Department News GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS
Will the Legislative Floodgates Eventually Open? By David Kent, Senior Vice President
As I write this, the Missouri General Assembly has less than a month of session remaining and a lot of work yet to be done. It has been one step forward and two steps back for much of the year in the state Senate. Te upper chamber has struggled to find compromise on much of anything. Te remainder of session is sure to be interesting — lawmakers must approve the state budget by Friday, May 6, and a variety of contentious issues have yet to be discussed.
Approval of a congressional redistricting map was the first of many obstacles. Aſter weeks of backroom negotiations and many hours of floor debate, the Senate agreed to a version of the map that was overwhelmingly rejected by the House of Representatives (129-26). Negotiations are expected to continue in both chambers, but it is unknown whether the legislature will be able to agree on a new map before the courts are asked to step in.
Tis time each year, lobbyists begin asking the dreaded question: will the legislative floodgates eventually open? Te answer cuts both ways. Although the Senate — designed to be the more deliberative body — typically works at a slower pace than the House, it has been known to work at a furious pace in the last weeks of session and approve bills and amendments with little to no debate. Tis strikes fear in our hearts!
Right now, we have no idea how this session will end. Given the infighting among Republicans, every day of this session has been unpredictable. Conventional wisdom says that eventually the pace will pick up. Aſter all, legislators want their priorities to pass, too. But this year seems different than most. Only time will tell.
MBA-supported legislation to create a specific penalty provision for ATM “smash-and-grab” crimes remains in good position to reach the governor’s desk. Te House approved the measure and sent it to the Senate on April 4. MBA continues working on the state-level ECORA bill, which faced broad opposition from various groups at the beginning of the year. We expect the bill will get a hearing in the remaining weeks, and we will continue educating lawmakers on the importance of the bill to the ag producers and rural communities. MBA also is supporting several other bills, including measures that: • reform banking statutes • prohibit local governments from implementing eviction moratoriums
• allow the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to share medical marijuana licensee information with financial institutions
Te state legislative session concludes Friday, May 13.
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