The Missouri General Assembly yesterday overrode 13 of Gov. Jay Nixon’s vetoes, further cementing his place as the most overridden governor in the state’s history.
With the latest actions made during the Sept. 14 veto session, legislators now have overridden 96 of Nixon’s vetoes and budget measures, according to
The Associated Press. The governor’s two-term tenure ends next year.
“We worked hard this session, and sometimes it gets discouraging when your hard work gets vetoed,” Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard, R-Joplin, said in a news release. “Any policy we pass has the good will of the state of Missouri in mind.”
Bill veto overrides included:
• House Bill 2030, which authorizes a tax deduction equal to 50 percent of the capital gains resulting from the sale of employer securities to certain Missouri stock-ownership plans;
• SB 608, a health care bill that, among other enforcements, requires providers to give a patient with a written request the estimated cost of a diagnosis within three business days;
• SB 1025, which exempts instructional classes from sales taxes; and
• Senate Bill 641, which prohibits disaster payments from being subject to state income taxes.
Senate leaders also pointed to overrides of a bill that requires government-issued photo identification to vote in a public election, and another that eliminates permit requirements to conceal and carry a firearm. The photo-ID bill requires voter approval in November.
The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry reported the legislature failed to override vetoes of bills reforming the state’s legal climate. SB 591 would have required expert witnesses who testify to have knowledge specific to the topic at hand, and SB 847 would limit recoveries in injury lawsuits to only the actual medical expenses incurred.
“Top job creators are well aware of the risks of operating in a state where the courtrooms are so strongly tilted against employers,” chamber President and CEO Dan Mehan said in the release. “We have a supermajority of lawmakers who campaign on probusiness platforms. Yet, when they are in Jefferson City, they collectively fail to address our legal climate problem - arguably the biggest business issue in our state today.”
