UPDATE: “Village law” held up by Jetton over apology
State Sen. John Grieseheimer, R-Washington, told county officials gathering in Jefferson City today that the repeal of the controversial “village law” is being held up because Speaker of the House Rod Jetton wants an apology from a House member who has criticized Jetton’s role in creating the law.
County commissioners are angry over the law, passed as part of an omnibus Senate bill last legislative session, because it allows a large landowner to create his or her own “village” and thus bypass county zoning laws. Southwest Missouri developer Robert Plaster is trying to use the law to create a village on Table Rock Lake. County officials have in the past stymied his attempts to create a large development on the 500-acre parcel.
The representative from that area, Dennis Wood, R-Kimberling City, has been critical of Jetton’s role in inserting the village law language into a House substitute bill.
Griesheimer said today that Jetton “wants an apology” from Woods for being critical of Jetton. He said he thought lawmakers were close to a compromise that would allow the House to give a hearing to a Senate bill sponsored by Sen. Jack Goodman, R-Mount Vernon. That bill passed quickly this session but hasn’t been given a hearing in the House. But then another newspaper article about the village law appeared, this one in a Branson paper, and Griesheimer said that was like “pouring more gas on the fire” of the issue.
Griesheimer supports Goodman’s bill. A developer in Franklin County where he lives has applied to create a village under the auspices of the new law. Griesheimer said he is “weighing” sitting on House legislation that must make its way through the Senate to try to force Jetton’s hand.
“I’m weighing that,” he said. “I don’t know. I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to use the nuclear option. … We’re looking for a diplomatic way out of this.”
UPDATE: Goodman’s bill, SB765, was referred to the House local government committee last Thursday. The committee has not been scheduled for a hearing.
Funny…I’m still waiting for an apology from Jetton for sneaking the “village law” into legislation in the first place. I won’t hold my breath, as from experience of waiting for Jetton to apologize for his juvenile behavior when heckling the governor during the State of the State speech.
I hope Mr. Plaster is moving with all deliberate speed in setting up his village. I think it would be tough for the state to taketh away what it has already given him in Mr. Jetton’s fine piece of work last session. This is what’s wrong with the republican agenda, even at the state level. When you accommodate one millionaire at Table Rock, pretty soon the one in Franklin County is going to start sniffing around.
The apology Rod is waiting on is from Wood for claiming that he sneaked this amendment into the bill late at night. this amendment was in the bill at least a month prior to the last day of session. It was in the committee substitute, in the perfected bill and in the truly agreed to version. There was no sneaking involved. A good quote I heard was it is not like Rod slipping through the halls at night in a long coat, fake mustache and hat and slipped it into the bill. It was there and Wood obviously didn’t bother to read it. When confronted by his people he makes up a story that the Speaker slipped it in.
I think that warrants an apology!
Rod Jetton has no intention of of letting this bill get a house floor vote. Rod will stop it because his ’sugar daddy’ hasn’t yet set up his villiage. Rod has to have somepleace to hunt and live when he is out of office. This bill will not receive a vote unless of course a Senate stunt forces Rod’s hand.
Rod Jetton = Mediocrity
I find it very interesting that Rep. Jetton is now being accused of something that he accused Rep. Lipke of doing. That is sneaking something into a bill that eventually became law. The only difference is that when Lipke did it, he notified Jetton’s office, the govenor, and others. He did not sneak anything into the bill that he promoted. Instead of supporting Lipke, Jetton has made life difficult for Lipke by stripping him of his committee chairmanship and not allowing his
(Lipke’s proposed legislation) to be voted on by the House. I believe that Jetton should apologize to Lipke.
IT WAS NOT SNEAKED INTO THE BILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it was in the damn bill for over a month, through the committe, through perfection and TAFP and yet no one noticed until after the bill was signed and the Man of Steel Dennis Wood sold out the Speaker because he didn’t want to admit he never read the bill before he voted to pass the thing.
I feel I must repond to rockslide. This village law absolutely was sneaked into the bill. Jetton put it into the bill and then called absolutely no attention to it after doing so. Normal operating procedures would have been for him to announce the ammendments inclusion and have a discussion on it. The ammendment may have lingered in the bill for a time, but it was hidden in plane sight in a huge bill that was being voted on at teh end of the session. Legislators rely on transparency of their colleagues when voting on legislation. As a courtesy at least, they are typically kept in the loop so that all can make fully informed decissions. Jetton knew that and preyed upon it to slip his little payback to Robert Plaster into Missouri Law.