Pawlenty to veto GAMC bill from Washington D.C.

Gov. Pawlenty's spokesman said Pawlenty will veto the GAMC bill. Here's his e-mail to reporters explaining why (and that he'll issue veto message from Washington D.C.):

TO: Capitol Press Corps

FROM: Brian McClung

RE: Governor Pawlenty to veto GAMC bill

Several of you have asked me for a response to the legislature's passage of the General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC) bill.

The Revisor's Office presented the bill to our office this afternoon. As you know, the Governor has three days, following the date of presentment and not including Sundays, in which to take action on a bill. That window begins immediately and runs through the end of Monday.

For your background information, vetoed bills do not require a signature. In issuing a veto, the Governor does not sign the bill and does not file it with the Secretary of State. Article IV, Section 23 of the Minnesota Constitution says, "If he vetoes a bill, he shall return it with his objections to the house in which it originated." http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/CCO/RULES/MNCON/Article4.htm

Governor Pawlenty is in Washington, D.C. at this time. He is preparing a veto message with assistance from our Washington, D.C. office and will sign that veto message. The veto message, along with the bill, will be returned to the Senate as soon as possible, either tonight or tomorrow morning.

Here is a statement you can attribute to me:

Governor Pawlenty will veto this bill tonight or early tomorrow morning. He is currently preparing a veto message with assistance from our Washington, D.C. office.

Governor Pawlenty is vetoing this bill because it irresponsibly spends $170 million, further exacerbating the state's budget problems, and includes virtually no reform. The legislature has chosen to pass a massive spending bill without first crafting a comprehensive, balanced budget solution. They've got things backwards. Both DFLers and Republicans who voted for this bill should be held accountable for taking out the state's checkbook when there's not only no money, but a deficit.

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