greater leverage over spending and program implementation.