Capitol Briefing

September 2010

General Assembly Convenes for Annual Veto Session

Senate Bids Farewell to 11 Retiring and Retired Members

JEFFERSON CITY—On Wednesday, Sept. 15, lawmakers assembled for the annual veto session in Jefferson City. A September veto session is required by the Missouri Constitution if the governor vetoes any bills passed during the year’s legislative session. 

A two-thirds majority vote from both chambers is required to override a veto, while initial passage of any bill requires a simple majority. A vote to overturn a veto is a rare occurrence and hasn’t taken place since 2003 when legislators voted to overturn three vetoes relating to concealed carry, lawsuits against gun manufacturers and abortion.

With one Senate bill, four House bills and a line-item in one budget bill receiving the governor’s veto this year, lawmakers gathered to consider these measures though, ultimately, did not overturn any of the vetoes.

The House did vote on whether to override the veto of House Bill 1903, a bill handled in the Senate by Sen. Rob Mayer (R-Dexter) that would have created the Federal Budget Stabilization Extension Fund and the Race to the Top Fund to receive additional money granted to Missouri by the federal government. The bill, however, did not receive the two-thirds majority vote needed for a veto override in the House. Consequently, HB 1903 was not brought before the Senate because a vetoed bill must be first considered in its originating chamber before moving on in the process.

Other measures vetoed by the governor that were not considered for a veto override include:

• Senate Bill 777 – Allows for the sale of certain financial products and plans associated with certain loan transactions. 
• House Bill 1831 – Allows school districts, after 10 years, to sell as surplus any real property that has been donated to it if the donor refuses the district’s offer to return it. 
• House Bill 1741 – Changes the laws regarding a meeting of a board of directors or the executive committee of a corporation. 
• House Bill 2317 – Requires each member of the General Assembly to be provided with a key to access the State Capitol dome and authorizes the governor to convey certain state property. 

(Click here for detailed information on this year’s vetoed and signed bills.)

Listen to the Senate Minute’s report on veto session.

Prior to the start of the official veto session, the Senate bid farewell to 11 retiring and retired members during a special ceremony: Sen. Chuck Graham (served in the Missouri Senate from 2005–2008), Sen. Carl Vogel (R-Jefferson City), Sen. Matt Bartle (R-Lee’s Summit), Sen. Rita Heard Days (D-St. Louis), Sen. Dan Clemens (R-Marshfield), Sen. Joan Bray (D-St. Louis), Sen. John Griesheimer (R-Washington), Sen. Delbert Scott (R-Lowry City), Sen. Norma Champion (R-Springfield), Sen. Gary Nodler (R-Joplin) and Senate President Pro Tem Charlie Shields (R-St. Joseph).

The 10 retiring members are ineligible to run for another term due to term limits, which were enacted after Missouri voters in 1992 approved an amendment to the state constitution limiting the years a legislator may serve in the General Assembly. Service is limited to eight years in the House of Representatives (four two-year terms) and eight years in the Senate (two four-year terms).

The Legislature will convene on Jan. 5, 2011, for the First Regular Session of the 96th General Assembly.

Committee Hearings

Several committees took the opportunity to hold meetings this week with legislators returning to Jefferson City for the veto session.

The Joint Committee on Education met on Tuesday (9/14) to recognize retiring members, as well as discuss K–12 public school funding, teacher compensation and the efficiency of the state’s Regional Professional Development Centers. The committee also talked about topics for potential future study such as voluntary pre-kindergarten and higher education funding models.

Senator David Pearce (R-Warrensburg) serves as chairman of the 14-member Joint Committee on Education. Other Senate members include Sen. Jane Cunningham (R-Chesterfield), Sen. Scott T. Rupp (R-Wentzville), Sen. Kurt Schaefer (R-Columbia), Sen. Days, Sen. Joseph Keaveny (D-St. Louis) and Sen. Yvonne Wilson (D-Kansas City).

Seven House members also serve on the committee, which is charged with monitoring the progress of education in Missouri’s public schools and higher education institutions, and making recommendations to the General Assembly for legislative action.

The Joint Committee on Tax Policy also met on Tuesday to discuss the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement and take public testimony on the issue. Legislation was proposed during the 2010 session to implement the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement in Missouri, which among other provisions, would tax Internet and catalog sales the same as purchases made at “brick and mortar” retailers in the state.

Senator Brad Lager (R-Savannah) is chairman of the Joint Committee on Tax Policy, and serves with Sen. Bray, Sen. Griesheimer, Sen. Vogel and Sen. Robin Wright-Jones (D-St. Louis). Five House members also serve on the 10-member committee whose duties include continually studying and analyzing Missouri’s current and proposed tax policy and the state agencies that administer those policies.

The Joint Committee on Legislative Research, Joint Committee on Public Employee Retirement and the Senate Administration Committee all held regular business meetings on Tuesday as well.

On Wednesday, the Educated Citizenry 2020 Committee met to discuss recommendations for the committee’s final report, which is due to the Senate at the end of the year. The committee, which is one of three “2020” committees established by the Senate in 2009, is responsible for determining what education in Missouri should look like by the year 2020 and developing long-term strategies to achieve these future goals. Senator Pearce serves as chairman of the committee, whose members also include Sen. Cunningham, Sen. Schaefer, Sen. Keaveny, Sen. Wes Shoemyer (D-Clarence) and Sen. Wright-Jones.

Click here to watch video clips or listen to audio clips of the committee meeting.

Also meeting on the day of veto session was the 14-member Joint Committee on Transportation Oversight , which reviewed the Heroes Way Interstate Interchange Program Application. Members were also updated on the Missouri Department of Transportation’s search for a new director. The seven senators serving on the committee are Sen. Bill Stouffer (R-Napton), Sen. Bray, Sen. Clemens, Sen. Days, Sen. Griesheimer, Sen. Scott and Sen. Shoemyer. Seven House members also serve on the committee.

Committee Appointments

Senate President Pro Tem Charlie Shields and Minority Floor Leader Victor Callahan (D-Independence) also made several committee appointments this week. They include:

Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC) Commission

• Sen. Pearce

The commission is the 60-member governing body of MHEC, a compact of 12 Midwestern states to provide greater higher education opportunities and services through collaboration and resource-sharing.

Joint Committee on the Reduction and Reorganization of Programs within State Government

• Sen. Stouffer
• Sen. Mayer
• Sen. Cunningham
• Sen. Bray
• Sen. Tim Green (D-St. Louis)

The 13-member committee must submit a report to the General Assembly by Dec. 31, 2010, with recommendations for reducing, eliminating or combining a state program with another program or programs in the same or a different department.

Joint Committee on Urban Farming

• Sen. Clemens
• Sen. Jim Lembke (R-St. Louis)
• Sen. Schaefer
• Sen. Days
• Sen. Jolie Justus (D-Kansas City)

The 10-member committee is charged with studying and making recommendations regarding the impact of urban farm cooperatives, vertical farming and sustainable living communities in the state and presenting its findings to the governor and Legislature by Dec. 31, 2010.

Joint Committee on Missouri’s Promise

• Sen. Pearce
• Sen. Tom Dempsey (R-St. Charles)
• Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Glendale)
• Sen. Justus
• Sen. Keaveny

This 10-member committee is charged with examining issues that impact the future of Missouri and its citizens. By Jan. 1, 2011, and each year thereafter, the committee must issue a report to the General Assembly regarding any findings or recommendations.

Joint Interim Committee on Reducing the Size of State Government

• Sen. Chuck Purgason (R-Caulfield)
• Sen. Rupp
• Sen. Jack Goodman (R-Mt. Vernon)
• Sen. Jason Crowell (R-Cape Girardeau)
• Sen. Bray
• Sen. Green
• Sen. Wilson

The committee, which consists of 14 members, must examine each department and agency of the state in order to determine programs or bureaucracies that should be eliminated or reduced. Members will also develop recommendations and strategies for reducing the size of state government overall by Dec. 31, 2010.

This update is written monthly during the interim. To follow these and other issues facing the Missouri Senate, visit www.senate.mo.gov . Visitors can track legislation as it passes through the General Assembly, learn more about their district, or, when the Legislature is in session, listen to streaming audio of legislative debate as it happens. For more legislative news, please visit the Senate Newsroom . There you will find various audio and video programs and other services, such as:  

Subscribe / Unsubscribe

-END-