Gov. Nixon concluded his annual legislative review this week. After spending January to May as a second-floor spectator, Gov. Nixon burst into action the past two months. In total, Nixon signed approximately 133 bills, punted on two, and vetoed a personal-record 33 bills. He fell two bills shy of the veto record for a single session - set by Gov. John Dalton in 1961.
Whether an override is attempted on any particular bill is determined by several factors. Among others, (1) how many votes the bill received during regular session; (2) whether Gov. Nixon raised a point in his veto message that wasn't previously considered by legislators; (3) whether Democrats who voted for the bill in regular session are likely to stick with it over the governor's veto; (4) whether other "more important" parts of a vetoed bill were signed into law through other bills; (5) if the vote total is close, how important the bill is.
Last year, the General Assembly set a record for veto overrides. With even more vetoes this year, it's possible that the record will be broken again. This year, there are just over 20 bills that passed with super-majorities, or were very close. That said, it's too early to tell how many override attempts will be made. I agree with Senate Majority Leader Ron Richard, who told the Post-Dispatch this week that lawmakers should carefully consider the bills "one at a time."
Missouri-based education standards
Gov. Nixon signed House Bill 1490 this week, which will require that the Common Core standards adopted by the State Board of Education undergo a rigorous review by Missouri educators and parents. This bill was passed due to concerns about the wholesale adoption of quasi-federal education standards with inadequate vetting at the state level.
Though some opponents of Common Core argued that the state should abandon the standards altogether, such a plan was not feasible, given all the work that the state board and local districts had already completed to transition to the new standards. Abandoning the standards at this late date would have effectively left Missouri schools with no standards at all.
I am generally leery, regardless of the issue, when state government adopts someone else's rules or standards wholesale - whether those rules or standards come from the federal government, uniform laws proposed by the American Bar Association, or, in this case, from a consortium of states and education groups. When considering whether to import standards created by outsiders, it's important for state government to go line-by-line through each proposal to ensure it's the best policy for Missouri. And that's exactly what House Bill 1490 is designed to do.
For those interested in Common Core, I encourage you to review primary source materials over secondary sources of commentary. The actual standards can be found at www.commoncore.org/read-the-standards. Also, the suggested readings and problems for English language arts can be found at www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_B.pdf.
Encouraging ag and vo-tech education
Our public education system serves many purposes. It helps ensure an informed citizenry. As Thomas Jefferson explained, the "diffusion of knowledge among the people" is the surest foundation "for the preservation of freedom and happiness." It promotes equality of opportunity by providing a structure through which any child, regardless of their parents' income or social status, can improve their lot in life.
It should also aid future economic vitality by preparing students for the real world. While we should strive to create an education system that prepares every child for college who desires and works appropriately to get there, education policy is often overly-focused on college prep.
Look around you. Not every job requires a college education. And, though a college degree has been proven to lead to higher income, not every good job requires a college education either. The world will always need carpenters, plumbers, farmers, welders, electricians, machinists, and mechanics - to name just a few.
After ensuring basic education in civics, math, English, and science, it doesn't make much sense to have identical graduation requirements for students interested in these career fields as those for students who want to go to college. I believe our education system should do more to prepare students who want to enter the workforce immediately.
House Bill 1189, sponsored by Rep. David Wood, R-Eldon, is a small step to encourage agricultural and vo-tech education for the right students. This bill requires the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to allow students to count district-approved agriculture or vo-tech classes to replace one unit of academic credit in math, science, social studies, or English for any class that doesn't require an end-of-course statewide assessment.
The Missouri Student Religious Liberties Act
Missouri students shouldn't be required to check their religion at the door or argue points-of-view contrary to deeply-held religious beliefs in order to pass. Sometimes, however, local schools quash student religious expressions out of concern that allowing them violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. American courts have been clear, though, that schools do not have to be religion-free zones. In fact, while a public school cannot endorse or require any religious activity, they also can't discriminate against religious viewpoints.
This week, Gov. Nixon signed legislation to protect the religious beliefs of Missouri students by putting these First Amendment standards into Missouri statutes and requiring schools to adopt policies consistent with those standards.
House Bill 1303, dubbed the Missouri Student Religious Liberties Act and sponsored by Rep. Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, protects the religious beliefs of Missouri students by putting these First Amendment standards into Missouri statutes and requiring schools to adopt policies consistent with those standards. Under HB 1303, schools must treat religious speech and activity in the same manner that they treat non-religious groups and non-religious speech. They must also allow students to express religious viewpoints in assignments - and grade those assignments by traditional academic standards regardless of the religious viewpoint expressed.
The bill was drafted to match existing First Amendment cases that protect students. As Haahr explained to the Missouri Times, "If there's a 15 minute break ... and students want to organize, on their own, a brief prayer ... that's something that is permissible under existing case law, but sometimes schools are stopping those things from happening because they believe they are crossing a line."
The bill passed by overwhelming bi-partisan margins in both the House and Senate, and was signed into law this week by Gov. Nixon.
State Rep. Jay Barnes, R-Jefferson City, represents the 60th District.
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