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Lawmakers gear up for annual veto session

Missouri capitol
David Shane
/
Flickr

Lawmakers return to Jefferson City Wednesday for their annual veto session.  House and Senate leaders will attempt to override Governor Nixon’s veto of a bill that levies sales taxes on out-of-state vehicle purchases.

The issue has heated up, as Nixon’s supporters are running radio ads urging Missouri citizens to call their lawmakers and tell them not to override the Governor’s veto.  Nixon calls the bill a retroactive tax hike on anyone who’s bought a vehicle outside of Missouri this year, while GOP leaders say it will provide much-needed revenue to local police and fire departments and encourage car and boat buyers to shop in Missouri. 

Lawmakers are also considering overriding the governor’s veto of a bill that would allow employers to deny contraceptive coverage if providing it goes against their religious beliefs. 

The one-day session will mark the last hurrah for 24 House members and 9 Senators who are leaving due to term limits.

Among those making their final appearances in chamber is Senator Jason Crowell. The Cape Girardeau Republican is probably best known for his opposition to expanding tax credits and working instead to either eliminate them or to make them subject to each year’s state budget. 

The Senate is also losing President Pro-tem Rob Mayer, who’s running for a Circuit Judge slot in Stoddard County.  The Senate is also losing its top Democrat, Minority Floor Leader Victor Callahan of Independence.  In the House, term-limited House Speaker Steven Tilley has already left office, and House members are expected to elect Majority Floor Leader Tim Jones before taking up veto business.

Missouri Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a proud alumnus of the University of Mississippi (a.k.a., Ole Miss), and has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off the old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Mason, and their cat, Honey.