• Missouri Governor Mike Parson vetoes omnibus criminal justice bill.
• Governor’s decision to veto the bill based on proposed changes to the state’s expungement process.
• The bill had bipartisan support and is seen as a major setback to criminal justice reform efforts.
• The bill aimed to adjust who is qualified for the petition-based expungement process, a point of contention for the Governor.
The Controversial Veto
The recent veto of the omnibus criminal justice bill by Missouri Governor Mike Parson has sparked a significant wave of disappointment. The bill, boasting a bipartisan foundation and support, was seen as a major stride toward criminal justice reform in the state, which has now been derailed by this veto.
Parson’s reasoning behind the veto was, interestingly, a proposal nestled within the bill that aimed to amend the state’s petition-based expungement system. Expungement, for those new to the term, refers to the process of legally erasing criminal convictions from public records. The proposal’s goal was to clarify and potentially broaden the scope of individuals who qualify for this process.
Governor’s Grounds for Veto
Parson argues in his veto statement that the proposed adjustments could potentially have an unintended and/or unclear effect on the parameters set for qualification in the expungement process. The Governor expressed his concerns that these changes might result in ill-defined boundaries regarding who can benefit, opening the realm of uncertainty and potential loophole exploitation.
The Breezy Take
The Governor’s veto on the key piece of criminal justice reform legislation in Missouri evidently signifies a considerable setback. While Parson’s concerns aren’t without merit, dialogue and diligence could have been a more constructive approach. Instead, the veto halted progress in critical reform areas, particularly for a state with a renowned tough-on-crime stance. The unintended and/or unclear impacts cited could have been addressed by drafting clarifying amendments rather than derailing the whole reform train. This episode serves as a reminder that in the course of making laws, collaborative and productive discourse should always be the steering wheel.
Original article: https://missouriindependent.com/2023/08/10/governors-veto-shows-we-cant-settle-for-piecemeal-changes-to-missouri-expungement-process/