JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri’s legislature returned to session this week following spring break, and both chambers pushed forward with several items of a contentious nature.
In the House…
The most notable thing to take place in the Missouri House of Representatives this week happened off the House floor. The budget committee spent more than six hours finalizing the budget markup, finally approving all of the appropriation bills and sending them on to the House floor for debate next week. Republicans have repeatedly touted the fact that this budget would fully fund the state’s K-12 education foundation formula. Democrats point to the fact that the formula was decreased last year, making it easier to fully fund it. The committee’s finalized budget does restore some cuts to higher education.
The House also managed to perfect Rep. Holly Rehder’s on Wednesday evening. Rehder has long sought to establish a prescription drug monitoring plan (PDMP) in the Show-Me State, the only state in the union without one at this time.
Rehder fends off most changes to PDMP bill as House perfects
The House also passed REAL ID, a bill that seeks to bring Missouri into compliance with the federal identification standards created in 2005. The state has until January of the next year to begin implementing the standard. If they do not, Missourians would only be able to fly or enter a military base with a passport, not their state-issued identification.
Continuing their push for labor reform, House Republicans managed to eliminate the prevailing wage, which requires schools and government to pay the prevailing wage rate, typically much higher than the labor market’s rate.
The House also pushed through HB 174, which protects the rights of organizations that offer alternatives to abortion. The bill upholds protections guaranteed by both the state and federal Constitutions and prohibits a city from banning or regulating a pregnancy resource center and discriminating against the center in a manner different than similar organizations.
In the Senate…
The Senate’s work this week has been widely spent on utility legislation. Sen. Ed Emery’s SB 190 was brought up twice for perfection and tabled on the informal calendar both times.
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.
