The red pen of Wisconsin governors could be less powerful moving forward thanks to a proposed constitutional amendment by members of the Republican-held legislature. According to the Associated Press, the bill, proposed by State Rep. Joel Kitchens along with State Sen. Dan Knodl and Reps. Amanda Nedweski and Shae Sortwell would not allow partial vetoes made by the governor to increase any tax or fee. The partial veto powers of Wisconsin governors are among the most unique in the country, allowing them to veto individual words, letters, and digits. It is a power both Democratic and Republican governors alike have used.

Most recently, Governor Tony Evers took the phrase “2023-24 school year and 2024-25 school year” and changed it to lock in school funding for 400 years instead of two. Kitchens said shortly after in his July 7th E-Update that “we certainly need to properly fund education, but locking this type of spending into perpetuity is not responsible government.” He also mentioned then that “it may be time to revisit those powers and make the veto power of Wisconsin's governors more in line with how other states operate.” Since it is being presented as a constitutional amendment, it must be passed by two consecutive legislative sessions and be approved by voters before it becomes law.