What is the line-item veto?

The authority of the governor to strike specific items from the state budget.

North Carolina is among the minority of U.S. states in which the governor does not have line-item veto authority.

Since 2003, four bills have been proposed to give the governor the line-item veto. With one exception, the bills' backers have all been Republicans, though Democratic Gov. Mike Easley has supported them.

None of the bills have made it to a vote. Two bills in 2003, a bill in 2005 and another in 2007 have all been referred to House committees.

According to a 2007 survey by the National Conference of State Legislatures, 43 states allowed governors to veto specific spending provisions while approving the overall budget.

During the 2008 Democratic primary, gubernatorial candidate Richard Moore called for a state referendum to give the governor line-item veto authority.