2017 Veto Session Preview
The 2017 veto session is slated to begin Wednesday at noon. During veto session, members of the General Assembly have the opportunity to override bills that’ve been vetoed by the governor. The Missouri Constitution states that no veto session can exceed 10 calendar days, and each vetoed bill must first be taken up for consideration in its originating chamber. A successful veto override requires a two-thirds majority vote by members in each chamber, which is 23 votes in the Senate and 109 votes in the House.
In each of the last several veto sessions, state lawmakers overrode a significant number of bills, giving our former governor the distinction of being the most overridden governor in the history of our state. However, since the current governor has only vetoed five measures, this year’s veto session should be relatively uneventful, at least from a legislation standpoint.
Probably the highest-profile measure that could be taken up for consideration is House Committee Bill 3. This measure authorizes the Office of Administration commissioner to do a one-time sweep of $35.4 million in unused funds from Missouri’s various boards, agencies and commissions. The money would then be deposited into the Missouri Senior Services Protection Fund to help provide in-home and nursing care services for approximately 8,000 disabled or elderly Missourians. Although HCB 3 passed with bipartisan support in both chambers, the House vote fell about 25 votes shy of the two-thirds majority that’d be needed to override the governor’s veto. So while HCB 3 is unlikely to become a law at this time, the overarching issue of adequately funding our in-home and nursing care services is one we’ll certainly look to address when the 2018 session convenes in January.
To learn more about the bills that may be reconsidered during this week’s veto session, please visit the Senate website at www.senate.mo.gov.
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.