Montgomery, AL – Democratic gubernatorial candidate Artur Davis says the state's highest office needs greater power for a line-item veto so the governor can be a watchdog over state spending.
The governor can strike an item from a state budget, but the Legislature can override the decision by a majority vote. Davis said Monday that's meaningless because a budget is passed by a majority vote.
The Birmingham congressman said the override vote should be raised to two-thirds. He said that would make the governor the best watchdog the state could have.
At a news conference Monday in Montgomery, Davis also called for the Legislature to budget based on the average growth in state revenue over the previous five to 15 years.
He said that would keep the Legislature from overestimating tax revenue.
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