JEFFERSON CITY—On Sept. 16, the Missouri Legislature assembled for its annual veto session in Jefferson City. A September veto session is required by the state constitution if the governor vetoes any bills passed during the year’s legislative session.
With 12 Senate bills, 11 House bills and line items in 11 budget bills receiving a governor’s veto, lawmakers gathered to consider these measures though, ultimately, did not overturn any of the vetoes.
(Click here for detailed information on this year’s vetoed and signed bills).
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, allowing Missourians to carry concealed weapons, barring lawsuits against gun manufacturing companies and requiring a waiting period for certain medical procedures.
Listen to This Week in the Missouri Senate’s report on this year’s veto session.
Several committee hearings were held the week of veto session. The Joint Committee on Capital Improvements & Leases Oversight, Joint Committee on Tax Policy, Healthy Missourians 2020 Committee, Job Creation 2020 Committee, Joint Committee on Public Employee Retirement, Senate Administration Committee, Joint Committee on Legislative Research, Joint Committee on Education, Joint Committee on Transportation Oversight, and Joint Interim Committee on Oversight of Federal Stimulus and Stabilization Funds all took advantage of lawmakers being back in Jefferson City as a time to hold their meetings.
Listen to This Week in the Missouri Senate’s report on the latest meeting of the Joint Interim Committee on Oversight of Federal Stimulus and Stabilization Funds.
The three Senate “2020” Committees, which were assigned the task of developing long-range strategies in key policy areas, have been especially active during the interim. Both the Missouri Senate Healthy Missourians 2020 and Job Creation 2020 committees held their organizational meetings in the Capitol during the week of veto session.
The 2020 committees were created as a result of the Missouri Senate passing three resolutions during the 2009 legislative session. Senate Resolutions 302 (job creation), 303 (health care) and 304 (education), introduced by Senate President Pro Tem Charlie Shields (R-St. Joseph), each established the 2020 committees, whose members are assigned the task of defining where Missouri should stand in these respective areas in the year 2020. The committees will serve through December 31, 2010.
This week, both the Senate Job Creation 2020 Committee (9/30) and the Healthy Missourians 2020 Committee (10/1) meet again, gathering in Kansas City for their first major hearings.
Listen to the Senate Minute’s report on the two hearings.
The Educated Citizenry 2020 Committee held its organizational meeting in July and another “visioning” meeting last month.
The Missouri Senate General Column is written on a regular basis. To follow these and other issues being addressed by the Missouri Senate, visit www.senate.mo.gov. Visitors can research legislation and learn more about their Senate district and the legislative process. For more legislative news, please visit the Senate Newsroom. There you will find various audio and video programs, such as:
- Missouri Legislative Update (MLU) A video program produced periodically that provides an overview of the news in the Missouri Senate and House of Representatives. The program features news interviews with lawmakers and stories on issues concerning Missouri.
- Capital Dialogue Missourinet's Bob Priddy hosts this monthly half-hour roundtable program bringing legislators together from the Missouri Senate and House of Representatives from different political parties to discuss their positions on legislation.
- This Week in the Missouri Senate A weekly five-minute audio program that wraps up the week’s news in the Missouri Senate. Programs are posted online every Friday in .mp3 format. Listeners have the option of subscribing to the program via podcast.
- Senate Minute A condensed, one-minute audio report of current Senate news. Programs are posted in .mp3 format and available through podcast.
- Daily Audio / Video Clips Throughout the year, the Senate Newsroom posts audio and video highlights from Senate committee hearings, floor debate, press conferences and other legislative events.
- Daily News Clips The Senate Newsroom compiles daily news clips on issues relating to the Legislature and state government. An archive of past clips is maintained online.
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