Stouffer: Overriding veto of SB 749 will send a message to the nation

In his latest report, Sen. Bill Stouffer, R-Napton, a candidate for secretary of state, says that overriding Gov. Jay Nixon's veto of SB 749 will send a message to the nation.

The governor has signed or vetoed all of the legislation he intends to for the year. The last day to sign or veto bills was July 14, 2012. This year, the governor said “no” to many bills, and I would like to highlight some of them this week.

Among the bills he vetoed on July 12 is my Senate Bill 607, which would have established procedures for resetting billboards during periods of highway construction. The only reason for the veto was the fact that everything in the Senate bill was housed in House Bill 1402, which was signed into law.

Other measures vetoed this year include:

• Senate Bill 837, which would have modified what is considered to be a franchise between alcohol wholesalers and suppliers;
• House Bill 1250, which would have changed the laws regarding elections;
• Senate Bill 715, which would have allowed the Missouri Adjutant General to waive the age limit for service in the state militia and repeals a complaint procedure for the state militia;
• House Bill 1329, which would have changed the laws regarding motor vehicles;
• Senate Bill 569, which would have modified the law relating to elections, law enforcement districts and transit authority taxes; and
• Senate Bill 635, which would have modified the law relating to financial institutions, school funds, private roads, real estate appraisal, agricultural education programs, liens and state purchasing preferences.

Probably the most talked about veto was given to Senate Bill 749, which sought to provide protection for the religious beliefs as to the imposition of certain health care services such as abortion, contraception or sterilization. This measure was aimed at helping folks keep from having to answer to unnecessary demands made by the federal government in advance of nationalized health care.

All of the bills that were vetoed could be reconsidered during the annual veto session, which will be held in September. I fully anticipate Senate Bill 749 to be at the front of the list. To my knowledge, the votes to override exist in both the Missouri Senate and House. Missourians already sent a strong message to Washington, D.C., two years ago with their rejection of the idea of mandated health care coverage, and another blow could be dealt if the Missouri General Assembly overrides the governor’s veto on Senate Bill 749.

This is a perfect example of government in action and how it was meant to be done, according to our state’s constitution. Lawmakers debate bills; the governor can sign, veto or let legislation become law; if need be, the courts can determine if a law is constitutional or not. We will see what will happen to some of these vetoes in just a few short weeks. My plan is to represent the needs of rural Missourians and stand up for my constituents, as I always do.