All in all, the view for the 2014 Legislative session is one of failure. When push came to shove, the ‘Pub leadership caved to the dems and unions. The influence of union money was obvious. Right-to-Work never got out of the chute and Paycheck Protection fared little better.

The ‘Pubs hold veto-proof majorities in the House and the Senate. They could, if they really wanted, push any bill through the Legislature and then override Nixon’s veto? Proof? They did just that for the Tax Cut Bill, SB509. But the rest? Once again, the team of Tom Dempsey (R-St. Charles) and Ron Richard (R-Joplin), controlling the Senate, betrayed the conservatives of Missouri.

Here’s a quick breakdown of some of the bills:

Tax Reform, SB509. Passed, veto overridden. The legislation will cut Missouri’s top individual income tax rate for the first time in almost 100 years and make the state the third to enact a special deduction for business income reported on personal tax returns. — ABC News.

COMMON CORE, HB1490. Passed, pending Nixon’s signature or veto. This bill requires the Missouri Department of Education to write new guidelines for student achievement standards for English, math, science and history. New goals would replace Common Core Standards being pushed by the US Department of Education. This bill did not block Common Core but does place a one-year moratorium while new standards are written.

“It’s a step in the right direction.” — Breitbart.

Pending Nixon’s signature or veto…

Abortion, HB1307. Extends the 24 hour waiting period for an abortion to 72 hours. This makes Missouri only the 3rd state, after Utah and North Dakota, to impose a 3-day waiting period. Read more here.

Early Voting, SB892. Allows early voting during the six working days prior to an election. The period is only for Monday through Friday of the prior week and the Monday before the election, during normal working hours and does NOT allow voting on the weekend.

In addition, “Lawmakers on May 5 granted final approval to legislation that would move Missouri’s future presidential primary elections from February to March starting in 2016. The bill, SB 892, passed 25-7 in the Senate and 101-47 in the House of the Representatives. The bill now awaits action by Gov. Jay Nixon.”

“The legislation was prompted by national Republican and Democratic party rules that prohibit all but certain states from holding their presidential primaries prior to March. Under SB 892, the Missouri’s 2016 presidential primary would take place on March 15. The primary would be held on Feb. 2, 2016, under existing law.” — Capitol Report.

Guns, SJ36 and SB656. SJR 36 passed 122-31 in the House of Representatives and 23-8 in the Senate. It is a Constitutional Amendment, that would, “declare the right to keep and bear arms to be ‘unalienable,’ meaning it is a universal right that isn’t subject to restriction. The measure also would repeal existing language that says the constitutional right to bear arms ‘shall not justify the wearing of concealed weapons.’ ” Because it goes before voters, it bypasses Gov. Jay Nixon and isn’t subject to veto.

SB656 Allows specially trained teachers and administrators to carry concealed weapons in public schools and lowers the age to get a concealed gun permit to 19 from 21.

Failed to pass…

Paper Ballots, SB623. “Establishes the paper ballot as the official ballot and requires audits before election certification” — Missouri Precinct Project Newsletter. Failed in committee.

Property Rights (Anti-Agenda 21),HB 1647. “Prohibits the state and political subdivisions from implementing policies affecting property rights and from entering into certain relationships with organizations” — Missouri Precinct Project Newsletter. Failed in committee.

Second Amendment Preservation Act, HB1439. A collection of individual bills to expand guns laws in Missouri, impose state regulation on the enforcement of federal acts and regulations deemed to violate the US 2nd Amendment and impose restrictions on employment for federal agents and employees who attempt to enforce Federal regulations that violate the 2nd Amendment. A poison-pill amendment was added that effectively killed the bill. The ‘Pub House conference committee added the poison-pill amendment and then blocked further action until the legislative session ended. Failed in committee.

Voter ID, HJR47. Asks voters to approve to a constitutional amendment allowing a requirement that voters show government-issued photo identification at the polls. Passed the House but not the Senate. HJR47. Failed in committee. — Missouri Precinct Project Newsletter.

Yes, there was one significant success in the passage of the Tax Cut bill. Overall, however, this legislative session must be viewed as a failure. With over whelming numbers, the ‘Pubs in the Legislature, with a few exceptions, showed once again they were spineless and ineffectual.