Sunday, June 24, 2001

Veto power

The governor sent a message by flexing his muscles, but it may cost him in the long run

AUSTIN - Gov. Rick Perry sent a strong message to lawmakers and Texans by vetoing more than 80 bills passed during the last legislative session.
   Whether you agree or disagree with his actions, Perry flexed his muscles and reminded lawmakers that the Constitution gives the governor the final say on legislative matters.
   ''I think that he decided to make a strong statement as governor,'' said Bill Miller, an Austin-based consultant who works for both Democrats and Republicans.
   ''It's part of the game," Miller said. "It's his prerogative and it's part of the Constitution. At the end of the day, he has the final say.''
   But Perry is paying a price for his actions. Democrats, some Republicans and a wide range of groups - from the Texas Medical Association to the Consumers Union - have criticized the governor.
   Governor as bushwhacker-
   ''It's bad public policy to indicate how big your muscles are through the use of the veto pen,'' said state Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston. ''Public policy means engagement in the process. It's easy to hide behind a bush and shoot a gun; it's much harder to try to reason through it."
   Coleman was upset that Perry vetoed his Medicaid bill, which was designed to consolidate the state's oversight of the program. Supporters claimed that the bill would have saved the state $417 million over five years. But Perry contends the legislation would have expanded the program and eventually cost the state millions of dollars.
   Some criticism is justified because Perry vetoed several good bills, including ones that sailed through the Legislature with bipartisan support. Frankly, it's difficult to understand Perry's reasoning behind some vetoes, prompting one observer to call him ''a devil without a cause.''
   Legislators outraged
   Nevertheless, one group blamed the Legislature. Marc Levin, state vice chairman of the Young Conservatives of Texas, said the governor was forced to act because the Legislature passed so much bad legislation.
   Many lawmakers were outraged that Perry vetoed their legislation but didn't object to it during the session. But what happened when Perry personally got involved in a few issues during the session? Lawmakers criticized him for getting involved in their business.
   State Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos, D-Austin, became irritated on the Senate floor one day when another senator introduced an amendment that was requested by the governor's office. Barrientos wondered why the governor was requesting amendments to bills.
   Better communication between lawmakers and the governor's office could have prevented many of the hard feelings legislators and others have as a result of Perry's vetoes.
   The Medicaid bill is an example of how that communication apparently failed. Kathy Walt, a spokesman for Perry, said the governor's staff was involved in the early negotiations of the Medicaid bill when the Senate passed it as a 13-page piece of legislation.
   ''Gov. Perry indicated at that time that he could support the Medicaid consolidation as proposed in the original bill," Walt said. ''But shortly after the legislative work group began its deliberations, the governor's staff was removed from the meetings by leaders of the work group. From that point on, the group held secret meetings.''
   When the House passed the bill, it had ballooned into a 65-page document that included more provisions that neither the governor nor any of his staff had any input, Walt said.
   Unanswered questions
   In dealing with the Legislature, Texas governors have to balance pushing their agendas with allowing lawmakers to do their work.
   Two questions left unanswered are: How much damage has Perry done to his relations with Republican and Democrats in the Legislature? And will his veto actions become a campaign issue next year?
   Ty Meighan is chief of the Scripps Howard Austin Bureau and can be reached at 512-334-6640 or meighant@scripps.com.
  
  

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Ty Meighan is chief of the Scripps Howard Austin Bureau. You can reach him by phone at (512) 334-6640 or by email at meighant@scripps.com.

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