Missouri legislative session kicks off at noon with fresh faces
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
State lawmakers are returning to the capital city for another session of committee hearings, floor debates and discussing Missouri's future.
The Missouri House of Representatives and Senate gavel in at noon Wednesday for the first day of the 2023 regular session. Among the seasoned lawmakers are many fresh faces.
Columbia has three new representatives in the House: Democratic Reps. Doug Mann, Adrian Plank and Kathy Steinhoff. From Warrenton, Republican Rep. Jeff Meyers is new to the House, as well as Rep. Jim Schulte (R-New Bloomfield).
A former Mid-Missouri House member is also making the jump to the Senate. Travis Fitzwater, a Republican from Holts Summit, will take over the 10th District seat once held by Jeanie Riddle.
In the state Senate, several Mid-Missouri senators have new positions. Sen. Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia) is the Republican nominee for Senate president pro tem. His position has to be confirmed by the full Senate Wednesday. Sen. Cindy O'Laughlin (R-Randolph) is taking Rowden's old position as majority leader.
House leadership discussed differing views on this year's priorities. While both parties are concerned with education funding and the state budget surplus, Democrats and Republicans have different ways of approaching them.
Newly-elected House Speaker Rep. Dean Plocher (R-St. Louis) wants to cut taxes even more using the nearly $6 billion surplus in the state budget.
"We are well suited financially to be leaders in this country economically and fiscally," Plocher said. "And I believe we're going to continue to move forward in the right direction. But to do that, we have to be fiscally responsible as well. And that entails how we divvy up the five or 6 billion as well as try to keep some money in taxpayers' pockets."
However, Minority Leader Rep. Crystal Quade (D-Springfield) said the money should be invested into Missouri.
"Of course, a tax cut sounds great," Quade said. "It's a one-time thing. What we need to be doing as a legislature is looking at what investments can we make for the long haul?"
Both parties want to build on the teacher pay raises Gov. Mike Parson prioritized last year, but Quade said just raising pay is not enough.
"We have to go beyond pay," Quade said. "That's the baseline. Paying our educators and our staff a living wage is the baseline. We need to be doing so much more than that."
Plocher proposed a merit-based pay raise system for Missouri teachers.
"Well, I think we all recognize that teaching is very difficult," Plocher said. "And I think, you know, we live in the United States where we reward competition if you will. We have to have more measures of success."
