The General Assembly’s annual veto session will begin on Sept. 16. The veto session lets the Legislature decide whether to override those pieces of legislation vetoed by the governor. While veto session usually takes only a day or two, it may constitutionally last up to ten calendar days. In order to override a veto, a two-thirds majority vote in each chamber is required.

A few bills were vetoed early enough in the year that the Legislature voted to override them before regular session ended. Among the successful overrides was House Bill 63, which prohibits anyone previously serving as a superintendent from being a candidate for a school board member in the same district.

There are a number of bills anticipated to be brought up for override votes this upcoming veto session. House Bill 116 & 569, also known as “Right-to-Work,” was vetoed by the governor on June 4. The legislation seeks to prohibit employers from requiring persons to join a labor organization as a condition of employment, or to force current workers to join a union in order to continue employment.

Senate Bill 224, a vetoed measure requiring students to be a United States citizen or a permanent resident in order to receive reimbursements from the A+ Schools Program, will also be taken up for a possible override in September.

House Bill 42, known as the student transfer bill, which would establish a system of school accreditation based on the performance of individual buildings rather than school districts, and includes provisions for student transfers as well as expanded virtual and charter school options, may also be on the docket for override.

These are just a few of the 16 vetoed bills that will be considered for override. For a complete listing of 2015 Truly Agreed To and Finally Passed legislation, click here or visit www.senate.mo.gov and click the Legislation tab.

As always, I encourage my constituents to contact me throughout the year with comments, questions or suggestions by calling my office at (573) 751-5713. To find more information about the bills I sponsor, visit www.senate.mo.gov/brown.

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