Missouri’s 99th General Assembly begins session

The 2017 Missouri Legislative Session got underway Wednesday.

First day events are mostly ceremonial, but state lawmakers did bring up goals for the legislative session.

Those, as expected, included right-to-work and ethics reform. Passing a right-to-work bill is one of the top agenda items for the 99th General Assembly.

The so-called right-to-work bill would ban mandatory union fees, among other provisions.

Republicans are pushing right-to-work because they say it gives workers the right to accept a job without having to pay union fees they wouldn’t want to pay. They also believe it makes businesses in Missouri more desirable, which improves the business climate in Missouri and creates jobs.

Democrats strongly oppose it, saying it makes it harder for workers to take part in collective bargaining or unions against their employees.

A right-to-work measure made it through the General Assembly in May 2015, but was vetoed by Gov. Jay Nixon. Efforts to override the veto failed in the House during the subsequent veto session. With a Republican governor replacing outgoing Democrat Nixon, along with a Republican super majority, right-to-work legislation seems poised to become law.

Ethics reform is another topic to be discussed and debated during the upcoming session. Lawmakers failed to pass a ban on lobbyist gifts in the 2016 session but House Speaker Todd Richardson has declared ethics reform one of his main goals this year. In fact, he hit the ground running on the legislation Wednesday, making it a key point in his speech after he was re-elected Speaker of the House.

He said he wants to fulfill a commitment to lobbyist gift ban and said Wednesday that a lobbyist gift ban bill would be the “first bill that will leave this House.”

Richardson also said he will be referring right-to-work to committee as soon as tomorrow and will ask the Economic Development chairwoman to get the bill on the house floor.

Gov.-elect Eric Greitens has also declared banning all lobbyist gifts a priority. Because of the state’s unlimited lobbying-to-lawmaker gift policy, the Missouri General Assembly has earned the nickname of the “Million Dollar Legislature.”

Campaign finance was addressed by voters last November, when Missourians voted overwhelmingly to limit campaign contributions. Amendment 2 is the subject of a First Amendment lawsuit filed in December on behalf of Legends Bank and Missouri Electric Cooperatives.

Gov. Nixon was barred by terms limits from seeking re-election. His Republican predecessor takes office Jan. 9.