JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — General Assembly Convened This Week for the Annual Veto Session
September 16, 2021
Missouri House Votes on Several Bills that Governor Parson Vetoed
Members of the House and Senate returned to the State Capitol Building this week for the annual veto session. The Missouri Constitution requires the General Assembly to meet each year in September to consider bills that were vetoed by the governor. While in veto session, legislators have the opportunity to override the governor’s vetoes if they can obtain two-thirds majorities in each chamber to support the motion.
For the 2021 veto session, members of the House and Senate had three vetoed House Bills and one vetoed Senate Bill to consider, as well as line-item vetoes in 12 appropriations bills. While House members did not attempt overrides on any of the non-appropriations bills vetoed by the governor, they did successfully override three of his line-item vetoes.
By a vote of 152-2, House members approved an override motion for the governor’s veto of $150,000 in funding contained in HB 4. The funds were appropriated by the legislature to reimburse legal costs for wedding venues that had fought a sales tax reconsideration made by the Missouri Department of Revenue. The maker of the motion said, “We have promised these people over and over and over again that we would do right by them only to have the rug pulled out from under them. I implore this body to send a message to the governor that we’re going to stand up for our citizens; that we’re going to give them their darn money back.”
House members also overwhelmingly supported the override of a line-item veto of $2.1 million in funding contained in HB 11. House members supported the motion by a vote of 151-3. The funding was appropriated by the General Assembly to provide a three percent pay increase for Children’s Division case workers and supervisors.
In the history of the state, the legislature has successfully overridden 119 vetoes. Of those overrides, 49 have been on budget line-items and 70 have been on non-appropriations bills. Prior to the administration of Gov. Jay Nixon, veto overrides had been extremely rare with the legislature completing a total of only 22 overrides in its history. During Nixon’s eight years in office, the number of veto overrides increased dramatically as the Missouri General Assembly overrode 97 of his vetoes.
Republican House Leaders Call on President Biden to Provide Legal Justification for Proposed Vaccine Mandate
House Speaker Rob Vescovo, Speaker Pro Tem John Wiemann, and Majority Floor Leader Dean Plocher this week submitted a letter to President Joe Biden calling on the nation’s leader to provide his legal justification for a proposed vaccine mandate for private businesses. The letter, which was written by Vescovo and signed by Wiemann, Plocher, and the House Republican Caucus, refers to the president’s directive as “an egregious overreach of federal authority” and as “blatantly unconstitutional.”
The three House leaders said their goal with the letter is to give a voice to the many Missourians who are outraged by the president’s directive to enact an emergency temporary standard based on OSHA’s regulatory authority requiring private businesses with more than 100 workers to make COVID-19 vaccination a condition of employment. They noted that as elected officials it is their duty to protect the constitutional rights of the citizens of Missouri.
“It’s clear there is no legal precedent or constitutional authority granted to the president that allows him to trample on the constitutional rights of Americans. This proposed vaccine mandate is a clear overreach of federal authority and something we will fight wholeheartedly to defend the freedoms of our citizens,” said Vescovo, Wiemann, and Plocher.
Lawmakers Consider Voter Integrity Safeguards
As the House Elections and Elected Officials Committee met this week to discuss possible changes to the state’s elections process, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft made clear his plans to support legislation that would keep voting secure and accurate in upcoming elections.
This week Ashcroft released the findings of a voter fraud investigation involving two voters in St. Charles County. He said his goal is to be proactive rather than reactive as the state works to protect the integrity of the elections process while also ensuring no voter is turned away from the ballot box.
Ashcroft said he plans to work with the legislature to enact safeguards that would include:
- Photo ID requirements for in-person voting coupled with strong ID requirements for absentee voting.
- Using hand-marked paper ballots rather than electronic voting machines.
- Enacting legislation, with the necessary funding included, that would allow the secretary of state to audit election results.
- Procedures to limit the handling of cast ballots by election authorities and eliminate the curing of absentee ballots.
- Requirements for election authorities to maintain accurate, up-to-date voter rolls and withhold funding if necessary for noncompliance and allow the secretary of state’s office to audit the list of registered voters for accuracy and accountability.
- Physical cybersecurity testing at the local level by the secretary of state’s office or authorized party that includes penetration testing of vendor machines, programs and systems.
- Election equipment that is not capable of internet connectivity to avoid the possibility of electronic manipulation.
- Disallowing election law or rule changes less than 26 weeks prior to a presidential election.
- Elimination of third-party compensation for those who solicit voter registrations.
Ashcroft said, “In-person voting with a photo ID makes it difficult to manipulate the system and easier to identify fraud. As well, hand-marked paper ballots and using equipment that is not capable of being connected to the internet makes voting less susceptible to suspicion and therefore, may increase voter confidence and turnout.”
Johnny Morris Inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians
Lawmakers and distinguished guests gathered in the House Chamber this week to pay tribute to one of the state’s greatest entrepreneurs and conservationists. House Speaker Rob Vescovo hosted the event for former House Speaker Elijah Haahr, who selected Bass Pro CEO Johnny Morris for induction into the Hall of Famous Missourians.
Morris, who is from Springfield, MO, started out in 1972 by selling fishing tackle out of the back of his father’s store. He went on to become one of the most visionary and influential retailers in modern history. Bass Pro Shops now has 200 retail stores and marine centers across the nation, and welcomes more than 200 million visitors annually. Morris also revolutionized the marine industry with Tracker boats, which are the best-selling fishing boats in the country. A leading conservationist as well, Morris has received the National Audubon Society’s Audubon Medal for his lifelong efforts to protect wildlife habitat and connect more people to the great outdoors.
Working on your behalf,
Representative Chad Perkins
Proudly Serving the 40th House District
Lincoln, Monroe, Pike, & Ralls Counties
Missouri House of Representatives
573-751-4028