House may try rare veto override during session

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The final passage Thursday of a resolution that would nullify a key component of Gov. Bob Holden's controversial directive on collective bargaining looks to set up a rare regular session veto override effort within the next two weeks.

House Majority Floor Leader Jason Crowell, who determines what bills the chamber takes up for debate, said an override probably will be pursued, though a final decision hasn't been made.

"I am 99.9 percent sure we will find time on the floor to attempt an override," said Crowell, R-Cape Girardeau.

Since the bulk of the bills that clear the legislature each year are approved in the closing weeks of the legislative session, gubernatorial vetoes typically occur after lawmakers have adjourned for the year. As a result, if lawmakers want to bypass the governor's wishes on a rejected bill, they have to wait until September when they convene in their annual veto session.

Because the legislature won't adjourn until May 14, however, Holden has 15 days from the time he officially receives the resolution to take action. Once he vetoes the measure, as his spokeswoman vowed he would, the issue immediately heads back to the House of Representatives.

The resolution seeks to invalidate a proposed administrative rule that would allow unions to collect mandatory service fees from the paychecks of state employees who have opted against union membership but still enjoy representation.

The fees are authorized by an executive order Holden, a Democrat, signed in June 2001 that extended collective bargaining rights to many state workers.

However, a state law forbids the deduction of union fees unless an employee grants permission. The rule would make such permission a condition of employment for new hires.

Republican opponents of the order say there is no legal authorization for the proposed rule and that compulsory permission contradicts the intent of the law.

But the chances of a successful override are minimal. The House originally passed the resolution 86-69, well short of the 109 votes needed to bypass the governor. A House override is necessary before it can be considered by the Senate, where the initial vote was 20-13, three votes shy of the necessary two-thirds majority.

The last in-session veto override attempt happened in January 1980 when lawmakers overruled Gov. Joe Teasdale's veto of an appropriation for the construction of the Truman State Office Building.

Stadium liability

In 2002, Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder expended a great deal of energy and political capital in a failed effort to pass a $644 million package of state subsides for sports stadiums in St. Louis and Kansas City, plus other projects. Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau, said he is uncertain if his support for the bill will prove a liability in his campaign for lieutenant governor this year.

The centerpiece of the measure called for $210 million in state taxpayer support over 30 years to help build a new ballpark for the St. Louis Cardinals.

The proposal proved highly unpopular statewide, with the most fierce opposition coming from rural areas. Nearly every other lawmaker in Southeast Missouri opposed the plan. With the state's urban cores dominated by Democrats, Kinder will need strong rural support to become lieutenant governor.

Despite the opposition to the bill, Kinder said he believed it was the right thing to do to prevent the Cardinals from moving to Illinois and still has no regrets about pushing the plan.

"I championed that cause, and I count it as a proud moment in my public service," Kinder said.

After making overtures to Illinois lawmakers, the team's owners decided build a new stadium in downtown St. Louis using their own money, along with subsidies from St. Louis city and county taxpayers and a relatively small amount of state tax credits.

Pot tax

As lawmakers continue to look for innovative ways to boost state revenue, the "pot tax" is making a return.

The proposal, which was first floated last year, would require dealers and users of illegal drugs to obtain tax stamps from the Missouri Department of Revenue to affix on controlled substances.

Since there is little expectation that drug dealers would actually purchase the stamps, the real intent of the measure is to allow the revenue department to fine people busted on drug possession charges for failure to pay taxes.

Portions of the money generated by the bill, sponsored by state Sen. Charlie Shields, R-St. Joseph, would be earmarked for education and law enforcement. However, it is unclear how much revenue the measure would raise.

The Senate Ways and Means Committee will hear the bill on Tuesday.

mpowers@semissourian.com

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