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To: mrsmith
A bona fide "line item veto" is unconstitutional, I wish they'd call this something else. Like "line item review".

Whatever the name, the basic idea is that Congress reserves the power to decide whether the revised bill is better or worse than no bill at all. Under the old line-item veto it did not retain that power.

On a related note, I'd like to see a Constitutional amendment mandating that no delegation of Congress' legislative authority may last more than 30 days beyond the start of the next congress. For a regulatory agency to retain power, its continuance must be approved by 50%+1 of both branches of Congress plus the executive, or by 2/3 of both branches if the executive does not approve. Only 50.0% of either branch, or 1/3+1 and the executive, would be required to kill a regulatory agency.

11 posted on 03/07/2006 4:32:46 PM PST by supercat (Sony delenda est.)
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To: supercat
"Whatever the name"
LOL! That remark struck a bell and reviewing Scalia's dissent I see why:
"The title of the Line Item Veto Act, which was perhaps designed to simplify for public comprehension, or perhaps merely to comply with the terms of a campaign pledge, has succeeded in faking out the Supreme Court.
The President’s action it authorizes in fact is not a line-item veto... "

Just quickly re your suggestion: It doesn't bar congress from enacting broad grants of authority to the executive, which is the problem. I don't think that can be done and sometimes it is wise.
Calling that delegating "legislative authority" is merely rhetorical (though sometimes it does happen to be so).

13 posted on 03/07/2006 5:07:10 PM PST by mrsmith
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