House Votes To Override Pence Vetoes

The House voted to overrule Mike Pence’s last vetoes as governor.

Lawmakers last session approved a bill to delay any new state environmental regulations that are stricter than federal rules, except in emergencies. Pence vetoed that measure last year.

But now, House lawmakers voted 65 to 29 to override that veto.

House Speaker Rep. Brian Bosma (R-Indianapolis) acknowledges thinking about the optics of overriding the veto of the now-sitting vice president, but says it’s a matter of timing.

“We had different circumstances when that bill was vetoed,” Bosma says. “We’d just discovered that there were serious lead issues in some of our elementary schools here in Indiana.”

House Minority Leader Rep. Scott Pelath (R-Michigan City) says he doesn’t know why the regulatory freeze is necessary.

“Look, under a Republican governor, I don’t know what fears they have of this regulatory overreach,” Pelath says.

The House also voted to override a second veto – a measure creating greater transparency of private university police records – by a vote of 93-2.

Senate President Pro Tem Sen. David Long (R-Fort Wayne) says he expects his chamber to override the vetoes early next week.