Today’s legislative session is likely to last only a few hours–and indications are that it will be a 50-50 session.  Lawmakers are back at the Capitol to consider Governor Nixon’s vetoes of bills passed in the spring.  Only two issues are generating enough interest for a veto override attempt.  One is Senator John Lamping’s religious freedom bill that critics refer to as an abortion-contraception-sterilization insurance bill.  The other is a bill reinstating local taxes on vehicle purchases made between individuals and from out of state dealers. 

Senate floor leader Tom Dempsey thinks the veto of Lamping’s bill can be overridden in the senate and sent to the House.

He doubts the Senate will have a chance to overturn the veto of the vehicle tax bill because the veto override might fail in the House.  Dempsey says Governor Nixon’s pressure on lawmakers might keep the veto from being overturned.

                                            (AUDIO) Dempsey :26

Dempsey says the issue needs to be acted upon quickly next year if the veto holds up.  He hopes to be the leader of the senate then and says he’ll try to get the governor more involved than he was this year.