MO governor vetoed a measure requiring marketplace navigator background checks

Navigators help enrollees through their insurance benefits application processes during the open enrollment period, and lawmakers in Missouri recently tried to pass legislation requiring all marketplace enrollment aids to undergo background checks. However, The Associated Press reported Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed the measure, claiming there was an error in the legislation.

The AP reported many states with Republicans making up the majority of their legislatures have approved bills restricting who can become navigators. However, Nixon said he could not approve the law – which is called the Navigator Background Check Act  – because there were issues with the legislation it was based on. According to the AP, Missouri copied its bill from one created by conservative organization the American Legislative Exchange Council. The issue stems from the federal law the ALEC based its own legislation on – one meant for alcohol abuse and prevention, which Nixon noted isn’t the appropriate reference. 

In Nixon’s veto message, he said, “While some may believe that such an error is ‘close enough’ for a model act, it cannot be allowed to become the law of this State. Particularly in an area of the law that is the subject of ongoing litigation, a glaring defect such as this cannot simply be ignored. Accordingly, this measure does not receive my approval.”

According to the Wisconsin Gazette, ALEC is a group the creates and disperses conservative measures that can be used as model bills.