Legislators override veto on scholarship bill

The Missouri General Assembly voted decisively Wednesday night to override Gov. Jay Nixon's veto of a bill that would bar illegal residents from applying for A+ scholarships.

In the Senate, the 24-8 vote was along strict party lines. The House then concurred with a vote of 114-37 to override.

"We must override the governor's veto because it is the fiscally responsible thing to do," said Rep. Kevin Engler, R-Farmington.

Rep. Jeremy Lafaver, D-Kansas City, added an emotional edge to the debate by talking about the need to consider the worth of all children.

"If there is a child that for whatever reason comes into Missouri, we bring that child in, these are our kids it doesn't matter where they came from," Lafaver said.

The bill requires a student to be a citizen or permanent resident of the U.S to access the A+ Scholarship Program. The Senate's decision will bar students covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, namely college-aged individuals who were brought into the country illegally as young children.

The scholarship pays tuition costs for two years at a community college for those who meet GPA, attendance and tutoring or mentoring requirements.

Sens. Jill Schupp and Jason Holsman defended the merits of upholding the veto, claiming doing so would be a valuable investment in the state's future.

Schupp defended the merits of upholding the veto saying, "We have a generation of young people who we are telling we don't care."

"These are kids we've already invested in from kindergarten through high school, and now we're saying our support ends at higher education," Holsman said.

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