September 15, 2005
Governor’s Column
By Governor Matt Blunt
Special Session
The first session of the 93rd General Assembly was truly an historic session. The General Assembly answered my call to create a new era in state government that makes education a top priority, promotes quality job growth and improves government services while reducing its size.
While the session was productive, it was not complete. I support the right to life of unborn children. I always have, and always will. In my view, when we have the ability to enact new pro-life laws, it is morally imperative that we do so.
Because of my unwavering and fervent belief in the sanctity of human life, I called a special session to enact legislation that will reduce the number of abortions and protect innocent human life in our state. I commend the legislature for passing this needed bill and looked forward to signing it into law.
In addition, the General Assembly passed a variety of bills aimed at combating underage drinking and drunk driving. Provisions in the bills included stricter penalties to act as deterrents, heightened consequences for repeat offenders and more appropriate punishment when someone under the influence of alcohol does real harm to a Missouri family. The special session was also an opportunity to correct conflicting language passed as a part of these important crime bills.
Another valuable part of special session allowed members of the General Assembly to correct a drafting error in the bill that improved our state’s workers’ compensation system. I was disappointed that partisan politics kept that correction from immediately taking effect.
I appreciated that Democratic legislators, in a bipartisan spirit, joined in support of the special session with a request to fix conflicting language in child abuse legislation. I honored their request and amended the call for special session.
The special session was good for Missouri because it produced legislation that protects innocent human life, provides law enforcement officials with more resources to combat underage drinking and drunk driving, and protects Missouri’s most valuable possession, our children.