JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A tumultuous final week featuring a high-profile resignation and a grinding work shutdown in the senate made for a legislative session that ended with more of a whimper than a bang. But despite the final hours, the Missouri legislature still moved forward on some major issues, recapped below.
— SB 5, Municipal Court Reform: Perhaps the most widely-publicized piece of legislation this year, this bill makes some broad changes to the state’s municipal courts and local police, with many of those changes aimed squarely at the many municipalities of St. Louis County. In the weeks and months following the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, there was ample pressure on lawmakers to examine just how cities were collecting huge chunks of their annual revenue through minor traffic fines and related court fees. Lawmakers cut the maximum portion of revenue collected by police and courts from 30 percent in St. Louis down to 12.5 percent with a 20 percent cap on the rest of the state. The bill now sits on Gov. Jay Nixon’s desk and awaits his signature or veto.
— HB 42, School transfers: Last year, Nixon vetoed a similar bill because it had language permitting some qualified transfer students to attend non-parochial private schools on the state’s dime. This year, the provision was removed, but there’s a distinct expansion of charter and virtual schools, and Nixon’s office has been silent on whether or not he’ll veto the bill after yet another year of grueling negotiations and student transfer programs in St. Louis that continue to frustrate teachers, parents and students. While the senate passed the bill with just enough votes to override a veto, the House likely does not have the numbers to overcome Nixon if he rejects the bill.
— SB 24, TANF reform: This bill bitterly divided lawmakers on largely partisan lines. After carving down lifetime TANF benefits — roughly $292 per month — at 45 months down from 60 and adding new work requirements, Republicans faced one of Nixon’s first vetoes of the session. Despite objections from Democrats that the bill would unnecessary impact children, Republicans were able to easily override Nixon.
— HB 150, Unemployment benefits: This bill, which changes the maximum length of unemployment benefits when the state unemployment rate dips below 6 percent saw a lengthy debate in both chambers, a swift veto from Nixon, and then a protracted override attempt. In the House, the override vote was kept open for some time, as Republicans looked to whip all 109 needed votes. Finally, Rep. Nick King, R-Liberty, changed his vote. The bill still needs a successful override vote in the senate before it becomes law over Nixon’s objections, but when the upper chamber got bogged down in an ugly fight over Right-to-Work in the final week of session, the bill never made it up to the floor. The legislation that cuts Missouri’s unemployment benefits to 13 weeks down from 20 (making it one of the lowest in the nation) will have to wait for September for a potential override vote at the special veto session.
— HB 116, Right-to-Work: The legislation that essentially brought all work in the Senate to a halt in the final week as Democrats openly rebelled is all but guaranteed to see a veto from Nixon. In the Senate, leaders wrangled enough support for a PQ motion, a rare procedural move that infuriated Democrats and ultimately brought the chamber to a screeching halt. But Republican supporters must be eyeing the legislation with concern in both chambers. In the Senate, four Republicans broke rank and voted against the bill, making it two shy of a veto-proof vote. In the House the pathway to overriding Nixon becomes even more difficult. The final House vote was a full 17 votes shy of the needed 109. The fight over Right-to-Work will likely make for a hot summer in Missouri.
Collin Reischman was the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
