Tech-averse Missouri Senate makes changes because of virus

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s tradition-bound Senate is installing an audio monitoring system in its committee hearing rooms so employees, lobbyists and the public can listen to debate in their homes or offices as the pandemic rages.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Senate Administrator Patrick Baker said the changes could mean fewer people in a building that is often crowded during the nearly five-month annual session.

Statewide, 18,467 new confirmed cases have been reported in the past week.

That’s about 2,638 new cases a day on average.

The House also is making changes in an attempt to give people an option of staying away from crowded corridors, with video links being installed in committee rooms that will allow people to submit testimony virtually.