One special legislative session has ended. Another one is already planned. Governor Holden has announced he will sign the education budget bills, ending a contentious, month-long special legislative session. Holden, a Democrat, has also announced he will call legislators back into session in September during the annual veto session to reconsider his revenue package. House Speaker Catherine Hanaway (R-Warson Woods) won’t say whether she will consider revenue enhancements once lawmakers return for another special session. The House didn’t hear any during the June session. While Hanaway assigned revenue bills to the Tax Policy Committee during the special legislative session, the chairman of the committee refused to even hold a hearing on them. And even though a Senate committee heard some of the governor’s proposals, no revenue increase proposal made it to either the House or Senate floor for debate. Hanaway argues raising revenue could prove counter productive for state government, if it costs the state jobs, which, in turn, would cost the state tax revenue. She says the best way for state government to get more money is for more Missourians to go back to work. She says that needs to be the focus of the state government right now.
