Governor vetoes two bills, House Bill 1870 and Senate Bill 994, signs 10
JEFFERSON CITY – Gov. Jay Nixon today vetoed House Bill 1870 which would allow businesses seeking government contracts or applying for taxpayer funded assistance to avoid enrolling in the E-Verify program, an internet-based system operated by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
“At a time when many believe that not enough is being done to address illegal immigration, the General Assembly is attempting to take Missouri backwards by undoing an important and widely used method of verifying a worker’s legal status,” said Gov. Nixon. “Government contracts and taxpayer subsidies must not be awarded to businesses that employ illegal workers, and the General Assembly’s effort to weaken these safeguards will not receive my approval.”
In 2008, the Missouri General Assembly passed House Bill 1549 making it unlawful for any business entity to “knowingly employ, hire for employment, or continue to employ an unauthorized alien to perform work within the state of Missouri.” The 2008 legislation further required enrollment in the E-Verify program, which allows an employer to determine the legal status of an employee or applicant for employment, prior to a business being awarded certain contracts or grants from the state or a political subdivision or receiving any state-administered tax credit, tax abatement or subsidized loan.
House Bill 1870, passed this year by the Missouri General Assembly, would undo these important safeguards by allowing employers to circumvent the E-Verify requirement. The Governor’s veto letter is available here.
The Governor also vetoed Senate Bill 994, which would have used state tax dollars to pay attorneys to defend the interests of private litigants. The Governor’s veto message is availablehere.
In addition, Gov. Nixon today signed the following 10 bills:
n House Bill 1561 which contains changes to the St. Louis County Pool Tax distribution formula and adds Cedar County to the list of counties authorized to submit to the voters a local sales tax for the purpose of funding public libraries.
n House Bill 1698, which creates the “Meet Me in Missouri Act”, a new grant program to assist convention and visitors bureaus in recruiting conventions or major events to their city. The Meet Me in Missouri Act would provide grants of up to $1 million for each convention. The grant program is subject to appropriations and capped at $3 million per year.
n House Bill 1851, which designates the “German Heritage Corridor of Missouri,” consisting of 16 counties and the City of St. Louis. The counties include Boone, Chariton, Saline, Lafayette, Cooper, Howard, Moniteau, Cole, Callaway, Osage, Gasconade, Montgomery, Warren, Franklin, St. Charles, and St. Louis.
n House Bill 2376, which allows political subdivisions to do certain construction projects using the Construction Manager-At-Risk method in which the construction risk is assumed by one entity at a guaranteed maximum price.
n House Bill 2380 which directs the Missouri Department of Revenue to, beginning January 1, 2019, issue new license plates to commemorate the Missouri bicentennial. Issuance of the new plates is expected to take three years, coinciding with Missouri’s bicentennial in 2021. This legislation also establishes an advisory committee to develop a uniform design and color scheme for the new license plate.
n House Bill 2453 authorizing the conveyance of six properties.
n Senate Bill 861, which establishes programs to encourage investment and job creation through Missouri ports.
n Senate Bill 833 containing provisions relating to title insurance, excepted benefit plans and gaming boat credit instruments.
n Senate Bill 919, which allows licensed retail stores, including grocery, liquor, and convenience stores, to dispense beer from tap and sell it in growlers. Growlers can be from 32-ounces to 128-ounces and must be filled upon customer request by the retail employee for consumption off the premises. This legislation also allows brewers to lease refrigeration units to retailers and would allow the retailer to stock the cooler with any product they choose, regardless of the terms of the lease.
n Senate Bill 932 containing provisions relating to notaries and federal home loan banks.
