Gov. Jim Doyle said today that his veto that combined parts of three sentences into one was the result of a short time frame to get the budget finished before the end of the year, and was simply missed by his budget staff and the Legislative Reference Bureau.

"We had a day-and-a-half. People were working night and day in our budget office and this is all then checked over by the Legislative Reference Bureau and frankly they just missed it," Doyle said.

Doyle said the budget provision, which offered guidelines for a Dept. of Health Services study of facilities for the mentally retarded, was "not a major thing" and that the study would be done as approved in the Legislature's final budget.

"We'll do the study, the matter won't be vetoed and that will be the end of it," Doyle said.

-- By Greg Bump