All legislative bills passed by the General Assembly have made their way to the governor’s desk. The governor has the option to sign a bill into law, designating his approval of the measure; veto a bill, designating his disapproval; or he may take no action at all, in which case the bill is allowed to become law without his endorsement.

Legislation that is vetoed, however, is usually dealt with in September during veto session, a time when lawmakers come together to discuss such measures and decide to override the vetoes or let them stand. Early in the regular session, however, the governor vetoed SBs 509 and 496, which modified income tax rates for individuals. The Senate and House quickly took action to override the veto before session adjourned for the year on May 16.

Sept. 10, 2014, will be the designated day of reckoning for more than 30 bills vetoed by the governor. Some of these vetoed measures include:

SB 841, sponsored by Sen. Jay Wasson, which would restrict the sale of e-cigarettes or vapor products to anyone under 18 years of age;

SB 656, sponsored by Sen. Will Kraus, which would modify concealed-carry ordinances relating to health care personnel and school safety officers;

SB 506, sponsored by Sen. Brian Munzlinger, which would define captive deer as livestock, among other provisions related to agriculture;

SB 727, sponsored by Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, which would exempt sales and use taxes from products sold at local farmers’ markets with sales less than $25,000 annually;

SB 493, sponsored by Sen. David Pearce, which would address student transfer and accreditation issues in various areas of the state;

SB 673, sponsored by Sen. Mike Kehoe, which would adjust the duration of the receipt of unemployment benefits in relation to the average Missouri unemployment rate;

SB 694, sponsored by Sen. Mike Cunningham, which would modify laws relating to the payday loan industry to help protect consumers;

SB 584, sponsored by Sen. Bob Dixon, which would modify many provisions relating to taxation; and

HB 1707, handled in the Senate by Sen. Mike Kehoe, would allow community college districts to establish their own campus traffic regulations and other motor vehicle provisions.

These are just a sampling of the legislation which will be taken up for debate in the upcoming veto session. For more information about these and other legislative bills, visit www.senate.mo.gov

Always feel free to contact me throughout the year with any comments, questions, or issues by calling my office at (573) 751-5713 or by visiting my website at www.senate.mo.gov/brown.

Thank you for reading this and for your participation in state government.