The Limits of the Governor's Control over Issues before an Extraordinary Legislative Session

Abstract

Can the governor remove issues from his proclamation convening a special session of the General Assembly after the legislature has convened? A preliminary analysis of the structure and case law of the Missouri and other state constitutions lead to the conclusion that the governor may not remove subjects from his call to convene the general assembly once they have begun meeting. A Missouri governor may make suggestions or other recommendations, such as recommending that the legislature drop an issue from consideration, but the General Assembly is not required as a matter of law to heed such a recommendation.