Bruno Launches Override Votes on Pataki's Vetoes

New York, NY —

Saying he had no alternatives, Majority Leader Joseph Bruno led the State Senate in launching override votes against Governor Pataki's budget vetoes. Bruno says negotiations with his fellow Republican have gone nowhere.

One item they'll override is governor Pataki's veto of $200 million in members' items. Senate Democrats pulled back on a demand to require full disclosure of these items before they'd agree to override the vetoes. Senate Minority Leader David Paterson says he did win a concession that those items will be made public 30 days before the grants are awarded.

The governor has said the legislature has no authority to override at least half of his $3 billion dollars' worth of vetoes because those budget provisions are unconstitutional, and he will not enforce them.