Politics & Government
Rep. Chrissy Sommer's Weekly Capitol Connection September 16, 2016
News From the Missouri State Capitol to the First State Capitol
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House and Senate Hold Successful Veto Session
Coming in to the annual Veto Session, the Missouri General Assembly had a total of 20 vetoed bills to consider for potential overrides. The legislature meets each year in September in accordance with the Missouri Constitution to consider bills approved by the legislature but vetoed by the governor. It is during the Veto Session that members of the House and Senate can come together to put legislation into effect as law despite the governor’s objections.
By the end of the day Wednesday, the House and Senate had each obtained the votes necessary to enact 13 vetoed bills into law. The total includes seven House Bills and six Senate Bills. The 13 overrides bring the total for the 2016 session to 15 overrides of gubernatorial vetoes. It was during the regular session that the legislature successfully overrode the governor on two measures he had vetoed. The House also attempted but failed on a third attempt at an override during the regular session.
As the day began, the total number of overrides in state history stood at 106, with 57 overrides completed on non-appropriations bills and 49 on budget line-items. Of that total, 84 of the 106 overrides had occurred under the administration of the current governor. With the totals from Wednesday added, the total number of overrides in state history now stands at 119, with 97 of those coming under the watch of Governor Nixon.