PA Senate Mulls Lawsuit Over Corbett Vetoes
By Tony Romeo
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) --- While the US House has voted to sue President Obama for allegedly overstepping is authority, Governor Corbett could find himself in the same situation - as the target of a lawsuit brought by a state Senate controlled by his own Republican party.
The legislature passed a budget bill, and a companion bill called the fiscal code that specifies how some money in the budget bill is spent.
For example, the budget bill may authorize a certain amount of spending for hospitals, while the fiscal code may detail which hospitals get how much and for what.
Governor Corbett line-item vetoed portions of the budget bill, which he has the authority to do. But he also line-item vetoed parts of the fiscal code.
Erik Arneson, spokesman for the Senate majority leader, says that is unprecedented.
"This is a fundamental, constitutional separation of powers issue," he said. "What can a governor…line-item veto."
Senate Republicans have already hired outside counsel to advise them and last week they asked the state treasurer to weigh in on the matter.
