Missouri Senate ends filibuster over congressional redistricting proposals
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Missouri Senate ended a filibuster early Wednesday morning, after over 30 hours.
State senators started talking around 6 p.m. on Monday about the proposals to redraw Missouri's eight U.S. Congressional districts.
The map passed out of the Republican-led Missouri House of Representatives has six Republican-leaning districts and two Democratic-leaning districts.
Another proposal that was voted down would leave Missouri with seven Republican and one Democratic-controlled district. Supporters, including Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, rallied at the State Capitol on Monday in support of the 7-1 map proposal.
State lawmakers are required to redraw the Congressional districts after each Census to account for population growth or loss in the eight districts.
At several points on Monday into Tuesday, lawmakers in the Senate Chambers paused to make a quorum. Sen. Bob Onder (R-Lake Saint Louis) made a point to call quorum many times Tuesday evening.
Onder was outspoken during the filibuster, accusing his fellow Republicans who are not in support of the 7-1 map of being afraid.
"So part of what motivates the weakness of this map, part of what motivates the loss of opportunity is fear," Onder said. "An unwillingness to fight for our principles, an unwillingness to fight for our state, an unwillingness to fight for our country."
At least two proposals to adjourn failed to pass around 3:10 a.m. and again at 6:05 a.m.
At least three Senate committee hearings scheduled for Tuesday were canceled. The reason for the cancellations wasn't immediately available.
Sen. Greg Razer (D-Kansas City) said lawmakers will stay at work until the maps are done.
"Now we're at a process where those extreme senators are upset, some other people have ideas of small changes here and there that they would like to see," Razer said.
Majority Leader Sen. Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia) proposed an amendment to Sen. Steven Roberts's (D-St. Louis) amendment. The map in those amendments had six Republican districts and two Democratic districts, similar to the one passed out of the House but with some counties moved around.
Rowden's amendment was approved around 5 p.m. Tuesday, but Roberts withdrew his amendment. About 20 minutes later, Roberts introduced Senate Amendment 3, which he says has the same goal as his last amendment.
"Obviously we want to pass a good map and one that we feel is reflective of the state, but we don't have an infinite amount of time here to try to find a resolution," Rowden said.
