{ legislative & regulatory }
An abrupt, frustrating end T
by KATIE REICHARD
he 2015 Legislative Session came to an abrupt and dramatic end On May 15, decorated with a filibuster, an “in case of emergen-
cies” tool seldom used and good ol’ fashioned scandal. While I won’t even discuss the undoing of the Speaker of the House, I will introduce you to the world of politics and the quickest way to make it stop working.
First, a few poli-sci defini- tions for those who’ve forgotten or never knew: Filibuster—an effort to prevent action in a legislature by making a long speech or series of speeches; Previous Ques- tion, or PQ—a motion to put the pending question to an immediate vote without further debate; and Frustration—the act
of preventing the success of something.
Now that everyone is up to speed on these important terms, allow me to paint the picture as to how the bills we raised from inception and pampered for four long months managed to fail, for some, yet again, and in a matter of only a few days. While a good lobbyist knows to never be married to their legislation, I had high hopes for my first session with the MDA. In less than a week, those high hopes quickly turned from opti- mism—to frustration (see above).
As I’ve mentioned in previous issues of the Focus, this year’s budget was the primary at- tention once the General Assembly got back from legislative Spring Break. They worked diligently, for hours on end, and came up with something they thought would be palat- able for Governor Nixon: they were right. He signed the budget only a few weeks after
14 focus | MAY/JUN 2015 | ISSUE 3
cording to the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation’s website, 25 states have adopted it as law). Republicans have histori- cally supported it, Democrats have consis- tently opposed it, but it needs to be said that not EVERY party member agrees with their colleagues on this hot-button issue. The Fri- day before the last week of session, whispers started in the hallways of the Capitol that right to work would be brought up for a vote the following and final week of session.
Almost as soon as the bill was brought up for debate, the Democrats began their filibuster (see above). Each member spoke of their heavily unionized districts, and how many of them would be impacted by this legisla- tion. Some told jokes to pass the time, others, like Sen. Gina Walsh, spoke of their positive experiences within their own unions. This went on for nearly nine hours.
they sent it to him, and included limited adult dental benefits and a 3-percent provider increase (more on that later) within it. With the budgetary discussions and issues behind them, the legislators were able to focus on more important and pressing matters, it would seem, like right to work.
Right to work has consistently been a contentious issue within Missouri’s General Assembly, as it has been with other states (ac-
At some point during this filibuster, Senate leadership decided the only way to quiet the Democrats, and simultaneously move the bill forward, was to PQ it (again, see above). Once a member moves for the previous ques- tion, all other debate on the bill halts, and the vote begins almost immediately. The Senate passed the bill onto the House that very day, and the House subsequently sent the bill on to Governor Nixon for him to either sign or veto the measure (he has since vetoed it, as predicted).
This move, most likely seen by outsiders as “no big deal”, is actually a HUGE deal in the Senate. Since 1821, the PQ has been used only 13 other times prior to last week. The argument is that it prevents construc- tive debate on contentious issues, which is a sizeable piece of the democratic foundation on which we
stand. To halt the debate and bring to a vote the bill that everyone knew would be vetoed by the Governor seemed fruitless. And in a sense, it was.
As soon as the bill left the Senate, Senate Democrats vowed to stall on every single measure that was brought forward. They made good on that promise. Only one other bill made it out of the Senate after that filibuster, and rumor has it they only allowed its passage so that Governor Nixon wouldn’t call a special session. I would be lying if I said this wasn’t the strangest session I have ever witnessed, but with term limits being what they are, I have a feeling we haven’t seen the last of the drama.
Politics aside, I have enjoyed my first of what I hope to be many sessions with the MDA. During the interim, I will work with those charged with developing the MDA’s policy,
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40