A top business priority for Missouri Republicans is heading to Gov. Jay Nixon's desk, but the measure did not get the number of votes needed to override a potential veto.
The Missouri House on Tuesday gave final approval to a measure that would cut unemployment benefits to as low as 13 weeks from the current 20 weeks. The measure passed 88-68, well short of the 109 needed to override a gubernatorial veto.
Nixon vetoed a similar measure last year, and an override attempt fell short by just two votes in the House after succeeding in the Senate.
This year, some Republican House members withdrew support of the bill after the Senate made it harder to collect benefits by including severance pay as wages for the purposes of unemployment aid eligibility.