The Wisconsin Senate just fired the opening shot in a separation-of-powers war, approving a constitutional amendment that would strip governors of the power to raise taxes or fees with a single veto stroke—directly answering Gov. Tony Evers’ headline-grabbing rewrite that extended school funding to the year 2425.
Madison Republicans moved Thursday to cage one of the strongest veto pens in the nation, advancing Senate Joint Resolution 116 on an 18-15 party-line vote. If the Assembly concurs before session ends, voters will decide in November whether to bar any governor—Republican or Democrat—from unilaterally creating or increasing state taxes or fees through partial veto.
The trigger: Governor Tony Evers last summer used the existing partial veto to delete two digits and a hyphen, morphing “2024-25” into “2425” inside a K-12 budget clause. The edit locked in a $325-per-student annual increase for the next 400 years, a move later blessed 4-3 by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
What the amendment actually does
- Amends Article V, Section 10 of the Wisconsin Constitution.
- Prohibits governors from creating or hiking any tax or fee via partial veto.
- Preserves the ability to reduce or eliminate tax items—only the expansion power disappears.
- Requires passage in two consecutive legislatures plus a statewide referendum; today’s Senate vote is step one.
Why Wisconsin’s partial veto is unlike any other
Wisconsin governors have held “Vanna White” powers since 1930: they can strike individual letters, digits, or punctuation to forge new sentences and new policy—something no other state allows in a single stroke. Both parties have leaned on the tool: Republican Tommy Thompson spliced 139 words into one to create a school-choice program in 1993, while Democrat Jim Doyle once struck 752 budget words to reshape a transportation fund. Evers’ 400-year maneuver, however, is the first to project fiscal impact centuries into the future, prompting GOP accusations of fiscal monarchy.
Immediate political fallout
Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu framed the vote as a reset: “We’re not taking power away from the governor; we’re restoring it to the people who pay the bills.” Democrats counter that the resolution is election-year theater. Senator LaTonya Johnson called it “an overreaction to a legally sound decision voters already ratified when they re-elected Governor Evers.”
Price tag and precedent
Non-partisan fiscal staff estimate the 400-year veto could commit an extra $130 million annually in per-pupil aid—money Republicans say will ultimately fall on property-tax payers. The Supreme Court majority ruled the maneuver “awkward, but permissible,” citing the constitutional text that governors may “approve such appropriation bills in part.” Thursday’s resolution would rewrite that text before Evers—or any successor—can try again.
Path to the ballot box
- Assembly must pass identical language before March 2026 adjournment.
- Legislature elected in November must re-pass the resolution in 2027-28.
- Voters would see the question on the November 2028 general-election ballot.
- A simple majority amends the constitution; the governor cannot veto constitutional amendments.
What happens next
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has signaled his caucus will take up the measure quickly, calling it “a referendum on whether Wisconsinites want kings or co-equal branches.” Democrats lack the votes to block either chamber, so the fight shifts to public messaging: conservatives paint Evers as a tax-happy executive rewriting laws by “erasing a hyphen,” while liberals argue the GOP is crippling a vital check on legislative excess.
Meanwhile, school districts that banked on the long-term funding spike face uncertainty. If voters adopt the amendment, the 2425 increase dies with it unless lawmakers re-enact the hike through normal legislation—an outcome Evers would still have to sign or veto under the new rules.
Expect dueling ad blitzes, petition drives, and a fresh spotlight on Wisconsin’s quirky constitution as both parties weaponize the 400-year veto saga into 2026 campaign fodder.
Stay locked to onlytrustedinfo.com for the fastest, clearest breakdown of every twist in this constitutional showdown—your shortcut to what matters before the spin machines even warm up.
