Heard this in an article about the medical marijuana bill in New Jersey; some supporters of the bill were expecting a “conditional veto” from Governor Christie.
What’s a conditional veto in New Jersey state law?
CONDITIONAL VETO * A veto in which the Governor objects to parts of a bill and proposes amendments that would make it acceptable. If the Legislature re-enacts the bill with the recommended amendments, it is presented again to the Governor for signature.*
Found here.
How is that a different from a regular veto? If the president vetos a bill and Congress repasses it with changes that the president finds palatable he signs it too. I’m assuming that the legislature can still simply override his it if they had the votes for that.
Most state legislatures, unlike Congress, set aside part of the year for a “veto session” at which the only business which may be transacted (barring supermajority emergency votes) is response to gubernatorial vetoes. New Jersey’s Constitution, which is typical in this request, reads:
If the governor vetoes a bill outright, the legislature has no opportunity to amend and repass the bill during the veto session. They can sustain or override the veto, and that is all.
The “conditional veto” allows the governor to propose amendments which the legislature can act on during the veto session. Here is the text of the Constitution, which doesn’t actually use the term “conditional veto”:
Note also the last sentence–the bill doesn’t have to start over and run the gauntlet of committee hearings and unrelated amendments. The governor’s amendments get express consideration, and the legislature must either accept them, reject them and thus reject the bill, or override the conditional veto and enact the original bill into law.
Interesting, had never heard of that before.
Thanks.
In a legal twist, it is like a Conditional paron, and there is an UNconditional pardon.
Conditional, means strings attached, as Oak stated.