Vetoing

[JoshT4793]

Our Student Body President has vetoed our Student Senate's action to grant an entity money. Is there a rule within Robert's Rules that says that if the item already received enough votes to override a veto, then a veto cannot take place on that proposal?

[Richard Brown]

Do your bylaws even give the president the right to veto anything?   A "presidential veto" is almost unheard of outside of public bodies such as Congress, state legislatures, and local governing bodies.

 

However, there is nothing in RONR that addresses your question.  As a practical matter, though, even with public bodies, if the president or governor  or mayor has veto power, he can still veto an ordinance regardless of how large the vote margin was on first passage.  His hope is that before the override vote, he can convince enough members to change their minds and to uphold, rather than override, his veto.  Such a change of heart does occur.

[Josh Martin]

Our Student Body President has vetoed our Student Senate's action to grant an entity money. Is there a rule within Robert's Rules that says that if the item already received enough votes to override a veto, then a veto cannot take place on that proposal?

So far as RONR is concerned, the President doesn't have the authority to veto an action of the assembly at all. If your bylaws grant the President such authority, then you'll need to look to your own rules to answer that question.

Do your bylaws even give the president the right to veto anything? A "presidential veto" is almost unheard of outside of public bodies such as Congress, state legislatures, and local governing bodies.

Student Senates often model their rules off of the rules of such public bodies, to varying extents. In my experience, relatively few go so far as to give the President veto power, but it does happen on occasion.

[Gary Novosielski]

Our Student Body President has vetoed our Student Senate's action to grant an entity money. Is there a rule within Robert's Rules that says that if the item already received enough votes to override a veto, then a veto cannot take place on that proposal?

RONR does not have a "veto" power for the president, so it does not have any rules regarding voting to overriding that which does not exist.

 

Are you sure your president even has the authority to "veto" things?  If so, where did he get it?

[Robert B Fish]

Note however, that if the president SAYS he/she has vetoed the action and you let him get away with it, then he wins anyhow.  

 

You should carefully read your bylaws to determine whether he has veto authority.  If he does not, you may ignore the veto and act in accordance with the properly passed motion.  You might consider taking action against the runaway president by passing a motion expressing your disapproval of his acting in excess of his authority.  You could decide whether his response to that motion indicates that he should be removed from office.

 

-Bob