Fresh Leadership Signals New Direction in Legislative Agenda
The Missouri House of Representatives and Senate elected new leaders Jan. 8 as the 2025 legislative session got underway. Republicans continue to hold veto-proof supermajorities in both legislative chambers, outnumbering Democrats 111-52 in the House and 24-10 in the Senate, numbers that are unchanged from the previous year.
The upper chamber unanimously elected state Sen. Cindy O’Laughlin, R-Shelbina, as president pro tem, making her the first woman to hold the Senate’s top leadership post. Republican Catherine Hanaway served as the first – and so far only – woman House speaker from 2003 through 2004.
Over in the House, state Rep. Jon Patterson, R-Lee’s Summit, easily defeated a hardline right-wing challenger from his own party on a vote of 152-10 to claim the speaker’s gavel. Patterson becomes the first Asian American speaker in state history. During comments after his election, Patterson also said he is the first speaker from Jackson County since 1857.
The Democratic leaders in both chambers are also new to their posts, with state Rep. Ashely Aune, D-Kansas City, serving as House minority leader and state Sen. Doug Beck, D-Afton, as Senate minority leader.
With the Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, a Republican, being inaugurated as Missouri’s next governor on Jan. 13, legislative work won’t begin in earnest for another week or so. This year’s session ends May 16. The inauguration ceremony will take place at noon in front of the Missouri Capitol and is open to the public.
| Court Rules Parson Gets to Appoint STL County Prosecutor The Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District ruled that Gov. Mike Parson – and not St. Louis County Executive Sam Page – has the power appoint the next county prosecutor to fill a vacancy, despite a longstanding practice based on a provision of the Missouri Constitution that leaders of charter counties get to make such appointments. While one constitutional provision says the governor fills all vacancies in public office “unless otherwise provided by law,” another provision empowers charter counties to determine how local officials are selected, and the St. Louis County Charter grants the county executive the power to appoint a replacement prosecutor. Several prosecuting attorneys from Missouri charter counties have been appointed locally, including just recently in Republican-controlled St. Charles County. None of those prior appointments were challenged as unlawful However, when Page, a Democrat, announced his intention to appoint a replacement for county prosecuting attorney Wesley Bell, who in November was elected to Congress, Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey asserted the choice was actually Parson’s to make, sparking litigation over which section of the constitution prevails. The unanimous three-judge appellate panel held that although the prosecutor is county official elected by county voters, because the office represents the state in criminal cases, the appointing authority belongs to the governor. After the Missouri Supreme Court declined to hear Page’s appeal, Parson, Republican, appointed Melissa Price Smith to replace Bell when he resigned Jan. 3 to take his congressional seat. Smith, a longtime veteran of the office, plans to seek election to a full term in 2026 as a Democrat. |
| Court Rules Parson Gets to Appoint STL County Prosecutor The Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District ruled that Gov. Mike Parson – and not St. Louis County Executive Sam Page – has the power appoint the next county prosecutor to fill a vacancy, despite a longstanding practice based on a provision of the Missouri Constitution that leaders of charter counties get to make such appointments. While one constitutional provision says the governor fills all vacancies in public office “unless otherwise provided by law,” another provision empowers charter counties to determine how local officials are selected, and the St. Louis County Charter grants the county executive the power to appoint a replacement prosecutor. Several prosecuting attorneys from Missouri charter counties have been appointed locally, including just recently in Republican-controlled St. Charles County. None of those prior appointments were challenged as unlawful However, when Page, a Democrat, announced his intention to appoint a replacement for county prosecuting attorney Wesley Bell, who in November was elected to Congress, Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey asserted the choice was actually Parson’s to make, sparking litigation over which section of the constitution prevails. The unanimous three-judge appellate panel held that although the prosecutor is county official elected by county voters, because the office represents the state in criminal cases, the appointing authority belongs to the governor. After the Missouri Supreme Court declined to hear Page’s appeal, Parson, Republican, appointed Melissa Price Smith to replace Bell when he resigned Jan. 3 to take his congressional seat. Smith, a longtime veteran of the office, plans to seek election to a full term in 2026 as a Democrat. |
| Republican Mike Kehoe Sworn in as Missouri Governor Republican Mike Kehoe took the oath of office Jan. 13 to become Missouri’s 58th governor. In his inaugural address, Kehoe pledged to focus on improving public safety, providing additional tax cuts and further expanding public funding of private and parochial schools. As is typical for an inaugural speech, Kehoe’s comments were heavy on aspiration but light on detail. Specific policy goals usually are reserved for the annual State of the State address, which Kehoe is scheduled to deliver Jan. 28 before a joint session of the Missouri General Assembly. In some of his first acts as governor, Kehoe signed six executive orders generally relating to public safety, including two on immigration. One authorizes state troopers to participate in a training program to assist federal officials in enforcing immigration laws, while the other calls for tracking the immigration status of those charged with state crimes. A series of state House committee hearings last year revealed that undocumented immigrants are far less likely than citizens to commit crimes but far more likely to be crime victims. The other executive orders are aimed at improving regional cooperation to apprehend fugitives, expanding law enforcement grant opportunities for local communities, adjusting the State Highway Patrol’s pay structure and creating a task force to review state probation and parole procedures. Kehoe also said he’s interested in expanding the recently created voucher program authorizing tax credits to fund tuition to private and parochial schools and wants to eliminate the state’s individual income tax, which provides nearly two-thirds of state general revenue collections. He has not stated how that lost revenue would be replaced. The individual income tax rate paid by the overwhelming majority of Missourians had remained at 6 percent since the early 1970s until majority Republican began reducing it in recent years. The main rate currently stands at 4.7 percent but is already slated to drop to 4.5 percent in the coming years provided that certain minimum revenue collection thresholds are met. Kehoe, who just completed his tenure as lieutenant governor and previously served as a state senator, replaces fellow Republican Mike Parson, who served more than six and half years in the post. Parson, who had been lieutenant governor, was elevated to chief executive in June 2018 following the resignation of his scandal-plagued predecessor and won a full term in 2020. The other statewide officials, all Republicans, who were sworn in alongside Kehoe were Lt. Gov. David Wasinger, Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, State Treasurer Vivek Malek and Attorney General Andrew Bailey. Malek and Bailey both won full terms in November after Parson appointed them to fill vacancies in their respective offices in January 2022. #LegislativeSession #PoliticalLeadership #GovernmentReforms |
