Recall petition wording targeting state Sen. John Proos, R-St. Joseph, was approved Tuesday by the Berrien County election commission.

But recall supporters will have a lot of work to do to oust the freshman senator. In order to get the item on the ballot, 20,401 signatures will need to be gathered, according to Berrien County Clerk Louise Stine.

The recall wording, filed by Gobles resident Lyn Earwood, reads: “Sen. John Proos did on May 12, 2011 vote yes on Michigan House Bill 4361 as amended.”

The language references Proos supporting Gov. Rick Snyder’s proposed budget, which provides tax breaks for businesses and makes up for it with a tax on the pensions of retired Michigan residents.

Proos, who served three terms in the state House of Representatives, was a former aide to U.S. Rep. Fred Upton. State Rep. Al Pscholka, R-Stevensville, replaced Proos this year in the House of Representatives and is now also facing a possible recall.

But Proos and Pscholka are not alone. In fact, Proos said about a dozen other state senators are facing a potential recall vote.

“Certainly the last decade has been a horrible time for Michigan,” he said in an interview last month. “Change is difficult and hard, so some have chose to exercise their Constitutional right to seek to remove me from office.”

But Proos hasn’t backed down from his support of the governor’s budget proposal, arguing it will help reduce the state’s $1.5 billion deficit.

“These are tough decisions without question,” he said. “But it’s time to start living within our means and spending only what we expect in revenue from the taxpayers.”