Opinion ID: 4299313
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Any Portion Veto

Text: [¶31] Senate Bill 2003, § 18, provides: SECTION 18. DICKINSON STATE UNIVERSITY - USES OF FUNDS. . . . . 3. Dickinson state university may not discontinue any portion of its department of nursing academic program during the biennium beginning July 1, 2017, and ending June 30, 2019. . . . . S.B. 2003, § 18, 65th Legis. Assemb., Reg. Sess. (N.D. 2017) (emphasis added). The Governor vetoed the language “any portion of.” 2017 N.D. Sess. Laws ch. 449. [¶32] The Legislative Assembly argues that the Governor vetoed a condition of the appropriation to Dickinson State University. The Governor now concedes the Any Portion Veto is ineffective. As discussed above, the Governor may not withdraw a veto or otherwise concede it was ineffective. A veto is complete and irrevocable upon return of the vetoed bill to the originating house. N.D. Const. art V, § 9. If effective, this veto would allow portions of the nursing program to be discontinued, contrary to the legislature’s intent that the appropriation be conditioned on the entire nursing program remaining intact. The Any Portion Veto did not strike a sum of money, but only modified a condition on appropriated funds. The Any Portion Veto was an unauthorized veto because Section 18 conditions funds to Dickinson State University on continuing its entire nursing program, and the Any Portion veto modified that condition. The Any Portion Veto is ineffective and the bill became law with that section intact.