Pillen’s line item budget vetoes survive mostly unscathed

Pillen’s line item budget vetoes survive mostly unscathed
(Photo Courtesy NPM)
June 1st, 2023 | Scott Miller

There was plenty of debate Wednesday over motions to overturn a number of the Governor’s line item budget vetoes, however in the end, only one was overridden.

Just under $850,000 added to General Fund spending for the state auditor’s office to bolster staff numbers and pay was the only override attempt to gain enough support in the Nebraska Legislature.

Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard argued in favor of the override, saying failure to do so would hamper the ability of the Auditor’s office to ensure proper use of taxpayer funds.

“If you vote to sustain this, and in the future you want information about where the money went, how it was spent, you want an agency audited, you have concerns about how the money was spent, don’t come to me and say ‘Wish we had that information, but the Auditor couldn’t get it done’ because he didn’t have the people to do it,” Erdman said.

The roll call vote on that override was initially one vote short, however Omaha Sen. Megan Hunt, originally ‘present but not voting’, changed her mind and voted yes, handing Governor Pillen his only defeat over the biennial budget.

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