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Missouri Jobless Benefit Cuts May Test Legislative Powers

Legislation in the Missouri general assembly requires English to be the sole language on driver's exams.
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Legislation in the Missouri general assembly requires English to be the sole language on driver's exams.

 Republican lawmakers are pressing ahead with plans to enact one of the nation's most restrictive unemployment laws later this year — even though Missouri's governor and a former Supreme Court judge claims they can't.

Senators ended their session in May without taking the final vote needed to override Gov. Jay Nixon's veto of a bill cutting unemployment benefits to as few as 13 weeks.

Nixon said that means his veto has been upheld.

But top Republican senators said they can override it during a September session.

Nixon and former Missouri Chief Justice Michael Wolff both said the state constitution doesn't allow that. They say a provision permitting September overrides only applies to bills vetoed in the final week of the session. Nixon vetoed the unemployment bill before then.

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