JOINT RESOLUTION TO APPROVE AND PUBLISH AND SUBMIT TO THE ELECTORS A PROPOSITION OF AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE -- REFERENDUM ON LINE ITEM VETO (Proposed amendment to the Constitution provides the governor with a line item veto on the budget and other bills for the appropriation of money.)

S2317

2026 -- S 2317
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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J O I N T R E S O L U T I O N
TO APPROVE AND PUBLISH AND SUBMIT TO THE ELECTORS A PROPOSITION OF
AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE -- REFERENDUM ON LINE
ITEM VETO

Introduced By:
Senators Raptakis, de la Cruz, Paolino, and Rogers

Date Introduced:
January 23, 2026

Referred To:
Senate Judiciary
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RESOLVED, That a majority of the members elected to each house of the general
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assembly voting therefor, the following amendment to the Constitution of the state be proposed to
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the qualified electors of the state in accordance with the provisions of Article XIV of the
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Constitution, for their approval, and that it take the place of Article IX, Section 14, which is
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hereby amended to read as follows:
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ARTICLE IX – OF THE EXECUTIVE POWER
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Section 14. Veto power of governor -- Veto overrides by general assembly -- Acts
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effective without action by governor. Every bill, resolution, or vote (except such as relate to
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adjournment, the organization or conduct of either or both houses of the general assembly, and
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resolutions proposing amendment to the Constitution) which shall have passed both houses of the
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general assembly shall be presented to the governor. If the governor approve it the governor shall
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sign it, and thereupon it shall become operative, but if the governor does not approve it the
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governor shall return it, accompanied by the governor’s objections in writing to the house in
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which it originated, which shall enter the governor’s objections in full upon its journal and
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proceed to reconsider it. If, after such reconsideration, three-fifths of the members present and
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voting in that house shall vote to pass the measure, it shall be sent with the objections, to the other
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house, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by three-fifths of the members
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present and voting in that house, it shall become operative in the same manner as if the governor
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had approved it, but in such cases the votes of both houses shall be determined by ayes and nays

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and the names of the members voting for and against the measure shall be entered upon the
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journal of each house, respectively. If the measure shall not be returned by the governor within
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six days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to the governor the same shall
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become operative unless the general assembly, by adjournment, prevents its return, in which case
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it shall become operative unless transmitted by the governor to the secretary of state, with the
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governor’s disapproval in writing within ten days after such adjournment.
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If any bill presented to the governor shall address appropriation of money, the governor
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may:
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(a) Approve the bill in like manner as the passage of other bills set forth in this section;
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(b) Reduce any sum or sums of money appropriated in the bill while approving other
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portions of the bill, in which case the portions of the bill so approved by the governor shall also
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become law unless the general assembly repasses the original sum or sums according to the rules
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and limitations prescribed in this section for the passage of other bills over the governor's veto;
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provided that, each sum of money so reduced by the governor shall be separately and individually
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reconsidered by the general assembly; or
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(c) Disapprove one or more items or parts of items of the bill (other than sum or sums of
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money described in the immediately preceding subsection (b) of this section), in which case any
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portions of the bill so disapproved by the governor shall not become law unless the general
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assembly repasses the original version of the item or part of an item according to the rules and
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limitations prescribed in this section for the passage of other bills over the governor's veto,
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provided:
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(1) That each item or part of an item so disapproved by the governor shall be separately
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and individually reconsidered by the general assembly;
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(2) Further, that in approving the bill in part, the governor may not create:
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(i) A new word by rejecting individual letters in the words; or
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(ii) A new sentence by combining parts of two (2) or more sentences; and
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(3) Further, that to the extent an item or part of an item disapproved by the governor
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constitutes a condition, including, but not limited to, directing or restricting the use, of an
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appropriated fund, the sum corresponding to the specific item of appropriated fund to which the
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disapproved condition applies shall not be reduced but remain as part of the general appropriated
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funds.
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RESOLVED, That this amendment shall take, in the Constitution of the state, the place of
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Section 14 of Article IX of the Constitution;
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It is further

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RESOLVED, That the said proposition of amendment shall be submitted to the electors
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for their approval or rejection at the next statewide general election. The voting places in the
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several cities and towns shall be kept open during the hours required by law for voting therein for
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general officers of the state; and be it further
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RESOLVED, That the secretary of state shall cause the said proposition of amendment to
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be published as a part of this resolution in the newspapers of the state prior to the date of the said
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meetings of the said electors; and the said proposition shall be inserted in the warrants or notices
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to be issued previous to said meetings of the electors for the purpose of warning the town, ward,
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or district meetings, and said proposition shall be read by the town, ward, or district meetings to
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be held as aforesaid; it further
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RESOLVED, That the town, ward, and district meetings to be held aforesaid shall be
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warned, and the list of voters shall be canvassed and made up, and the said town, ward, and
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district meetings shall be conducted in the same manner as now provided by law for the town,
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ward, and district meetings for the election of general officers of the state.
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
J O I N T R E S O L U T I O N
TO APPROVE AND PUBLISH AND SUBMIT TO THE ELECTORS A PROPOSITION OF
AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE -- REFERENDUM ON LINE
ITEM VETO
***
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This proposed amendment to the Constitution would provide the governor with a line
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item veto on the budget and other bills for the appropriation of money.
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