The Missouri House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to override four of Republican Gov. Mike Parson’s line-item budget vetoes, but Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Dan Brown, R-Rolla, stopped attempts in his chamber.
Missouri House of Representatives UPI/Bill Greenblatt
“With the numerous discussions with the governor and his staff, they’ve assured me this money will show up in the supplemental spending budget. That will slow the process down a little bit but some of these departments need a little more time to make these decisions. Therefore, at this time, I recommend no veto overrides of line items in the 2019 budget.”
House Budget Committee Chairman Scott Fitzpatrick, R-Shell Knob, maintains that moving funding within departments is unconstitutional.
“That is going to come to a head in January,” said Fitzpatrick. “It’s going to be an issue and it will get dealt with in a different way.”
Rep. Rocky Miller, R-Lake Ozark, has a personal reason for overriding $153,000 in funding cuts to certify hospitals treating trauma, stroke and some heart patients. The House voted 134-13 to override the veto. The chamber required 109 votes to successfully overturn the governor’s move.
“A little less than five years ago, I was misdiagnosed with a stroke,” Miller said. “I actually had a stroke. They didn’t catch. I ended up laying in bed for 2.5 days with a stroke. They (hospital personnel) can actually recognize people like me that have had a stroke and actually get them the care that they need, rather than laying around for 2.5 days in a hospital bed, which was not pleasant.”
The other veto override attempts included:
- $100,000 to the Child Advocate Office to pay the salaries of two employees investigating child abuse and neglect cases.
- $45,000 to the Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
- $487,000 for the Missouri Public Defender System’s juvenile advocates.
The four vetoes total $785,000 in Missouri’s $28.6 billion fiscal year budget.
The House failed to override a budget veto involving $50,000 in funding for emergency rescue tourniquets. The tourniquets are used to stop bleeding from injuries sustained by both law enforcement officers and members of the public.
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