Lawmakers vote to overrule Holden on abortion, guns

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- It took the House of Representatives just over 70 minutes Wednesday to vote to override the governor's veto of controversial bills on abortion and concealed weapons.

Whether those measures become law over Democratic Gov. Bob Holden's objections is now up to the Senate, which plans to consider the issues today.

It is anticipated that the upper chamber will follow the House's lead on the bill that would impose a 24-hour waiting period on women seeking an abortion. However, the override effort on the proposal to allow Missourians to apply for permits to carry concealed weapons is expected to fall at least one vote short of the needed two-thirds majority.

It takes 23 Senate votes and 109 House votes to successfully override a veto. Republicans, who control both legislative chambers, hold a 20-13 advantage in the Senate and a 90-71 House majority.

With the support of conservative, rural Democrats, the House voted 120-35 to overrule Holden on abortion and 115-39 on concealed weapons.

Southeast Missouri's delegation of 10 Republicans and three Democrats unanimously endorsed both bills.

House Speaker Catherine Hanaway, R-Warson Woods, said the quick action on the two measures wasn't anticipated.

"It was a little surprising there wasn't more debate, but I think that is a testament to the fact on both bills there really was strong bipartisan support," Hanaway said.

Depending on Dolan

Any chance of a Senate override on the concealed weapons bill is contingent on the return of state Sen. John Dolan, R-Lake St. Louis, who is on active military duty in Cuba. The likelihood of Dolan getting leave was unknown Wednesday.

Though optimistic following the House vote, the bill's sponsor, state Rep. Larry Crawford, R-Centertown, said Dolan's whereabouts will determine success or failure.

"If Senator Dolan does not return, I do not believe the override will take place," Crawford said.

Even if Dolan shows up, his vote still may not be enough if Senate Majority Floor Leader Michael Gibbons, R-Kirkwood, doesn't join supporters. Gibbons was the lone Republican to vote against the bill when it originally passed last spring.

Gibbons said he would decide what action to take Wednesday night. He said the primary reason for his earlier opposition was that the bill didn't contain a referendum provision.

"I felt that of all the issues we send out to a public vote, this was a particularly good one to do that," Gibbons said.

Due to strong urban opposition, a statewide vote on a similar concealed weapons bill narrowly failed in 1998.

During Wednesday's House debate, state Rep. Melba Curls, D-Kansas City, said lawmakers should respect voters' wishes.

"If you want to carry concealed weapons, let's put it on the ballot," Curls said. "That would be the fair way to do it."

Supporters countered that the current proposal is far different than the one voters rejected five years ago. The new version contains stricter eligibility requirements and more restrictions on where weapons may be carried.

"We are not asking everyone in the state carry concealed weapons," said state Rep. Frank Barnitz, D-Lake Spring. "We are just asking legislators to give law-abiding citizens that right."

Abortion issue

On the abortion issue, bill opponents called the 24-hour wait requirement demeaning to women by assuming those seeking the procedure haven't already thought the matter through and that government knows best.

"I resent it as a woman, and I resent it as a citizen," said state Rep. Vicky Riback Wilson, D-Columbia.

Abortion services are available in only three Missouri cities: Columbia, St. Louis and Springfield. Since the bill requires a women to consult with a doctor during one visit before undergoing the procedure during a second visit, opponents said the bill would place an undue burden on rural women who would have to make two long trips.

However, state Rep. Richard Byrd, R-Kirkwood, said that wouldn't be the case as the bill doesn't mandate that the same doctor performing the procedure be the one who provides the initial consultation.

"A woman could go to her clinic in the Bootheel or wherever and get the informed consent and then go to St. Louis and get the abortion," Byrd said.

House override attempts failed on several other vetoed bills, including those related to agriculture and specialty license plates.

State Rep. Scott Lipke, R-Jackson, fell 19 votes short of reviving a proposal he sponsored that sought to ensure that the Missouri Department of Transportation fairly compensates landowners for loss of road access caused by highway projects. The proposal was prompted by concerns from those affected by the redesign of Highway 34-72 in Jackson.

Lipke's original two-page bill ballooned into a 180-page omnibus transportation measure by the time it was sent to the governor's desk. Holden vetoed it because of a provision that would have provided sales tax exemptions to MoDOT contractors at a cost of $10 million a year.

But the bill also would have brought state regulations on truck weights and commercial driver's licenses in line with federal mandates.

"By not passing this bill, we put in jeopardy federal funds to the tune of $22 million," Lipke said.

However, Missouri has until the summer of 2005 to comply with the federal rules and avoid losing funds. Holden's veto was sustained on a 90-62 vote.

The Senate failed to override several measures it considered, including proposed changes in the law governing unemployment benefits and a bill that would have established a board to review state regulations on small businesses.

Some remaining rejected Senate bills will be reviewed today before the chamber takes up the bills that cleared the House.

mpowers@semissourian.com

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