The party without the majority often has a rough time getting its agenda implemented in the Missouri House. That's because Democrats and Republicans are often driven to vote the party line on almost every issue or motion. And without votes in committee or on the floor, the party out of power is often out of luck.
House Democrats, for instance, have been stymied in their question to bolster the state's Medicaid program and Missouri's SCHIP program. Both measures have the support of Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon, who made restoration of the 2005 Medicaid cuts a singular issue in the 2005 governor's race.
But Nixon's power to veto bills could give Democrats in the House an extra boost. If Democrats got Nixon to publicly say, for instance, that he would veto a budget bill that doesn't contain an expansion to Medicaid, it could provide the House Democrats with more leverage to push their agenda.
I asked House Minority Leader Paul LeVota, D-Independence, whether his caucus wants Nixon to exercise the veto bill on budget legislation:
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