The News: The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) issued a statement applauding the Wisconsin State Senate for passing Senate Joint Resolution 116 (SJR 116). This proposed amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution curbs executive overreach by prohibiting the governor from using the partial veto to create or increase taxes or fees. Voters will have to ratify it this November for it to take effect.
The Quote: WILL Policy Director, Kyle Koenen, stated, “No governor, regardless of political party, should have the power to unilaterally hike taxes through a veto pen. By striking single digits to turn a two-year funding plan into a four-century tax hike, the Governor effectively became a ‘super-legislator.’ Voters have a real opportunity to reject this awful and costly policy in November.”
How We Got Here: While past amendments eliminated so-called “Vanna White” and “Frankenstein” vetoes, Governor Evers exploited a remaining loophole in the 2023-25 budget. By selectively striking digits from a school funding provision, he transformed a two-year increase into a permanent hike lasting until the year 2425. In 2025, the Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld this “digit-veto”, confirming that the governor can create new fiscal policy the Legislature never authorized.
What Does the Legislation Do? SJR 116 directly addresses future abuses of the partial veto by:
- Prohibiting any partial veto that results in a tax or fee increase.
- Stripping the governor’s ability to authorize new taxes through selective deletions.
- Returning the power of the purse to the elected representatives who are accountable to taxpayers.
What’s Next: Voters will have the opportunity to ratify the amendment on a statewide ballot in November 2026. WILL supported the amendment in the legislature and will continue educating taxpayers on the real costs of the 400-year veto.
Kyle Koenen
Policy Director