On Wednesday, Sept. 16, members of the Missouri General Assembly will return to Jefferson City for the annual veto session, where we will have the opportunity to override any vetoed measures that were passed during the regular legislative session. The Missouri Constitution states that no veto session can exceed 10 calendar days, and each vetoed bill must be first taken up for consideration in its originating chamber. A successful veto override requires a two-thirds majority vote by members in each chamber: that’s 23 votes in the Senate and 109 votes in the House.
Historically, veto sessions have come and gone with little to no fanfare. However, in both 2013 and 2014, the governor vetoed an unprecedented number of bills, and the relative calm normally associated with veto session disappeared. The Legislature responded in each of those sessions by overriding a record number of bills.
This year the governor has returned just 19 bills and did not veto a single budget line item. Though the governor vetoed far fewer bills than he has done in years past, among the legislation vetoed by the governor are some of the most high-profile issues of 2015 — including the student transfer bill, a measure to make Missouri a Right-to-Work state and a bill that would modify the duration of unemployment benefits by tying it to the state unemployment rate.
Veto session is an incredibly important part of our government’s system of checks and balances. It is the final step in the legislative process, recognizing the ability of a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly to override the actions of the governor, and will likely mark the conclusion of legislative activity for the 2015 Legislative Session.
As always, please feel free to call, email, or write with your ideas or concerns. My Capitol office number is (573) 751-1415, my email is dan.hegeman@senate.mo.gov and my mailing address is Room 332, State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.
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