Governor calls for shorter legislative session
Governor Jay Nixon is calling for a shorter legislative session, suggesting it may help lawmakers stay out of trouble.
Gov. Nixon’s remarks come after recent resignations of the Speaker of the House and a state senator over allegations of improper conduct.
The Governor was speaking to a school administrator’s conference in Columbia Tuesday on the importance of education.
He started talking about ethics reform after Democrat state Senator Paul LeVota resigned just last week, and the resignation of the Republican Speaker of the House, John Diehl at the end of last session.
His wishes for a shorter session aren’t just focused on lawmakers’ behavior, but also on unlimited lobbyist gifts, unlimited campaign contributions, and the ability for lawmakers to become lobbyists immediately after leaving office.
The Governor knows he cannot shorten the session himself, and said he respects the powers of the legislature, but said a shorter session will help in other ways, too.
“I just think we can be more efficient in what we do, and I think that that will yield some benefits on getting them back to their communities more, be more involved there. That will let them get back to their day jobs a little bit more and give us a more direct read on the positions and the policies of our state,” said Nixon.
The idea was also pitched by a Republican Senator.
Former state Senator John Lamping of Ladue proposed a constitutional amendment to have the session end in mid-March instead of mid-May. He did that in 2013 and 2014, but both times the measure didn’t move.
