House Democratic Leader Paul LeVota said Nixon hasn't directly communicated with him about defending his veto. LeVota supports the governor's decision to veto the bill.
Wrap: House Minority Leader Paul LeVota slammed the bill, which includes a host of rules changes including campaign contribution limits for statewide office canidates.
Roorda and Democratic Floor Leader Paul LeVota, D-Independence, complained they weren't allowed to speak on the bill prior to the vote. During the debate, Richard refused to call on any Democrats to speak or offer amendments; some could be heard yelling in vain to be called on, and when Richard called for a vote, Rep. Steven Webber, D-Columbia, threw a stack of paper in the air in disgust.
In a raucous debate on the bill lasted just under an hour, Minority Leader Paul LeVota, D-Independence, was ruled out of time by the chair following a conversation with Rep. Jeff Roorda in which Roorda said Democrats were responsible for any ethics reform being passed.
But on the other side, the House Democratic leader, Paul LeVota, argued that the legislature's refusal to consider reducing tax credits was the reason Missouri can no longer pay for the programs that were cut.
House Party Whip Jeff Roorda, D-Barnhart, called the budget "morally out of balance," while House Democratic Leader Paul LeVota, D-Independence, said the House failed to consider ways to generate more revenue for the state.
Majority Leader Steve Tilley, R-Perryville, who sponsored a piece of ethics legislation this session, voted to send the bill back but said it will have enough time. During a heated discussion with Minority Floor Leader Paul LeVota of Independence, he challenged the Democrats' argument that this move would kill the bill.
House Minority Leader Paul LeVota, D-Jackson County, criticized Republicans for including these funds because of their initial reaction to Nixon's budget recommendation.
But few people attended. During a presentation by U.S. Rep. Blaine Leutkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth, state House Minority Leader Paul LeVota and other state and local officials, the audience consisted of fewer than 20 people.
The bill was expected to pass easily through both the House and Senate during last year's session, but Speaker Ron Richard unexpectedly derailed the House version last April after the Senate's quick passage. Richard's also been criticized by Rep. Paul LeVota, D-Jackson County, after failing to make the autism bill the first piece of legislation to be debated.
A tentative campaign finance bill agreement was unveiled that Republicans touted as an answer to the calls for ethics reform, but which Democrats criticized for being a shell.While imposing restrictions on fund transfers between political committees, the proposal would eliminate provisions that had been recommended by the House Ethics Committee and urged by the governor.The conference committee version strips from the bill limits on lobbyist gifts to legislators, limits on how muc..
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In Tuesday's election, Democrats lost the seats held by their retiring floor leader (Rep. Paul LeVota, D-Independence) and by their retiring assistant floor leader (Rep. J.C. Kuessner, D-Eminence). The party's House whip -- Rep. Jeff Roorda, D-Barnhart -- was defeated Tuesday for re-election.
In Tuesday's election, Democrats lost the seats held by their retiring floor leader (Rep. Paul LeVota, D-Independence) and by their retiring assistant floor leader (Rep. J.C. Kuessner, D-Eminence). The party's House whip -- Rep. Jeff Roorda, D-Barnhart -- was defeated Tuesday for re-election.
In Tuesday's election, Democrats lost the seats held by their retiring floor leader (Rep. Paul LeVota, D-Independence) and by their retiring assistant floor leader (Rep. J.C. Kuessner, D-Eminence). The party's House whip -- Rep. Jeff Roorda, D-Barnhart -- was defeated Tuesday for re-election.
Members including House Minority Leader Paul LeVota, D-Independence and Ethics Committee Chairman Kevin Wilson, R-Neosho, lamented the loss of provisions that appeared in previous versions of the ethics bill.