Kelley: Biggest News Of The Week

The biggest news of the week, indeed the year, had nothing to do with anything happening in Jefferson City. As you have heard by now, on Sunday night an elite operations military team hunted down and killed Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan. Words alone cannot describe the thanks and gratitude we owe SEAL Team Six for their actions.

It took many years for this event to come to pass, but it was representative of the same persistence our forefathers had when establishing this great country. In the same spirit that saw them through the young years of America, our military persisted, tracking down countless leads and eventually prevailed. The United States sent a message we are still a force to be reckoned with. Although tolerance has become a political buzzword in recent years, I hope we would have no tolerance for anyone living within our borders that would condemn this action. In fact, it was great to see students and retirees, children and parents, and people of all backgrounds spontaneously gather Sunday night to celebrate this great event.

Back in Jefferson City, Governor Nixon was sharpening his veto pencil on several high profile bills. He vetoed both the congressional redistricting map [HB193] and the agriculture nuisance lawsuit bill.

The redistricting map was the result of sometimes intense negotiations between the House and Senate. As I have mentioned before, the task was made more difficult this year due to Missouri losing a congressional seat because of the census. I expect there will be an override attempt on this bill. I don’t know if there are enough votes to be successful. Either way it will be a close vote.

The governor also vetoed HB209 which would have limited how many times farmers could be sued for simply conducting the business of agriculture. In his veto message, Governor Nixon mentioned three issues. Two are mainly technical in nature and are easily addressed. With the third he wants to keep intact the ability of a plaintiff to sue for punitive damages. These three provisions have been attached to SB187, a bill very similar to HB209, which has already passed the Senate.

Budget negotiations continue between the House and Senate to reconcile differences between the two chambers. Final budget bills must be passed by 6:00 pm Friday, May 6 in order to meet the constitutional deadline. The Legislature will adjourn one week later.