JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri legislature returned once again to the State Capitol this week for another extraordinary session, this time for the controversial topic of abortion.
Coming back in for session on Monday afternoon, the Missouri Senate took the first swings in the chambers, but Rep. Mike Moon stole the headlines with his pre-session video, in which he got to “the heart of the matter” while butchering a chicken.
Anti-abortion lawmaker Moon beheads chicken ahead of special session
As for the Senate, the session began much in the same way as the previous extraordinary session did: with senators calling out Gov. Eric Greitens’ motives and tactics. Several senators put forward bills for consideration in the mission to address abortion laws in the state, but also noteworthy was the resolution filed by Sen. Jason Holsman, which sought to increase the legislative session to 180 days.
Second special session begins in Senate with questions of Greitens’ motives
Senators weren’t done lashing back at the governor, however. A group of senators, comprised of Rob Schaaf, Doug Libla, Ryan Silvey, Bob Dixon, Jason Holsman, and Scott Sifton, filed a resolution calling for a formal investigation into Greitens’ for the “questionable activity” between himself and the political nonprofit, A New Missouri Inc.
“We can no longer turn a blind eye to the unprecedented games being played by Gov. Greitens’ and his political machine, especially in light of this consent agreement with the Missouri Ethics Commission,” Sen. Ryan Silvey, R-Kansas City, said in a statement. “You can’t ignore possible unethical behavior by the governor or his campaign, just because you share the same party label. Missourians deserve to know what happened, and it’s the duty of the Senate to find out.”
Parker Briden, a spokesman for the governor, said in an email that the call for an investigation was a “temper tantrum.”
“We put out a call for a special session to protect lives and the health and safety of Missourians, and this is the response from these politicians? They’re angry that the Governor is shaking up Jefferson City and won’t accept their excuses for failure any longer,” Briden said. “Temper tantrums from career politicians don’t bother us. It’s just more evidence that Gov. Greitens is an outsider who is doing what he said he would do: taking on politicians in both parties to get results.
“When career politicians are whining, Missourians are winning.”
Bipartisan group of senators request formal investigation of Gov. Greitens
The Senate committee got to business on the abortion bills on Tuesday, despite the calls against Greitens and the special session. The Senate Seniors, Families and Children Committee, chaired by Sen. David Sater, heard three bills over the course of five hours. In the end, all three of the bills passed out of the committee along party lines, 4-2.
Senate committee passes abortion bills; action on floor set for Wednesday
With three bills ready for action on the Senate floor, Gov. Greitens held a rally at the Capitol on Wednesday. The Senate, however, spent the day trying to work on a compromise Democrats would not filibuster on the floor. Scheduled to gavel in at 9 a.m., the senators did not take to the floor until after 7 p.m., where they began working on SB 5, a bill sponsored by Sen. Andrew Koenig, which would grant the attorney general’s office original jurisdiction over abortion law violations.
The senators worked the bill to incorporate Sen. Bob Dixon’s measure that would overrule and invalidate the St. Louis “abortion sanctuary city” ordinance and also included most provisions from Sen. Bob Onder’s bill that would change regulations on fetal tissue reports to the Department of Health and Senior Services, require annual on-site inspections of abortion clinics and mandate a written policy by abortion clinics for whistleblowers.
Meanwhile, the House Children and Families Committee also worked on their own bills for nearly seven hours, eventually signing off on two bills.
Long day (and night) in Senate leads to compromise on abortion bills
The Senate is not scheduled to return until June 22 as of now, while the House is set to begin their work in earnest next Monday.
Benjamin Peters was a reporter for The Missouri Times and Missouri Times Magazine and also produced the #MoLeg Podcast. He joined The Missouri Times in 2016 after working as a sports editor and TV news producer in mid-Missouri. Benjamin is a graduate of Missouri State University in Springfield.
