Gov. Nixon takes action on remaining bills from 2016 session

Governor Jay Nixon has taken action on the last several bills from the 2016 legislative session, signing four and allowing three to become law without his signature.

The bills Nixon signed include:

House Bill 1559, designating July 1 as “Lucile Bluford Day” in Missouri. The bill will take effect next year. Bluford was a journalist and civil rights activist who participated in the effort to end segregation at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. House Bill 1577, establishing the Joint Committee on Capitol Security House Bill 1862, clarifying the state’s existing landlord-tenant law Senate Bill 702, clarifying when a taxicab driver is or isn’t considered an employee of the company leasing the cab to the driver or dispatching and referring rider service to the driver

The bills Nixon allowed to become law without signing include:

Senate Bill 607, requiring the Department of Social Services to enter a contract to get eligibility verification for certain public benefits. Senate Bills 613 and 700, allowing fire protection associations to apply for state grants to cover workers’ compensation premiums

In all, Nixon signed 115 bills from the 2016 session, including 16 budget bills. He also vetoed 23 bills and parts of two budget bills.