Senator Schaaf discussing one of the many bills taken up for a veto override motion in the Missouri Senate this week.

The 2013 veto session in the Missouri Legislature was one for the record books. There were nearly 30 bills vetoed by the governor this year, with 19 of those measures originating in the Senate. Considering this unusually large number of bills up for possible veto overrides in the Senate, we had our work cut out for us.

Both the Senate and the House must vote to override a veto by a two-thirds constitutional majority. To meet the required majority, each bill requires no less than 23 votes in the Senate and 109 votes in the House. Only the primary sponsor of a bill can make the motion to override a governor's veto. If the bill receives a veto override in its originating chamber, the primary handler of that legislation in the other chamber may take it up for veto override consideration.

The Legislature sent to the governor last session a bill that would have established the Second Amendment Preservation Act, rejecting all federal acts that infringe on a Missouri citizen’s rights under the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Unfortunately, the governor lent his veto stamp to this measure. House Bill 436 would have prohibited political subdivisions from banning anyone with a valid concealed carry endorsement to openly carry a firearm, created additional privacy protections for firearms owners, and lowered the age for conceal carry from 21 to 19 years old, among other provisions.

I proudly voted in support of this measure in May during the regular legislative session. Although the Legislature fell one vote short of overriding the governor's veto on House Bill 436, I will continue to advocate for increased protection of our Second Amendment rights.

In total, the Senate sent over to the House eight bills for its consideration, four of which received the votes needed in the House to override the governor's veto.

• Senate Bill 9 creates the Career and Technical Education Advisory Council, allows the University of Missouri extension counsel to form extension districts, provides for additional civil penalties for violations of the Missouri Livestock Disease Control and Eradication laws, strengthens the crimes of stealing livestock and animal neglect, and prohibits foreign businesses from owning certain agricultural land.
• Senate Bill 110 establishes procedures to follow in child custody and visitation cases for military personnel.
• Senate Bill 170 allows certain government officials to cast roll call votes in a meeting if they are participating via videoconferencing.
• Senate Bill 129 establishes the Volunteer Health Services Act allowing licensed health care professionals to provide volunteer services for a sponsoring organizations, particularly in disaster situations when emergency health care services are critically necessary.

In turn, the House approved the motion to override the veto of seven measures, in which the Senate answered back by voting to override the governor's veto on all by one of those bills, House Bill 436.

• House Bill 19 is a supplemental budget measure that allocates money for capital improvement projects. The Legislature overrode the governor's line-item veto for $1 million allocated to reconstruct the Pike-Lincoln Technical Center previously crippled by fire.
• House Bill 278 prohibits any state or local government entity, including public buildings, parks and schools, from banning or restricting the practice, mention, celebration or discussion of any federal holiday, including the Fourth of July. This holiday and the popular ways we celebrate our independence has the potential to affect homeowners' insurance rates. It's been reported that insurance rates are lower in municipalities that have a ban on fireworks. Now that this measure has become law, any ordinance banning fireworks in municipalities now has the real possibility of being illegal, thus potentially increasing the insurance rates for homeowners. I shared my concern during regular session in committee and sought a remedy during floor debate on the bill; my opposition continued with my vote this week.
• House Bill 329 changes the law regarding financial institutions, increasing the maximum fee from 5 to 10 percent on installment loans.
• House Bill 339, also known as the "No Pay, No Play" bill, requires uninsured motorists to forfeit their recovery of noneconomic damages under certain circumstances.
• House Bill 650 changes the laws regarding our state's Department of Natural Resources, which includes a provision that puts a $2.5 million cap on punitive damages assessed in health-related claims against companies that own hard rock underground mining operations, such as the Doe Run Company in Missouri, reportedly our state's second-largest employer.
• House Bill 1035 changes the laws regarding amended property tax rate filing with the Office of the State Auditor and replaces the expiration date of the property requiring certain counties and the City of St. Louis to deduct a percentage of property tax collections for assessment costs.

Many committees used the timing of the mid-September veto session to hold meetings at the State Capitol.  The Senate Interim Committee on Medicaid Transformation and Reform listened to scheduled witnesses who provided testimony to my colleagues and I during this third hearing in a series of meetings we are holding throughout the interim. The panel was established with the goal of reforming Medicaid by improving system efficiency, financial stability and delivery of health care. 

As a physician, I take seriously the ongoing challenge of ensuring quality health services are available throughout Missouri. As of July, only 18 states in our nation have committed to participate in the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the expansion of Medicaid. We used this meeting to focus on what other states are doing in the area of Medicaid reform, and like most, we are taking our time in Missouri to understand what the residual effect of the ACA will have on our state. That's what this committee is designed to do, and we'll carry on with our work throughout the months ahead.

If I can be of any assistance or can answer any of your questions regarding this matter, please feel free to contact my Capitol office at (573) 751-2183.