New congressional map introduced in Missouri House committee

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Lawmakers in the Missouri House of Representatives introduced a new congressional map Wednesday afternoon in hopes of passing one before the end of the session.

The Missouri legislative session ends May 13. Although lawmakers in Jefferson City have been working on new congressional maps all year, the Senate and the House cannot agree on a map. Missouri is the only state that hasn't finalized a new map, however, three other states are still in limbo because of lawsuits and vetoes.

In a last-ditch effort to get a map to the governor's desk before the end of the session, Rep. Dan Shaul (R-Imperial) introduced an all-new map he hopes will win over senators. The new map passed 8-3 out of the committee and will now move to the Rules Committee.

The House first passed a map in January. The Senate approved a different map in March, but House lawmakers did not like that map because of several community splits. Senators have not taken up the House's proposal to go to a conference committee because several conservative Republican senators are still fighting for more Republican-leaning districts.

Shaul introduced the new map with just enough time to get it through before the legislature adjourns for the year. Bills are required to sit for a day on the calendar, so that would happen Friday. Next week, if all goes according to Shaul's plan, the House will have a debate and vote on Monday and send it over to the Senate.

Shaul said during the hearing that he hopes the Senate will take the map up quickly, as redistricting is a priority, but he's concerned about how long senators might debate on the maps.

The Senate map splits Boone County through Downtown Columbia. Shaul's new map still splits Boone but moved the split in an effort to keep like-minded communities together.

The new map still keeps both Missouri military bases in the Fourth Congressional District, which was a priority for senators. The Fourth District seat is up for grabs in the November election, and having both military bases in the district would give the new congressperson a better chance of sitting on the Armed Forces Committee in Washington, D.C.

Several lawsuits have been filed asking courts to take up the maps since lawmakers have yet to pass them.

The delay has created uncertainty for candidates running for Congress in Missouri's August primary.