Democrat loses committee spots after tax-cut vote

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Democratic lawmaker from suburban St. Louis has been removed from several Missouri House committees after he sided with Republicans to enact an income-tax cut.

Rep. Keith English was removed from four House committees Wednesday by House Minority Leader Jake Hummel.

English provided the deciding vote Tuesday for the Republican-led House to achieve the two-thirds majority needed to override Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon's veto of the tax cut legislation.

The measure will gradually cut Missouri's top individual income tax rate and phase in a special deduction for business income starting in 2017, so long as state revenue keeps rising. All the other Democratic lawmakers voted against the tax cut.