Joe Hackney.

• Position: People & Politics - Brief article

It wasn't until 1995 that the North Carolina General Assembly approved a constitutional amendment giving the governor veto power, something denied the chief executive since the Revolution. Bills passed by the legislature had automatically become law in the only state in the nation without the veto. The voters ratified it in 1996, and in August lawmakers made history. For the first time, they overrode a veto by outgoing Governor Mike Easley of a bill that increased the size of boats that can be towed on state...