Vetoes Piling Up

Gov. Joe Manchin has so far vetoed at least 15 of the 226 bills sent to him by the Legislature during the recent regular session. In all but one case, the veto messages cite errors in the bill's language.

Veto #12 was for the measure sought by Kanawha County's senators to lower the bar for a metro government proposal there, The Associated Press reports.

"It aimed to allow a county with at least 150,000 residents and a major city to opt for metro government with a simple majority," the article said. "The law now requires at least 55 percent of the vote."

Manchin vetoed 16 bills from last year's regular session, AP notes, and has so far signed 163 of this session's measures into law. Manchin has advised lawmakers to re-pass the bulk of this year's vetoed bills during the upcoming budget session after fixing their errors. There have been exceptions, however.

The Charleston Gazette also reports on the metro government veto, as does the Charleston Daily Mail.