Court commits judicial overreach on SB 422 ruling

The recent news cycle has been dominated by discussions regarding the court system’s intervention in the legislative process, specifically its attempt to compel a vote on SB 422, a bill vetoed near the end of the 2023 session.

Legislative rules clearly define the governor’s authority to veto a bill and outline the subsequent procedure for the House and Senate to potentially override the veto. SB 442 was vetoed and appropriately returned to both chambers. In the House, the return of the bill was announced and acknowledged. In the Senate, however, despite the bill being returned, the session unexpectedly adjourned early without addressing the override vote. 

With SB 442 in the Senate’s possession, it could have been voted upon. Once the Senate adjourned, there was little interest in the House to pursue a vote on the veto since, according to our rules, the bill was effectively dead.