Veto Session to Review Legislation

From the desk of Senator David Pearce

Missouri’s constitution mandates an annual veto session will be held by the General Assembly in order to review legislation that received the governor’s veto. This session is to be held the first Wednesday following the second Monday in September. With 13 bills that could potentially be brought before their originating chamber and considered for a veto override, this veto session is certain to be interesting.

This year, the measures that could be reviewed and overridden are diverse in nature. The two that are the most likely to be brought up for debate are Senate Bill 749 and House Bill 1329.

SB 749 was fiercely debated during the regular session, but my fellow lawmakers and I finally came to a consensus and passed the measure, which is designed to provide protections for employers who have religious opposition when providing certain healthcare services, including contraception. I plan to vote to override the governor’s veto on SB 749.

Up until March 2012, out-of-state purchases had to pay a use tax, but a recent Missouri Supreme Court ruling negated that practice. The Missouri legislature fixed the issue very quickly during the regular session, but the governor chose to veto it. HB 1329 deals with the issue of out-of-state purchases for licensed goods. The issue of charging local taxes on vehicles, boats, trailers, or boat motors purchased outside Missouri deserves a closer inspection. HB 1329 would make a local tax mandatory on those items purchased outside Missouri’s state lines, adding to local revenues and keeping local jobs funded. It will help our automobile industry’s decline along the Missouri border, such as in the 31st District.

Other Senate bills that could be brought before the General Assembly for veto override include:

· SB 566, which would require owners of dogs and cats suspected of having rabies to provide documentation of vaccinations;

· SB 569, which would modify certain aspects of local elections, such as available dates for yearly elections;

· SB 607, which would establish procedures for moving outdoor billboards during construction.

· SB 635, which I sponsored, is a multi-provisional bill that contains modifications regarding agricultural education programs, liens, and financial institutions, among others. Most of this measure did pass in other pieces of legislation, therefore, I will not request an override;,

· SB 715, which would waive the age limit for state militia service. However, a form of this legislation did pass and was signed into law; and, finally

· SB 837, which would modify what a franchise is considered to be between alcohol wholesalers and suppliers.

Several House bills are also up for consideration during the upcoming veto session. House Bill 1219 would establish the Whistleblower Protection Act, as well as modify certain laws regarding unlawful discriminatory employment practices. The city of Farmington would have the wherewithal to prohibit smoking, as well as other city-wide issues lined out in House Bill 1250. House Bill 1758 would affect custody and visitation rights on families, not necessarily biologically related, but with a parent-child relationship. House Bill 1789 would address potential hardships due to travel for public school students. And finally, House Bill 1900 is an omnibus law that would not only affect reorganization of the state executive branch, but also create the Iran Energy Divestment Act.

The governor also line-item vetoed some provisions of the state’s budget bills in May. Budget bills HB 2004, HB 2007 and HB 2010 each have some funds cut from them and might be brought up for discussion during veto session.

Per the constitution, the General Assembly has 10 days available to bring vetoed measures before the chamber from which they were issued. A two-thirds vote is required to override the governor’s veto. I don’t foresee this session taking all 10 days. However, my colleagues and I will work diligently to make the best decisions to benefit both the 31st Senatorial District, and the State of Missouri.

As always, please feel free to contact me or my staff with any questions or concerns at any time. We look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions and trying to answer any questions you may have. You can reach us by phone at 866-277-0882 (toll-free) or 573-751-2272, or by fax at 573-526-7381.

Senator David Pearce serves Bates, Cass, Johnson and Vernon counties in the 31st State Senatorial District.