Perspective: Thoughts on Sept. 11, veto session

As I write this column on Sept. 11 , I cannot help but remember the events of 13 years ago. I remember exactly where I was and exactly how my stomach tightened at the news. We all do, and we always will. Much has changed since Sept. 11, 2001, but in many respects much remains the same. We continue to face a very real terrorist threat posed by an evil enemy, but for the most part we go about our day-to-day activities blissfully oblivious to these threats and not nearly as appreciative as we should be of those who put their lives on the line daily to protect us. Take a minute to think about Sept. 11, 2001. Tell your kids or your grandkids what you remember about that day, and remind them that the freedom and protections they enjoy daily come from the sacrifices of men and women who willingly put their lives on the line for us.

Last week the Legislature convened for its annual veto session. Overriding any veto requires a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and the Senate. This substantive and challenging majority vote demonstrates the great wisdom of our forefathers who devised our system of government. It should be difficult to override a veto, and it is, but it is also right that the General Assembly has the ability to do so.

This year the governor vetoed a record number of bills. During the regular session, the Legislature voted to override the governor's veto of a tax bill and thereby made substantive changes to Missouri's tax code for the first time in almost a century. The result of this override is to allow all Missourians and small businesses to keep more of their own money. The tax payers will always spend their money better than the government, and when the Legislature can responsibly return some of that money, it ought to do so.

As a result of the Legislature overriding his veto during the regular session, the governor embarked on a campaign of half-truths and fear in order to scare Missourians into supporting his schemes for continued explosive growth in government and entitlement programs. What our founding fathers likely did not envision was a governor that barricaded himself in his office and never engaged in difficult discussions with lawmakers during the legislative process, preferring instead to simply lob in vetoes and articulate his concerns via press release after legislation that had been vetted and discussed for months, even years, finally passed.

This campaign of fear and self-serving half-truths from the governor continued unabated throughout the veto session. Fortunately, legislators from both parties saw through the governor's façade and offers of political favors (the governor's staff were in the galleries of both the House and the Senate all day Wednesday, twisting arms and offering a variety of favors, in an attempt to sway votes) and took substantive action to invest in Missourians and to protect the lives of unborn children.

Of all the many vetoes that were overridden, none were more pleasing to me than HB1307 - giving life a chance. HB 1307 requires a woman seeking an abortion in Missouri to wait 72 hours before that procedure can be performed. This waiting period will allow more time for women to contemplate the decision to kill their unborn child, to discuss the decision with friends, family, or clergy, and to explore options to abortion. The governor vetoed this bill on the flimsy notion that waiting 72 hours would create an undue hardship on women. In reality, the ultimate hardship of abortion falls upon an unborn child whose life is ended.

Waiting 72 hours is not onerous or disrespectful to women. It provides opportunity for contemplation and exploration of other options commensurate with the magnitude of the decision. This bill does not deny any woman the right to have an abortion, but I do believe it will result in fewer abortions as more women explore alternatives and have time to contemplate the significance and finality of what they are considering. I am pleased to have been a part of this veto override.

The governor's disregard for the sanctity of life was also evident in his veto of House Bill 1132. HB 1132 increases the caps on tax credits for those who contribute to pregnancy resource centers, a food pantry or maternity homes. Because the General Assembly voted to override the governor's veto, more than $1.5 million will be available for these critical programs. These benevolent tax credits give an immediate return to the state as they encourage investment from citizens before any credits are issued. They also allow the local community to provide services to their residents and to get the most value out of their investment - like the Ivy Bend Food pantry expansion, or the buddy back pack program.

Similarly, the governor vetoed numerous line items in the budget that were designed to provide critical services to Missourians. Under the guise of fiscal restraint, the governor withheld funding for: Sheltered Work Shops, Alzheimer's grants, services for the hearing impaired, rape examinations for children, defibrillators for Water Patrol boats, alternatives to abortion services, funding for AP/dual credit for low-income students, and many, many more critically need services. Even as the governor slashed funding for these worthy programs he hopscotched across the state on a brand new plane, racking up travel expenses in excess of $500,000, to give speeches patting himself on the back for his fiscal discipline. In total, the General Assembly voted to override 47 of the governor's line item vetoes. These overrides do not create new programs, but rather they sustain programs that have already been in place and were part of a bi-partisan budget that was $350 million less than what the governor originally proposed and fought to pass.

The 2014 version of the flap-jack tour begins this Saturday at McClung Park in Jefferson City. On Wednesday the tour will roll into California at Luke's Pit Stop, and on Saturday we will be at Beck Motors in Freeburg. All flap-jack stops go from 7-8:30. A complete list of our 2014 tour can be found at http://mikekehoe.com/general-posts/2014-flapjack-tour-dates/ . Please stop by and chat about what is important to you.

My purpose and my intent is to serve the constituents of the 6th Senatorial District. If you are in the Capitol during the coming weeks and months, please stop by your office in Room 220.

Sen. Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City, represents the 6th District.