Opinion ID: 1169807
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: reductions in appropriations

Text: Where the Legislature reduces an appropriation and enacts new budget provisos for the appropriation supplementing previously enacted provisos, the Governor's veto of the reduction in the appropriation does not require the deletion of the new conditions, as the Legislature contends. The new conditions relate to the entire appropriation made during the prior legislative session and must be read in pari materia with that overall appropriation as affected by the Governor's veto. The Governor is a part of the legislative process and a veto renders a legislative action as if it had not occurred. Hallin v. Trent, 94 Wash.2d 671, 619 P.2d 357 (1980); Washington State Employees Ass'n v. Cleary, 86 Wash.2d 124, 126, 542 P.2d 1249 (1975). The Legislature does not offer any reason why the Governor must veto the new provisos that are unrelated to the reduction. Forcing the Governor to do so would effectively transform the item veto into a section veto. Accordingly, we hold the Governor's vetoes of appropriation reductions are valid and do not affect budgetary provisos enacted by the Legislature with respect to the overall section in the appropriations bill.