Friday, July 13, 2012
List of Bills Signed/Vetoed
Yesterday Governor Jay Nixon had a flurry of activity yesterday, signing and vetoing a dozen bills. See a list here.
The highest profile bills were Sen. John Lamping’s SB 749 which would have let insurers or employers opt out of providing contraceptives in their healthcare plans, for religious reasons. And HB 1329 which would have reinstated a tax on out-of-state car purchases.
Nixon vetoed both of these saying that Lamping’s bill gave too much power to insurers, and that any new tax should be voted on by the voters themselves.
Over-rides?
The vote count on the contraceptives bill was 105-33 in the House and 28-6 in the Senate. The Senate easily has the votes, and the House should too. They’d only need to pick up 4 votes from the 25 missing reps on that vote.
The car tax bill was 32-0 in the Senate and 122-21 in the House. It should therefore also be able to pass over Nixon’s veto.
Fall out from Nixon’s Signings/Vetoes
Over-all, one Republican thinks they can make hay from some of his actions, “Nixon was cruising to easy re-election. Then in one day he completely pissed off: Catholic conference, every other religious group, auto dealers, municipalities, and entire liquor community. Pro- life/religious community has been trying to define Nixon for years. Yesterday, they finally did.”
But the contrary opinion may carry the day: Building folks get too wrapped up in building politics. And Nixon is playing electoral politics. The contraception bill veto locked up his base, while the auto tax bill veto allows him to outflank the GOP on tax and spend issues.
Winners
Soybean Association: mentioned as one of the reasons Nixon vetoed the liquor franchise bill shows additional clout of that organization.
Losers
Auto dealers: the veto puts them at a competitive disadvantage to out-of-state dealers.
Liquor folks like Major Brands and Glazer’s: franchise bill veto, opposition grew through the course of the legislative session, may be hard to put this one back together.
Veterinarians: SB 566 was a potential new mandate that would have driven them a lot of business.
Medicaid Expansion
Yesterday the New York Times ran an article about Florida and the question of expanding Medicaid there via the new federal healthcare law. Read it here.
Pull Quote: “Hospital associations around the country have already signed off on cuts to reimbursement rates under the health care law on the assumption that the new paying customers they would gain, partly through the Medicaid expansion, would more than cover their losses.
“‘If we’re going to walk away from that coverage, we’ll simply see those dollars we contributed through cuts in hospital payments go to covering people in other states,’ said Bruce Rueben, president of the Florida Hospital Association. ‘It’s a bad deal for people in Florida if it plays out that way.’”
Well Fargo Goes to the Well
Wells Fargo will add 400 more employees to its downtown St. Louis headquarters, but it wants a subsidy. Read it here.
Their lobbyists are: Greg Johnston and Jessica Hodge.
$5K+ Contributions
Committee for Economic Liberty - $50,000 from Ameristar One.
Missourians for Koster - $10,000 from Cornerstone Health Care Inc.
Missourians for Koster - $50,000 from Sam Fox.
Kunza Mennemeyer for Judge - $7,000 from Chris Kunza Mennemeyer.
eMailbag
On Nixon Internet Ads on Conservative Websites
“There is no such thing as a wacky internet ad bounce. Internet ad buyers are very
accurate and specific in their purchasing.”