The conventional wisdom in North Dakota is that the state’s Constitution, Article Five, Section 10, prohibits a governor from threatening to veto bills in the Legislature.
"I think that's probably unconstitutional," said Gov. Kelly Armstrong.
But Armstrong said it is a unique thing about North Dakota, so he doesn’t make those kinds of threats. However, he said that doesn’t mean a governor can’t weigh in on legislation.
"When you have a Republican majority in the House, and a Republican majority in the Senate, and a Republican in the Governor's office, they would probably rather not be surprised," Armstrong said. "So we try and engage with people on things we have some concerns with."
Armstrong said he tries to handle it before-hand.
"We've been really conscious of not trying to put our thumb on the scale too often," Armstrong said. "It has less effect, if you do it a lot of the time. And I know how hard their job is."
The wording in Article Five talks about a Governor “menacing a member of the legislative assembly by the threatened use of the governor’s veto.”
