CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION 497

3. Neither the present nor Draft Constitution provides for guber-
natorial approval of the enacted budget bill. The executive budget
sets policy on many administrative programs and represents the Gov-
ernor's recommendation for a coordinated plan of operations for the
coming fiscal year. Although the General Assembly cannot increase
the executive budget, it does have the authority to delete items and
to amend wording which may materially change the intent and impact
of programs. In such an interrelated plan, even items which are not
changed may take on a different aspect because of changes in other
parts of the fiscal plan.

I recommend that the Governor should be given line item approval
over the final budget enacted by the General Assembly. This would
assure maximum consistency in the final budget.

4. As I stated in my address to the Convention on September 29,
I share the concern of respected and experienced State fiscal experts
over the impact of any bond period extension on the credit rating
of the State. Nonetheless, we can see and must face a need to imple-
ment unusual and massive programs to purify our air and waters, to
provide modern transportation systems and to meet the present chal-
lenge to public safety.

Bond issues for such programs cannot be amortized over a 15-year
period without a dramatic increase in the current tax burden. Fur-
thermore, the beneficial life of the improvements growing out of such
programs would justify liquidation over a longer period.

The period for bond amortization is a controversial issue and recon-
ciliation of differing views seems to be in order. Alternatives should
be explored and I suggest as one possibility the retention of our 15-
year limitation, with extension in particular cases up to a 25-year
maximum. Exceptional extensions should be limited by the Constitu-
tion to those instances when the Governor certifies the necessity for
such action and a three-fifths majority vote of both houses of the
General Assembly concurs.

5. I favor a provision that would require the Governor to include
in his executive budget, without change, requests for appropriations
from the legislative and judicial branches of government. However,
the Governor should retain the traditional right to make recommenda-
tions to the General Assembly concerning such budget requests. As I
stated on September 29, I believe that the Governor should have the
right to exercise line item veto or reduction over both legislative and
judicial appropriations. Without this right of executive review, the