JEFFERSON CITY - Gov. Jay Nixon could not be hired at the University of Missouri under a passed Senate measure.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia, would prohibit any member of the University of Missouri board of curators from hiring the individual that appointed them to the board.

In addition, any curator that violated the measure and voted to hire the governor that appointed them would immediately forfeit their position.

Schaefer said that the measure was in no way directed at Gov. Nixon after the measure passed through the chamber Thursday, Feb. 26.

"It's directed at any governor who puts the majority of members on that board to make sure that those curators are not pressured to then put whatever governor that put them on the board in the position of president or other position at the univeristy," Schaefer said.

The senator also said that the curators should not be pressured to do favors for those that appointed them.

"Those are very high-paying positions, they're very sought after," Schaefer said. "Curators should be free to make the decision without pressure from the governor that put them there."

The bill received overwhelming support in the Senate chamber, and passed by a vote of 30-2.

One of the two that voted against the measure was Sen. Jason Holsman, D-Kansas City, who said that the legislature shouldn't bind the curators to make a decision on who should be hired by the university.

"[The curators] are professional people," Holsman said. "We should trust them to make what's the best decision for the state. If the governor is the best person for that job, then they should be free to make that decision. If he's not, then they should be free to make another decision."

The measure will now move to the House of Representatives to be debated.