Members of the Missouri General Assembly convened for the annual veto session last Wednesday, Sept. 16. By the time it wrapped up less than 12 hours later, legislators had voted to override 10 of the governor’s vetoes. While passing a bill during regular session only requires a simple majority, a successful veto override requires a two-thirds majority in each chamber. I’m very pleased to say two of my major legislative efforts for the 2015 session were among the 10 measures my colleagues believed were right for Missouri and its citizens.
The first of those is Senate Bill 142, which requires the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to prepare an implementation impact report before mandates are passed down by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These reports will include how mandates will affect Missouri’s economy, environment, human health, etc. We all want as clean and safe of an environment as possible, but we must work to achieve this goal in a manner that isn’t detrimental to local economies and doesn’t jeopardize our jobs and livelihoods. In recent years, the regulations coming from Washington have simply become too costly and unrealistic — a statement supported by the United States Supreme Court’s recent decision in Michigan v. EPA:
…EPA strayed well beyond the bounds of reasonable interpretation in concluding that cost is not a factor relevant to the appropriateness of regulating power plants…It is not rational, never mind “appropriate,” to impose billions of dollars in economic costs in return for a few dollars in health or environmental benefits.
It is critical we have a comprehensive understanding of the economic impact any new EPA regulation will have on our state and local economies, and I’m proud we addressed this issue ahead of the Supreme Court ruling agreeing with this legislation.
Missouri lawmakers also voted to override the veto of Senate Bill 224, requiring a student to be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident in order to be eligible to receive scholarships from the A+ Schools Program. Our state has limited financial resources, and I believe our first responsibility is to those students who were born here or are permanent residents in our country. The A+ Program in Missouri has been wildly successful since it began, helping young Missourians year after year realize their dreams of higher education. Senate Bill 224 will further protect our state resources and ensure A+ continues to be a solid program for our citizens for the foreseeable future.
Two bills modifying Missouri employment laws also garnered enough support to overturn the governor’s vetoes. House Bill 722 prohibits city and county governments from raising the minimum wage higher than the state level. While critics have branded HB 722 as an attempt to remove power from local officials, two-thirds of my colleagues and I see it much differently.
Suppose each municipality in Missouri could increase the minimum wage by however much they wanted, keeping in mind that when the minimum wage goes up, employers tend to recover increased labor costs by eliminating jobs, reducing hours or raising the price of their goods and services. Now apply this scenario to St. Louis County and the City of St. Louis, which are made up of 90 tightly packed municipalities. Suddenly, something as simple as buying a hamburger at a fast food chain becomes a question of “Do I want to pay $5 at the location closer to home, or drive a few minutes away and pay $2 at the location in the next town over?”
Where do you think customers are going to take their business? And how can anyone believe this is a good business model for our state? Quite simply, there are some issues in government, like the minimum wage, that require greater consistency because they affect the state’s entire economy. This is why I supported the veto override of HB 722.
We also overrode House Bill 150, which ties the duration of unemployment benefits to the state unemployment level — from a maximum of 20 weeks if the unemployment rate is 9 percent or higher to a minimum of 13 weeks if it drops below 6 percent. House Bill 150 will create an environment in which unemployment benefits are relevant to our economy. It will also lessen the financial burden on businesses during economic downturns, since they are forced to pay a special tax to fund unemployment benefits.
Finally, I was happy to welcome students from the Potosi Political Science Class and their teacher, Greg Kester, who made the trip up to Jefferson City last week. I always enjoy visiting with constituents at my Capitol office, and I look forward to meeting with many of you during the upcoming 2016 legislative session.
Contact Me
I always appreciate hearing your comments, opinions and concerns. Please feel free to contact me in Jefferson City at (573) 751-4008. You may write me at Gary Romine, Missouri Senate, State Capitol, Jefferson City, MO 65101; or email me at gary.romine@senate.mo.gov; or www.senate.mo.gov/romine.