JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- There will be a different atmosphere at the Capitol when lawmakers return for their annual veto session on Wednesday -- the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Lawmakers plan to open the veto session shortly before noon, then recess to attend a memorial service on the steps of the Capitol in honor of the Sept. 11 victims.

A year ago, lawmakers went ahead and met in special session on the day of the attacks while information about the true magnitude of events was still unfolding.

This year, their veto session also is expected to produce a certain amount of sentimentality for many lawmakers -- partly because of the anniversary ceremonies and partly because it will be the final farewell before many are forced out by term limits.

Seven vetoes

Gov. Bob Holden vetoed seven pieces of legislation in July that lawmakers can either accept or reject, plus portions of three budget bills. The sponsors of those bills have said they do not intend to challenge the vetoes.

Only seven governors have had vetoes overridden since statehood, with the last coming in 1999 when lawmakers overrode Gov. Mel Carnahan's veto of a ban on certain late-term abortions.

Sen. Harry Wiggins says he has no plans to challenge Holden's veto of one of his bills, but rather will be focusing on the Sept. 11 memorial and his final days on the job after 28 years.

"There will be a subdued tone of reverence and in memory of the dead and afflicted and there also will be a patriotic tone of love and support for our country," said Wiggins, D-Kansas City.

Rep. Bill Ransdall, D-Waynesville, said the mood at the Capitol may also prevent members of the House who are running for the state Senate from being overtly political.

"I don't think you'll see much of that because of the mood and time. I think it will be a sober, solemn time for reflection," Ransdall said.

Some peripheral issues also could surface this week related to Holden's accidental signing of two bills he later vetoed, a Senate resolution to change the configuration of chamber desks and a proposal to install a second $16,000 electronic security door at the Capitol.

Probably uneventful

But lawmakers don't expect fireworks.

"This session will probably be non-eventful to say the least," said Rep. Carson Ross, R-Blue Springs, who also had a bill vetoed by Holden.

Farewell speeches are expected to abound in the legislature on Thursday, even though time was set aside during the legislative session earlier this year for such things.

Ransdall, who is eligible for one more House term, said he understands the need for longtime lawmakers to make one final stand on the chamber floors.

"With half of the members leaving, it's an emotional time for people who have been there for a long time. I think those people will be very serious," Ransdall said.

Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder agreed.

"It will be a nostalgic time for those departing and it's a new era," Kinder said. "There will be an awful lot of longing glances, people leaving chamber for the last time."

Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau, also theorized that the Sept. 11 attacks gave lawmakers the impetus to spend more time working together.

"I think that ever since that fateful morning last September, we've been more unified and less prone to emphasize party differences," said Kinder, once-known as his party's pit bull. "After that morning, it seemed to me that Republican and Democratic differences were muted."