AJR4 - Revises provisions relating to the legislative process. (BDR C-22)

A.J.R. 4 - *AJR4* ASSEMBLY JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 4–ASSEMBLYMEMBER KASAMA PREFILED JANUARY 24, 2025 ____________ Referred to Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections SUMMARY—Revises provisions relating to the legislative process. (BDR C-22) FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: No. Effect on the State: Yes. ~ EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted. ASSEMBLY JOINT RESOLUTION—Proposing to amend the Nevada Constitution to prohibit appropriations to any political organization, to prohibit including an appropriation to a nonprofit organization in any bill that is required to fund a portion of the state budget for the next ensuing biennium and to authorize the Governor to veto appropriations in a bill. Legislative Counsel’s Digest: The Nevada Constitution prohibits drawing money from the State Treasury unless 1 such money is drawn as a consequence of an appropriation made by law. (Nev. Const. 2 Art. 4, § 19) This resolution proposes to amend the Nevada Constitution to prohibit 3 the Legislature from: (1) appropriating money to any political organization, including, 4 without limitation, a political party or a committee for political action; and (2) 5 including an appropriation to a nonprofit organization in any bill that is required to 6 fund a portion of the state budget for the next ensuing biennium. 7 Under the Nevada Constitution, the Governor is authorized to veto only an entire 8 bill passed by the Legislature. (Nev. Const. Art. 4, § 35) This resolution proposes to 9 amend the Nevada Constitution to provide the Governor with line-item veto power for 10 bills containing appropriations. Specifically, this resolution provides that if any bill 11 presented to the Governor contains one or more appropriations, the Governor may 12 strike from the bill any or all such appropriations without objecting to the bill as a 13 whole. If the Governor strikes out one or more appropriations, the Governor must, 14 within 48 hours after the bill is presented to the Governor: (1) attach to the bill a 15 statement of the appropriations stricken out and the reasons therefor; and (2) transmit 16 a copy of the statement to the House in which the bill originated or the Secretary of 17 State, depending on whether the Legislature has adjourned sine die. This resolution 18 also authorizes the Legislature to override the action to strike out one or more of the 19 appropriations. 20 – 2 – - *AJR4* RESOLVED BY THE ASSEMBLY AND SENATE OF THE STATE OF 1 NEVADA, JOINTLY, That Section 19 of Article 4 of the Nevada 2 Constitution be amended to read as follows: 3 [Section] Sec. 19. 1. No money shall be drawn from 4 the treasury but in consequence of appropriations made by 5 law. 6 2. No money shall be drawn from the treasury 7 pursuant to subsection 1 for the purpose of making by law 8 an appropriation to any political organization, including, 9 without limitation, a political party or a committee for 10 political action. 11 3. No appropriation made to a nonprofit organization 12 may be included in any bill that is required to fund a portion 13 of the state budget for the next ensuing biennium. 14 4. As used in this section, “biennium” means a period 15 of 2 fiscal years beginning on July 1 of an odd-numbered 16 year and ending on June 30 of the next ensuing odd- 17 numbered year. 18 And be it further 19 RESOLVED, That Section 35 of Article 4 of the Nevada 20 Constitution be amended to read as follows; 21 [Sec:] Sec. 35. 1. Every bill which may have passed the 22 Legislature, shall, before it becomes a law be presented to the 23 Governor. If he approve it, he shall sign it, but if not he shall 24 return it with his objections, to the House in which it 25 originated, which House shall cause such objections to be 26 entered upon its journal, and proceed to reconsider it; If after 27 such reconsideration it again pass both Houses by yeas and 28 nays, by a vote of two thirds of the members elected to each 29 House it shall become a law notwithstanding the Governors 30 objections. [If] Except as otherwise provided in this section, 31 if any bill shall not be returned within five days after it shall 32 have been presented to him (Sunday excepted) exclusive of 33 the day on which he received it, the same shall be a law, in 34 like manner as if he had signed it, unless the Legislature by 35 its final adjournment, prevent such return, in which case it 36 shall be a law, unless the Governor within ten days next after 37 the adjournment (Sundays excepted) shall file such bill with 38 his objections thereto, in the office of the Secretary of State, 39 who shall lay the same before the Legislature at its next 40 Session, in like manner as if it had been returned by the 41 Governor, and if the same shall receive the vote of two-thirds 42 of the members elected to each branch of the Legislature, 43 upon a vote taken by yeas and nays to be entered upon the 44 journals of each house, it shall become a law. 45 – 3 – - *AJR4* 2. If any bill so presented to the Governor contains one 1 or more appropriations of money from the State Treasury, 2 the Governor may strike from the bill any or all of these 3 appropriations without objecting to the bill as a whole. If 4 the Governor strikes out one or more appropriations, the 5 Governor shall, within 48 hours after the bill is presented to 6 the Governor: 7 (a) Attach to the bill a statement of the appropriations 8 stricken out and the reasons for the striking out; and 9 (b) Transmit a copy of the statement to: 10 (1) If the Legislature has not adjourned sine die, the 11 House in which the bill originated; or 12 (2) If the Legislature has adjourned sine die, the 13 Secretary of State who shall lay the same before the 14 Legislature at its next Session. 15 3. Each appropriation not stricken out becomes law in 16 the same manner as a bill to which the Governor does not 17 object. If the Governor fails to transmit a copy of the 18 statement pursuant to subsection 2 within 48 hours after the 19 bill is presented to the Governor, each appropriation 20 stricken out likewise becomes law. 21 4. The Legislature may, by the same vote as for bills to 22 which the Governor objects, cause any one or more of the 23 individual appropriations stricken by the Governor to 24 become law, notwithstanding the Governor striking it out. If 25 the Legislature does not so act, any appropriation stricken 26 from the bill by the Governor shall be deemed not 27 appropriated. 28 And be it further 29 RESOLVED, That this resolution becomes effective upon 30 passage. 31 H