This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, July 23, 2012 - On Sept. 12, lawmakers will convene for their veto session.
The annual event is typically ceremonial in nature, with plenty of farewells to departing legislators. But this year, lawmakers will try to overturn Gov. Jay Nixon's veto of a bill allowing employers to exclude abortion, contraception or sterilization from insurance coverage.
At first glance, the prospects may seem dim because the bill fell four votes short of obtaining a veto-proof majority in the House.But a quick look at the roll call for the bill shows the votes could be there if it's put up for an override.
That's because more than four Democrats voted for the bill, including state Reps. Michelle Kratky, D-St. Louis, and Ed Schieffer, D-Troy. And House Majority Leader Tim Jones, R-Eureka, noted that several potential "yes" votes were absent during the vote.
And while it's not uncommon for legislators of the governor's party to switch votes during an override, the November election could come into play. State Sen. John Lamping's bill was a rated vote in determining Missouri Right to Life's endorsements. And Dave Plemmons, chairman of the group's political action committee, said it's possible that lawmakers could lose the group's support if they sustain Nixon's veto.
Accountability is very important to us, said Plemmons, stressing that no final decision has been made on whether to withdraw endorsements over the veto override. Given the importance and the gravity of that override, it's going to be extremely important to us that we send the clearest message that we possibly can to Washington and the Obama administration and to Gov. Nixon that we can't abide by that kind of decision.
We would not view favorably in the least any vote to sustain that veto, he added.
The group's stamp of approval could make a big a difference for rural legislators seeking re-election.
For instance, state Reps. Steve Hodges, D-East Prairie, and Paul Quinn, D-Monroe City, were endorsed by the group for their re-election bids in the House, while state Reps. Joe Fallert, D-Ste. Genevieve and Terry Swinger, D-Caruthersville, received backing for state Senate bids. All four of those lawmakers voted for Lamping's bill, and both Plemmons and Jones said those type of lawmakers will feel pressure to stay the course.
Because of the strong vote the last time around and because it will be six weeks before an election with some very important groups watching that vote, I think there's a very strong possibility it will be overridden in the House, Jones said.
But although anti-abortion rights groups may be pressuring Democratic lawmakers to override the veto, those legislators could also feel pressure from labor organizations to sustain the governor's objection. The Missouri branch of the AFL-CIO urged Nixon to veto the bill earlier this summer, while the executive council of the AFL-CIO released a statement earlier this year stating the denial of contraceptive coverage is seen as discrimination against women and an attack on workers' right to basic health coverage.
State Rep. Stacey Newman, D-Richmond Heights, said such opposition from organized labor could give Democratic legislators pause before deciding whether to override Nixon's veto. Newman along with other Democratic legislators had been pressuring Nixon to veto Lamping's bill.
Having labor support is beyond contributions, Newman said. And it's valuable. And it's part of our Democratic core, actually. So it's going to be interesting to see how someone has to decide between their labor and their Right to Life. But I'll tell you, labor is not going to lay down on this. And in terms of the Progressive Caucus, we're not going to lay down on this either.
For what it's worth, both Jones and Plemmons predicted that Democratic lawmakers would choose anti-abortion groups over labor on this issue. But as Newman noted, the momentum to sustain the veto will probably start up again after the August primaries. By mid-September, it'll be time for vulnerable lawmakers to choose: labor or anti-abortion groups.
Car tax veto could also be overridden
Jones also predicted an override attempt for a bill allowing car dealers in some parts of the state to reinstate local taxes on vehicles purchased out of state. The Missouri Supreme Court recently ruled that such taxes first must be voted on by the public.
The bill had been sought by some auto dealers in eastern and western Missouri who said they would lose business to counterparts in Illinois, Kansas and other border states if the tax weren't reimposed on out-of-state purchases. In prepared remarks made while announcing veto of the bill, Nixon said the legislation would have imposed a new car tax on Missourians without a vote of the people.
Jones notes that the bill received bipartisan support in both chambers. And he also there's plenty of pressure from municipalities and counties to override Nixon's objection.
I believe that there are many groups, many municipalities and many small businesses across the state that are very interested in the auto use tax bill, Jones said. And there's going to be a lot of discussion and debate on whether we should override that. That was a huge, bipartisan super-majority in both chambers that voted for that. I think many people do agree with Gov. Nixon's assessment on that.
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