Lawmaker said distractions related to governor could delay budget

Columbia Rep. Kip Kendrick said there could be delays while the budget is in the hands of the Senate and in return add more pressure on the House.

Kendrick said there will be an attempt to move forward with business as usual but then said all that is going on is not business as usual but more of a unique (set of) circumstances.

Kendrick said he and other legislators are concerned that continuing to place bills on the governor’s desk will give the governor additional leverage.

With the new allegations that came out Tuesday that Attorney General Josh Hawley released, Kendrick said it shows the very real potential for abuse of power.

“We have a lot of individuals terming out of the House and I’m not saying there’d be a quid pro quo or anybody could be corrupted on the House side but it would be giving the governor a lot of leverage the more bills you send to his desk this session,” Kendrick said.

Kendrick called for Gov. Eric Greitens’ resignation and said the House should move forward with the impeachment process, especially with all the findings in the report they’ve received.