Senate Bill 79, which was vetoed by Governor Kelly, directed the Secretary for Children and Families to request a waiver from the U. S. Department of Agriculture to exclude candy and soft drinks from the definition of eligible foods for the food assistance program, SNAP. The Senate voted to override the veto 29 to 11, but the House did not vote on it so the veto was sustained.
Senator Caryn Tyson says she voted for the legislation and for the override. It didn’t stop people from purchasing these items. You just would not have been able to use taxpayer funded SNAP money to buy those products. It was reported before the veto override the governor’s office had sent a letter requesting the waiver and then withdrew it before she vetoed the bill.
One veto that did get an override was Senate Bill 14 that stated there could be a time when the budget is used as leverage to force legislators’ hands. SB 14 would put the previous year’s budget in place if there is a year that a budget doesn’t pass, preventing a government shutdown. It passed the Senate 31 to 9 and the House 85 to 39.
