Missouri 2015 Veto Session

After a somewhat chaotic regular session, the Missouri Legislature’s 2015 veto session took place on Wednesday, September 16, under new leadership in both chambers.  Senator Ron Richard is now serving as the new President Pro Tem of the Senate and Representative Todd Richardson as the new Speaker of the House.  See the following summary of veto session actions taken on hot button issues:

Right to Work: HB 116, the bill prohibiting mandatory union membership, failed to achieve an override in the House and therefore did not reach a vote in the Senate.  The issue will almost certainly be revisited next session.

Unemployment Benefits: HB 150, which reduces the number of weeks workers are eligible to receive unemployment based on an economic scale, was overridden in the House during regular session and by the Senate in veto session.  As there are questions about the legality of the two votes, the issue will likely be resolved by the courts.

Local Control: HB 722, which blocks local governments from raising the minimum wage or prohibiting plastic bags in grocery stores, was successfully overridden and will become law.

Laundry Tax Exemption: SB 20, legislation creating a sales and use tax exemption for laundry companies processing at least 60,000 lbs of laundry per week, was also successful in overriding the Governor’s veto.

A+ Scholarships: SB 224 overrode the Governor’s veto as well, which prevents illegal immigrants from accessing the A+ Scholarship program on the grounds of limited resources.

See a full list of House actions here and Senate actions here.