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Post by GonHuntin on Sept 11, 2003 7:33:41 GMT -5
Today is the day!
Please correct me if I've got it wrong.......
I read that the MO House voted to override the Gov's veto yesterday.....the Senate is suppose to vote on override today!
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Dale
Full Member
Tulsa, OK
Posts: 58
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Post by Dale on Sept 11, 2003 9:06:30 GMT -5
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Post by Bobcat on Sept 11, 2003 10:26:21 GMT -5
I hope they get it done this time! It all hinges on one Senator...........
Bob
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Post by Bobcat on Sept 11, 2003 11:48:52 GMT -5
Update......cross your fingers.......
Senator returns from military for critical vote
By PAUL SLOCA
The Associated Press 9/11/2003
JEFFERSON CITY - State Sen. Jon Dolan, back in Missouri on military leave, said he will vote today to override Gov. Bob Holden's veto of a concealed weapons bill.
Whether Dolan would be allowed to leave Cuba, where he is stationed at Guantanamo Bay, was a key question as the Senate prepared to vote on the Holden vetoes of that and other bills. The Republican from Lake St. Louis is a public affairs officer with the Army National Guard and is among those deployed for duty in Cuba. But he got the leave and returned to the state late Wednesday night.
"I plan to vote in favor of every override opportunity I am presented with, especially the very close political votes," Dolan said in a telephone interview shortly after midnight.
On Wednesday, the House voted to override Holden's veto of the weapons bill, which Dolan had supported when it passed. He said the House vote made his decision to return to Missouri easier.
"My vote will be the most accurate portrayal of the will of Missourians I represent," he said.
Dolan said "no private interest or public money" was used to pay for his return and that he obtained leave through proper military channels. He said no political influence was exerted on his behalf.
"My request was treated like any other request," Dolan said.
The gun bill would allow Missourians 23 and older to apply to their county sheriffs for a permit to carry concealed guns. Applicants would have to meet several qualifications, and concealed weapons would be banned from churches, day care centers and certain other locales.
A veto override requires a two-thirds vote in each chamber -- 23 of the 34 Senate votes and 109 of the 163 House votes. The Senate is expected to get to the gun bill later today.
The 23 senators who voted for the bill during the regular session included Sen. Ken Jacob, a Columbia Democrat, who actually opposed the measure but voted for it as part of a failed maneuver to try to reconsider its passage.
If Jacob votes to uphold the veto, proponents of the concealed guns measure hope Republican Sen. Michael Gibbons of Kirkwood would switch his original "no" vote to a "yes" and that veteran Democratic Sen. James Mathewson votes in favor of an override.
In the last few days, Mathewson, of Sedalia, and Gibbons, of Kirkwood, declined to say which way they were leaning but conceded that a lot depended on Dolan.
Mathewson supported the bill during the regular session while Gibbons voted against it because most of his St. Louis-area constituents voted against concealed weapons in a 1999 referendum. But he also is under pressure to vote with his party to override a Democratic governor.
Gibbons has said it would be easier for him if Dolan didn't show up, because then Gibbons could stand by his original vote without it affecting the outcome of the veto override attempt.
Mathewson said today that Dolan's presence "absolutely would have an effect" on the concealed weapons override but he declined to say how he would vote. "It takes 23 votes and I would say probably that he's the critical vote. I am surprised that he is here."
Gibbons also declined to say how he would vote but added that Dolan's arrival would have little impact on his decision.
"I have been so immersed in trying to sort this out that I have been outside the loop on the Dolan circus," Gibbons said. "Since this weekend from my wrestling with this issue, Jon's arrival or not became less of a factor. It's very difficult and very controversial and I have very definite thoughts about what we should do."
When asked about the potential effect his presence would have on Gibbons and Mathewson, Dolan said: "I thought it important that I return and speak for my constituency regardless of how they vote."
Dolan also plans to vote to override Holden's veto of a bill that would require a woman to wait 24-hours before having an abortion. The House voted to override the bill on Wednesday.
Dolan also will vote to override Holden's veto on a bill limiting liability lawsuits.
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