Missouri Legislative session ends, but lawmakers may be back soon to go over budget issues

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Friday night marked the end of a shortened legislative session at the Missouri State Capitol. Lawmakers lost out on six weeks because of COVID-19.

In a press conference, Speaker of the House Elijah Haahr said House Republicans were pleased with the work that was able to get done during these extraordinary circumstances.

"I think it's an incredibly successful session," Haahr said. "Particularly when you lose six weeks of legislative session and also you add a new element that we were trying to work on legislation in response to the COVID-19 crisis."

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade said the body lost focus of the current crisis at hand - the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the bills passed was a "no-excuse" mail-in ballot system. The bill would allow for mail-in ballots for those who are sick or worried about contracting the virus.

While the session ended Friday, lawmakers may soon be back in the capitol to go over the budget, as both sides of the aisle said it was a challenge.

Haahr said while he was proud of the work the budget committee put into the budget, pushing back the tax deadline created issues projecting what revenue will look like.

Minority Chair of the Budget Committee Kip Kendrick said the situation was dire. If the state does not receive more federal funding, he said the budget is out of balance.

"States are going to need additional funding to get through this," Kendrick said. "Without additional funding, we'll be in a much more severe recession or depression."

Kendrick got heated when asked about some Missouri Republican lawmakers writing a letter to Congress asking them not to "bail-out" states.

"That is not based in any reality," Kendrick said. "The reality is if we don't get that financial assistance we are going to be in a tremendous, tremendous word of hurt in that state. We will cut K-12 education, higher education, health care, and employees."

Gov. Mike Parson said Thursday that there would likely be more withholds and cuts from the budget. Parson said if the state does not receive federal funding, there will be even more.

"People need to be prepared that there is going to be a lot of things that need to happen in the state of Missouri to balance the budget and as governor i'm going to do it."

There is no set date for a special session now, but Quade said it could happen in the next few weeks.