JEFFERSON CITY — Next week marks the annual legislative veto session, where the Senate and House will meet to consider overriding the governor’s veto of bills that were passed during the regular legislative session earlier this year. To override a veto, two-thirds of the members of both the Senate and the House have to vote to do so. That equals 23 votes in the Senate and 109 in the House. Veto session traditionally isn’t very dramatic because there aren’t usually many vetoed bills to consider. That trend has significantly changed with our current governor. Two years ago, the governor set an office record by vetoing 29 bills (along with four line item vetoes to the budget) and last year he bested himself by vetoing 33 bills, along with about 120 line-item vetoes in the budget.

It’s no surprise then that the Legislature also set records for veto overrides the last two years, saddling our current governor with the distinction of being overridden more times in one year than any previous governor in their entire term. Last year alone, we overrode 10 of his 33 vetoes and 47 of 120 line-item vetoes. That may not sound like a lot, but consider that prior to 2013, the Legislature had overridden only 12 vetoes since Missouri became a state in 1821 and for 120 years — 1855 to 1976 — no vetoes were overridden.

Without a doubt, the most controversial issue we will consider at veto session will be Right-to-Work. Right-to-Work would essentially prevent employers from requiring employees to become a member of a labor union or pay dues as a condition of employment. It gives workers freedom to choose whether or not they want to join a union. Right-to-Work would immediately improve Missouri’s economic situation and make us more competitive with other states. Twenty-six states have already passed Right-to-Work, including the traditional union strongholds of Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana. Statistics show Right-to-Work states outperforming non-Right-to-Work states in the economic areas that count - employment, population and income growth. No worker should be forced to join a union to keep his or her job. If we become a Right-to-Work state, Missouri will be instantly seen as a more welcoming state to business and would encourage employers to bring their jobs to Missouri. That’s a win-win for Missouri.

Reaching the two-thirds vote threshold in both the Senate and the House will be difficult, but I expect it to come up for a vote and even if we fall short this year, it will be back next year and every year until we achieve freedom for Missouri’s workers.

There are other overrides we will likely consider. One is a bill that ties the duration of unemployment benefits to the state unemployment rate. The duration of benefits would be 13 weeks when it is below 6 percent and the current 20 weeks when the rate is above 9 percent. Each 0.5-percent shift between 6 and 9 percent would adjust the benefit duration by one week.

The state pays unemployment benefits from the Unemployment Compensation fund; however, when it is depleted, we borrow money from the federal government. Missouri just paid back $220 million to the feds last year, ending its obligation for the recent recession. This results in higher unemployment taxes for Missouri businesses and makes it difficult for business owners to predict costs, hire more employees or reinvest in their business. Missouri is the only state in the country whose state unemployment trust fund has run out of money in each of the last five recessions. We need a more proactive approach that will ensure we don’t have to rely on the federal government the next time unemployment goes up.

The House overrode the governor’s veto during the regular session, but session ended before the Senate took it up. I am confident we will have the votes needed to override in the Senate next week.

Another likely override target is a bill that prevents individuals who are illegally in our country from receiving the A+ college scholarship. This is already our state’s policy in two other scholarship programs: Access Missouri and Bright Flight. Individuals who are illegally present in this country should not be able to use the services that hard-working Missourians have paid for with their tax dollars. As our state continues to do the difficult job of balancing our budget, limited revenue is available for state universities. These limited resources should be used to first and foremost help legal, tax-paying Missouri residents get an education.  The House passed the measure 108-38, and the Senate passed it 25-8 back during the regular session so it is highly possible we will override the governor’s veto on it.

As I make the decision to vote on these vetoes and others next week, I would appreciate your input. Your involvement is a vital part of the legislative process and I truly value the opinions and concerns of the people I have the privilege of representing in Jefferson City. Please feel free to comment on any vetoes, which can be viewed at: https://governor.mo.gov/news/legislative-actions.