After Governor Jay Nixon vetoed a record 29 bills and portions of three additional appropriations bills, the stage was set for a lot of activity during the annual Veto Session held Wednesday, September 11, in Jefferson City. After twelve hours of debate, the House and Senate overrode a total of ten bills by gathering the necessary two-thirds majority in each chamber to send the bills to the Secretary of State for enactment.

The highest profile bill debated since the end of session was HB253, a tax cut bill passed by the General Assembly to help compete with neighboring states. Governor Nixon vetoed the bill out of concerns it would cause a massive reduction in funds available for education, higher education and other areas of state government. In the end, the House vote was 94-67, which was 15 votes short of the required 109 for an override. Because the bill failed to advance from the House, there was no vote on the measure in the Senate.

Two key leadership decisions were also made during Veto Session this week. House Republicans elected Rep. John Diehl (R-Town and Country) as speaker designee, meaning he is in line to replace current House Speaker Tim Jones when he departs the House after the 2014 session. Diehl has an undergraduate degree from MU and a law degree from St. Louis University. Legislators in the House also elected Rep. Denny Hoskins (R-Warrensburg) as Speaker Pro-Tem of the House, filling the vacancy created when former Rep. Jason Smith (R-Salem) was elected to Congress earlier this year.

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