Missouri Senate Republicans pass special session rules with pushback from Democrats
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Missouri Senate started the next step to passing initiative petition reform and Gov. Mike Kehoe's Missouri "First Map" on Wednesday after the House of Representatives gave its stamp of approval.
The Senate passed new rules for the special session, but not without pushback and discussion from the Democrats.
Many senators saw the new rules right before the veto session started and weren't given enough time to review the changes.
Sen. Stephen Webber (D-Columbia) noticed the key difference between the new and old rules was the order in which the Senate will conduct business. The new rules focus on House bills. According to the rules obtained by ABC 17 News, the first order of business is messages from the House and right after that are readings of House bills.
There are three more items the Senate would have to get through before lawmakers will hear resolutions, and another three items before the Senate hears its own bills, according to the new rules.
Webber said he wanted to introduce a resolution that would remove a sales tax on groceries, and he stated the resolution, and proposed bill he drafted, may never see the light of day.
"My plan is to file that today and my plan is to try to take something out of this special session and give it to the working people of this state," Webber said. "There is no guarantee that I will have an opportunity to write off a tax cut to working families under there rules."
Once the Senate voted and passed the new rules, the discussion turned to the bills the House sent over Tuesday. Democrats stalled long enough for the Senate to call it a night. The Senate will gavel in tomorrow at 9 a.m. and begin committee work at 10 a.m.
Democrats held a press conference Wednesday morning and the party won't be backing down even though they're out weighed by Republicans.
"I have clothes for a couple weeks," Sen. Doug Beck (D-St. Louis County) said. "We're ready for a fight."
