Democratic Governor Nixon says he’s pleased with the outcome of this week’s veto session, despite the Republican-controlled legislature overriding 10 of his vetoes and another 47 appropriation line items. KSMU’s Theresa Bettmann explains.
Nixon’s optimism stems a failed effort by legislators to override various tax breaks that he said would have significantly decreased state revenues. As a result, the governor released $143 million in withheld funds for education, which he touted during a stop at Hillcrest High School in Springfield on Friday.
Afterwards, he spoke with reporters.
“We held $775 million worth of line item vetoes, and 98.9 percent of my budget was approved. I also upheld more vetoes than any governor has ever held in the history of Missouri. We had a very good veto session,” Nixon says.
Nixon thanked members of the General Assembly for taking a closer look at the bills they passed this year, especially those regarding education. He said that higher standards in education lead to better jobs and overall a better economy.
“And because the legislature did not override those bills, I’m pleased to announce today there’s now more than $100 million I released just yesterday for local schools throughout Missouri, including $1.6 million dollars to this school district right here,” says Nixon.
The released funds also returns money to higher education institutions through performance funding. Missouri State’s portion of that appropriation totals approximately $4.2 million (less the ordinary 3% holdback). In his weekly blog, MSU President Clif Smart said that whether the school receives the other restricted appropriations will depend on general revenue collections in the coming months.
Smart added that the returned funds vindicates the school’s decision to move forward with the budget approved by the Board of Governors this summer.
One of the major vetoes that was overridden this week was a bill extending the wait time for abortions from 24 hours to 72. Nixon says he stands by the veto because the bill does not allow exceptions for victims of rape and incest, noting that “getting rid of these exceptions is the wrong policy for our state.”
Nixon also responded to criticism of his handling of the recent events in Ferguson, defending his efforts to bring the situation under control.
“Once I gave the unprecedented order to put the Highway Patrol in charge, we saw a dramatic difference. The fact that over the next 10 days our two mantras of safety and speech played out. Folks had the right to speak and march but we kept safety,” says Nixon.
The governor’s office also on Friday announced the release of more than $22 million for mental health services, reimbursements to local governments, job training and other priorities.
