JEFFERSON CITY, Mo – Democrats in the Senate have an uphill battle on legislative issues. A veto-proof majority for Republicans dominates the upper chamber, and when the most partisan issues rear their heads, the filibuster becomes one of the few avenues left to the minority party.
Sen. Scott Sifton, D-St. Louis, says the body works well across the aisle, but that his party still has lines drawn in the sand.
“I think if something like Right-to-Work comes before this body, you’re going to see an all-out filibuster from my Democratic colleagues,” Sifton said. “I’m not sure there’s a watered-down version on any of the big three labor issues that I’ve seen yet that’s acceptable.”
The “big three” labor issues for Sifton are Right-to-Work, Paycheck Protection, and Prevailing Wage. Last year, Sifton joined fellow St. Louis-area Democrat Sen. Gina Walsh to filibuster a prevailing wage bill. Sifton says there might be an acceptable compromise on prevailing wage, but he hasn’t seen it yet.
“If there is a revision that I think protects worker safety and wages, then that’s something that ought to be visited in the legislative process,” Sifton said.
While Senate Pro Tem Tom Dempsey, R-St. Charles, says Right-to-Work is not a priority, Sifton said all legislative issues will ratchet up after spring break, including labor legislation.
Sifton, an attorney and a partner at the powerful Husch Blackwell firm, has become exceedingly popular on both sides of the aisle as principled, moderate, and honest. He worked closely with Republicans and fellow Democrats since last summer to help craft the massive school transfer fix that moved through the chamber last week.
Sifton and other St. Louis-area lawmakers began working almost immediately after the state Supreme Court decision last summer that sparked an exodus of thousands of students out of failing schools. Sifton’s district encompasses Mehlville and Kirkwood school districts, two districts receiving hundreds of students from unaccredited schools.
“No district should see their class sizes explode,” Sifton said. “We aren’t doing the students much good if we send them from an unaccredited school to an overcrowded one.
We need a fix that includes lots of solutions and possibilities. This is an issue that will literally impact hundreds of thousands of students across Missouri for decades to come, and I’m tremendously proud of the work myself and my colleagues did to help ease this problem.”
Sifton says the school transfer issue was so critical that the upper chamber moved with uncharacteristic speed and fluidity in crafting legislative language.
“There were three or four main points of disagreement, but everyone rolled up their sleeves to come to an agreement,” Sifton said. “Timing meant that we couldn’t let perfect be the enemy of the good.”
Sifton, a former House member, says the lower chamber is “more volatile,” and harder to predict, but that he thinks they will mirror the Senate’s speed on school transfer bills.
In two years in the Senate, Sifton has made friends on both sides of the aisle and deftly navigated controversial issues like tort reform, tax cuts, and Medicaid expansion.
“Even if you don’t agree with him on every issue, [Sifton] is thoughtful, respectful, knowledgeable and, diligent,” Sen. Bob Dixon, R-Springfield, said. “Time and time again he’s been a pleasure to work with. He’s a scholar and a senator. He’s exactly what a senator should be.”
Dixon says Sifton is one of the best senators to negotiate with because he’s “open and well versed in the issues.” Well-liked with his own party as well as Republicans, it’s no surprise that speculation is already abound about the young attorney’s political future.
“My district has changed hands twice in three election cycles,” Sifton said. “In my district, I can’t afford to ignore or exclude any voice or position. Right now, as a senator, I’m 100 percent focused on my district and doing what is best for everyone, not just the people who voted for me. Whether or not I have a future outside of this chamber is up to different voters on a different day.”
Sifton, who won by about 800 votes in an election with more than 90,000 votes cast, cannot afford to be a partisan firebrand, which is good because that’s not who he is.
“This is the only legislative body in the country that doesn’t have partisan seating,” Sifton said. “We aren’t divided by an aisle, we sit intermingled together. I think that’s largely representative of who we are and who I am. Lots of issues aren’t about party, but about individual positions, and you can’t afford to completely exclude anyone if you want to have success.”
Collin Reischman was the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
