A Line-Item Veto for Rhode Island: A Simple Tool to Protect Taxpayers

This November, Rhode Island citizens may have the opportunity to give their governor a helpful tool to protect taxpayers: a line-item veto.

The proposal is part of Governor Dan McKee’s fiscal year 2027 budget and includes language to place a constitutional amendment on the November 2026 ballot, allowing Rhode Islanders to decide whether their governor should have line-item veto authority.

This proposal emerged after the 2026 budget became law without the governor’s signature, largely due to his concerns over a series of tax increases. The budget drew criticism for imposing new or higher costs, including increased fees on health insurance, a gas tax hike and higher DMV surcharges, elevated taxes on real estate transactions, and a new sales tax on parking. As a result, Governor McKee became the first Rhode Island governor in 15 years to allow a budget to take effect without signing it.

Line-item veto authority is common across the country and far from a radical concept. In fact, Rhode Island is one of only six states that does not grant its governor this power. A line-item veto gives the governor the ability to strike specific provisions from large budget bills, serving as an important check on the legislature and, in situations like this, a safeguard against targeted tax increases being slipped into broader spending packages.

That said, a line-item veto is not an absolute shield against higher taxes. In states with legislative supermajorities, lawmakers retain the ability to override a governor’s veto. In Rhode Island’s case, even if Governor McKee’s proposed constitutional amendment is approved, the General Assembly could still override his objections if it has the votes. What the line-item veto does provide, however, is time for the public to react, transparency, and accountability.

With this authority, a governor can hit pause on specific tax and fee hikes and drag them into the daylight. Instead of getting buried in a thousand-page budget, those provisions get the public attention they deserve. Taxpayers can see exactly what’s being added to their bill, and the governor gets a clear platform to explain why it matters. That kind of transparency creates pressure that backroom budget deals can’t withstand, often forcing lawmakers to rethink or scale back provisions that would otherwise quietly become law.

Ultimately, the case for a line-item veto is a case for stronger taxpayer protection. It equips the governor with a practical tool to challenge questionable tax hikes and gives Rhode Islanders greater visibility into how their state budget is crafted. When voters consider this amendment in November, they will have the opportunity to join the vast majority of states that already provide this safeguard for taxpayers.