PA Senate Mulls Lawsuit Over Corbett Vetoes

By Tony Romeo

HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) --- While the US House has voted to sue President Obama for allegedly overstepping is authority, Governor Corbett could find himself in the same situation - as the target of a lawsuit brought by a state Senate controlled by his own Republican party.

The legislature passed a budget bill, and a companion bill called the fiscal code that specifies how some money in the budget bill is spent.

For example, the budget bill may authorize a certain amount of spending for hospitals, while the fiscal code may detail which hospitals get how much and for what.

Governor Corbett line-item vetoed portions of the budget bill, which he has the authority to do. But he also line-item vetoed parts of the fiscal code.

Erik Arneson, spokesman for the Senate majority leader, says that is unprecedented.

"This is a fundamental, constitutional separation of powers issue," he said. "What can a governor…line-item veto."

Senate Republicans have already hired outside counsel to advise them and last week they asked the state treasurer to weigh in on the matter.

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