The fighting started when Freedom Caucus members attempted to bypass regular Senate rules to pass legislation ending majority rule on initiative petitions. 25 Senators voted against the rule change, and the Freedom Caucus launched into a filibuster. After 11 hours of insults and threats, the Senate dismissed without taking action on any legislation.
At the end of the night, Senate President Caleb Rowden, a Republican from Columbia, said “This is unequivocally, without a doubt, the worst show of bad faith, or the biggest show of bad faith, I have ever seen in my life.”
Legislative committee hears bills that would make it almost impossible for trans people to exist
Last year, the Missouri legislature attacked trans kids, banning life saving gender-affirming health care. They’re poised to not only continue those attacks – but expand the target to adults.
This past Wednesday, a legislative committee debated seven bills attacking trans Missourians. Some bills would make the ban on gender-affirming care permanent, while others would bar adults from using certain restrooms. One bill would even ban definitions of gender that are contrary to definitions of biological sex, writing trans Missourians out of the law entirely.
The Freedom Caucus has said its members plan to go through legislation with a fine-tooth comb, searching for ways to make it more conservative. Anything that doesn’t pass the test, they’ll do their best to keep from passing. Get ready for some lengthy (and stupid) floor debate – and don’t hold your breath for policy that helps Missourians.
The Legislature Is Hearing Bills To Defund Neighborhood Schools
This week, legislators in committees heard a handful of bills to expand voucher and open enrollment programs, which would strip funding from Missouri public schools. One of the bills, proposed by Sen. Andrew Koenig, a Republican from Manchester, would give parents making up to $220,000 a year government dollars to send their kids to private schools.
Session is back, the Senate prioritized Missourians over politics for less than 24 hours
Welcome back to Under the Dome, your weekly update on the goings-on of the Missouri state legislature.
Session Is Back, And Politicians Are Coming For Your Rights
The 2024 legislative session officially kicked off at noon on Wednesday, and the Jeff City politicians were armed with all sorts of legislation that would screw over working families. Legislators plan to introduce bills that would end majority rule, expand voucher programs that defund neighborhood schools, bring back “right-to-work”, and restrict abortion access.
As 2023 comes to a close, Progress Missouri wanted to reflect on the year in Missouri politics: the good, the bad and the ugly.
There were some standout moments, each as unique as the stars in the sky – or the zodiac signs’ personalities.
Read on to find out which Missouri political moment best exemplified your star sign this year!
Aries: Bill Eigel’s Staged “Book Burning”
Aries are the first fire sign of the zodiac: they’re bold, confident and fiercely competitive. They’re also impulsive, and often respond with emotion instead of logic.
Enter Bill Eigel’s staged book burning from earlier this year. In a bid for attention on his longshot gubernatorial campaign, State Sen. Eigel burned boxes with a flamethrower, saying when he became governor he would burn books “on the front lawn of the governor’s mansion.”
Taurus: The Most Unproductive Legislative Session In MO History
Tauruses are known for their dedication and resolve, but sometimes that dedication appears as stubbornness.
Geminis are communicators at heart – they love to text, talk and tweet. But the more online you are, the more likely you are to screw something up. When Gemini missteps, they’re happy to just … move on.
Leo: AG Bailey’s Desperate Attempts To Make Headlines
Leo might be one of the most recognizable zodiac signs, in part because they’re always trying to get in the spotlight! For Leos, it’s easy to be the center of attention because of their natural charisma.
Virgos are diligent and methodical perfectionists. They have high expectations and can be critical of others if they’re not careful. Because they are perfectionists, they often believe they know what’s best for everyone, and they’re not afraid to call you out if you step out of line.
This year, the Missouri state legislators took drastic measures in their attempts to force us to do what they want us to do. They considered laws banning birth control for low-income Missourians and tried to bring an end to majority rule. The legislature would benefit from trusting that Missourians know what is best for their communities and letting go of their control issues.
Libra: Mitt Romney’s Scathing Commentary On Josh Hawley
Libras are natural diplomats and peacekeepers – but they also love a good gossip sesh every now and again.
Sagittarius: Bill Eigel’s Insane Pre-Filed Bills For 2024
Sagittarius is known for being multifaceted and extremely passionate. Sagittarians are natural entertainers, but struggle with practicality and commitment.
Aquarius: Missourians Fighting Back Against Politicians Who Want To End Majority Rule
Aquarians are known for their rebellious streak: more than any other sign, they crave the freedom to make their own decisions. Plus, they’re natural humanitarians, passionate about fighting to make the world a better place.
Early next year, Pluto will enter Aquarius, symbolizing a new era of transformation. Pluto in Aquarius represents humanity and serving the common good. We’re dealing with big stuff here: changing power dynamics and developing empowerment as a community. That sounds great for everyone in Missouri who is over the status quo.
Welcome back to Under the Dome, your weekly update on the goings-on of the Missouri state legislature.
Activists Convinced A Lawmaker To Withdraw A Bill Criminalizing Abortion
Last week, Missouri State Rep. Bob Titus, a Republican from Billings, proposed legislation that would have criminalized abortion, putting women and doctors at risk of jail time for getting or providing necessary health care.
A national outcry soon followed – abortion was the most talked-about political topic in Missouri on Twitter/X, and the President even commented on it.
The public pressure got to Rep. Titus, and he withdrew the bill. One version of the bill, filed in the senate by Senator Mike Moon from Ash Grove, remains.
Lawmakers Want To Make Life Harder For LGBTQ People
New bills filed this week show the legislature wants to continue its attempts to make life harder for LGBTQ people – just in time for campaign season.
Numerical and anecdotal data make it clear – $12 isn’t cutting it
Columbia, MO – Missouri workers are struggling to make ends meet on the $12 minimum wage.
“$12 an hour simply doesn’t cut it when it comes to trying to meet my family’s needs,” said Kaamilya Hobbs, an Arby’s employee from Kansas City. “I gave birth to my second child in September, and while I should’ve been focused on my health as a high-risk pregnant woman, my boyfriend and I were scrambling to find another place to live because we got evicted by a slumlord who didn’t care about us. No one should have to struggle to pay for food, medical bills, clothing, and other needs.”
The evidence isn’t purely anecdotal. According to the Economic Policy Institute, a single-person household in the Kansas City metropolitan area needs an annual income of $37,214 to afford a “modest yet adequate standard of living.” For comparison, a full-time employee making $12 an hour – and taking no sick days or vacations for a full year – would only clear $24,960. For a family of four like Hobbs’, child care, housing and food costs drastically inflate that number: two adults and two kids would require an annual income of $85,544 for the same “modest yet adequate standard of living.”
On the other side of the state, living costs are slightly lower, but still high enough to keep minimum wage earners out of an “adequate” standard of living. The EPI reports a single-person household in the St. Louis metropolitan area would need an annual income of $35,144 and a family of four would need $80,992 to maintain an adequate standard of living.
To make matters worse, the EPI’s calculator uses data from 2020. Nearly four years later, costs have gone up. For example, EPI allocates $731 a month for rent in Kansas City, but a December 2023 report says median rent in the city is $997 – and that’s a decrease from November 2023.
While Missouri plans to increase the minimum wage to $12.30 in 2024, the change will only increase a single-person’s annual income to $25,584, still nearly $10,000 short of EPI’s lowest estimated necessary income.
Welcome back to Under the Dome, your weekly update on the goings-on of the Missouri state legislature.
Starting December 1, Missouri’s state legislators started pre-filing bills ahead of the 2024 legislative session. While legislators won’t officially reconvene under the dome until January 3, the bills they’ve filed so far make it clear: the roadmap for 2024 includes getting rid of your voice and your freedoms.
Attacks On Majority Rule
Once again, the legislature is coming for your voice. Last year, legislators spent months debating how exactly they wanted to abolish majority rule in passing constitutional amendments. By filing nearly 20 bills targeting the initiative petition process in the first week of pre-filing, legislators have made it clear they don’t care what Missourians want.
Cuts To Public Education Funding
Missouri has gotten national attention this year for its abysmal teacher pay and school funding. In 2024, the state legislature plans to pour gas on the fire by expanding voucher programs and charter schools. These bills would take money away from chronically underfunded public schools and give it to private institutions that don’t have to follow the same rules.
Bringing Back Right-to-Work
In 2018, Missourians voted to get rid of “right-to-work” laws, which would make it harder for working Missourians to advocate for fair and safe working conditions. But since our politicians don’t care what Missourians want, they’ve decided to bring it back.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, November 29, 2023 Contact: kelli@progressmo.org
After failing to end majority rule in 2023, Missouri legislators pre-file legislation to dismantle the initiative petition process
Jefferson City, MO – Ahead of the 2024 Missouri legislative session, legislators have pre-filed nearly 20 bills aimed at dismantling the initiative petition process, making it harder for Missourians’ voices to be heard.
“The League of Women Voters believes responsible government should be responsive to the will of the people,” said Marilyn McLeod, President of the League of Women Voters. “The citizen initiative petition is the most direct form of voter participation in our democracy. This valuable and trusted process has been enshrined in the Missouri Constitution for more than 100 years and has been used for both conservative and progressive issues. It is already a complicated and difficult process. Therefore, the League of Women Voters of Missouri opposes any attempts to make it more difficult to get a measure on the ballot or to raise the threshold for approval.”
“Missouri’s initiative petition process represents the purest form of direct democracy. It is the way Missouri voters across the political spectrum can let their voices be heard,” said Denise Lieberman, Director and General Counsel at the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition. “Missourians overwhelmingly support the initiative petition process. These continued efforts by legislators to limit voter participation and freedom of speech is anti-American and undermines our democratic process.”
But overturning this anti-democratic law should be just the beginning. If Missouri politicians want to work for adults with disabilities, they have a long way to go in earning their trust and building a state that works for them.
Missouri’s Voting Laws Make It Harder For Adults With Disabilities To Vote
Even without restrictive voting laws like those found in Missouri, adults with disabilities face more barriers to voting than adults without disabilities. National research from earlier this year found that 18% of voters with disabilities have difficulty waiting in line to vote, compared to only 11% of voters without disabilities. Voters with disabilities are more than twice as likely as voters without disabilities to say they have difficulty getting to their polling place.
In Missouri, anti-democratic voting laws make it harder for people with disabilities. The voter ID law currently in the courts has a disproportionate effect on voters with disabilities, who are almost twice as likely not to have photo ID than voters without disabilities.
According to Brianna Lennon, the County Clerk for Boone County, county election authorities don’t get the necessary funding to train election workers on how to help voters with disabilities or to fix broken equipment. State law also doesn’t require accessible voting equipment at every polling place.
61% of voters with disabilities do not believe that public officials and politicians care about what people with disabilities think. If politicians want to change that perception, it’s on them to expand access to the ballot box.
We’re calling on politicians to:
Stop supporting and proposing anti-democratic voter ID laws that disproportionately impact people with disabilities.
Fully fund local election authorities so they can train election workers and provide accessible polling places and voting equipment.
Expand access to mail-in voting to make it easier for voters with disabilities to vote by mail.
Expand the in-person absentee voting period to the national average of 20 days, as voters with disabilities are more likely to have difficulty with reliable transportation and consistent schedules.
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Hawley Knows The Problems Facing America’s Young Men. But Is He Man Enough To Address Them?
November 19 is International Men’s Day. As men face high rates of mental illness, drug addiction and suicide, International Men’s Day (IMD) aims to bring awareness to the reasons men might be uniquely vulnerable and to present systemic solutions.
So what does Missouri’s self-proclaimed manhood expert Josh Hawley think about this?
While Josh Hawley seems to understand the issues at hand – men are paid less than their fathers were for the same work, aren’t receiving adequate education and struggle with mental illness and drug addiction – he doesn’t seem that interested in solving them.
IMD is clear that their mission is to promote positive male role models, improve gender equality and highlight discrimination against men in social expectations. Hawley’s Manhood book, released earlier this year, does the opposite.
Hawley blames men for their issues, claiming they have no purpose and aren’t trying hard enough because they are “content to be dependent” on their families and the government. He mocks men who live with their parents, battle drug addiction and face unemployment, saying they have “disinterest in work” and are “incapable of living on their own.”
Josh Hawley has the power to address the issues plaguing young men. He could write and pass legislation diverting more resources towards mental health or addressing drug addiction. Instead, he backed legislation to undercut labor and education. Hawley would rather pin the responsibility on his constituents than vote to improve their lives.
Of course phony Josh Hawley would milk men’s issues for political points without fixing them – he has no problem doing the same on labor and veterans’ issues.
But Hawley adds insult to injury when he advocates in his book for a bootstraps approach – the banker’s son and Yale grad never had to work hard for a thing in his life.
So this International Men’s Day, let’s advocate for real change, and push Josh Hawley to do the same. If he wants to make manhood his passion project, he needs to put his money where his mouth is.
