Missouri Gov Plans Line-item Veto In Stimulus Bill

Cardetti did not provide a target for how much of that money Nixon would like to eliminate through his line-item vetoes.

Cardetti previously had cited a $10 million item for a U.S. 50 interchange in Jefferson City as a questionable expenditure in the stimulus bill. The highway interchange and potential street widening would direct traffic to a redevelopment project at the former site of the Missouri State Penitentiary.

On Friday, Cardetti did not single out any specific projects as likely veto targets.

But he did identify two projects the governor supports. One would authorize $50 million of incentives for battery makers to expand in Missouri. The other would provide $12 million to the financially strapped mass transit system in St. Louis.

"The other stuff, he's going to be going through the bill to see which projects help create jobs and move the state forward in difficult financial times," Cardetti said.

The biggest ticket item in the bill would provide nearly $112 million for a new Highway Patrol radio system that could help state and local emergency responders better communicate with each other.