Missouri Senate bills began to be assigned committees Thursday, as Senate leaders talked about the coming session.
"We're going to start fast and hopefully get some bigger things across the finish line earlier this year," Majority Floor Leader Sen. Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, said at a news conference with President Pro Tem Sen. Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, after the Senate adjourned Thursday.
For Republicans in the Senate, it's clear a new election to decide the fate of the redistricting process that voters approved by constitutional amendment in 2018 is one of those things to move fast on.
More than 1.4 million Missourians - or more than 62 percent of those who cast ballots in November 2018 - approved the "Clean Missouri" Amendment 1, which included the creation of a nonpartisan state demographer position to redistrict the state.
At least four Republican Senators this session so far, though, have filed joint resolutions that, upon voter approval, would repeal the state demographer post and replace it with House and Senate commissions to be filled with gubernatorial appointees "from lists provided by the state committee and Congressional district committees of each of the two political parties casting the highest vote for governor at the last preceding gubernatorial election."
The governor would select two nominees from the five on each state committee's list and one nominee from the two on each Congressional district committee's list.
"Let's give the people one more chance to vote on this issue," said Sen. Bob Onder, R-Lake St. Louis, who on Thursday was the latest Republican Senator to file such a resolution, as have Sens. Bill Eigel, Dan Hegeman and Cindy O'Laughlin.
Each of their filed resolutions relating to Clean Missouri also deals with other aspects of transparency and accountability in state government - including lobbyist gift bans, how long legislators have to wait before becoming lobbyists, and campaign contribution limitations.
Of the redistricting aspect of his resolution, Onder said it would preserve the current system and would not disenfranchise minorities.
"The quicker we can get it through the process, and kind of start the wheels of educating the people of Missouri as to why we think it's the better option, the quicker we can start that, the better," Rowden said of actions this session on Clean Missouri, adding there's universal support in the caucus.
Minority Floor Leader Sen. Gina Walsh, D-Bellefontaine Neighbors, said in a subsequent news conference that protecting Clean Missouri, Medicaid expansion, early voting, passing the Missouri Nondiscrimination Act, fully funding public education, and increasing support for colleges and universities remain priorities for her party.
There are lots of other things that could also be on the legislative agenda this session for both political parties - including addressing gun violence, infrastructure needs and gaming issues such as unregulated gambling - and Rowden said from the majority's perspective that "we kind of know what the lay of the land is," and so long as bipartisan communication is open, "there's not much that isn't possible at this point. Inevitably, stuff is going to die, that's going to happen, but I think if you lay the groundwork and do some things to be successful early, then it gives a chance to be successful at the end."
Seventeen new bills and several other resolutions were filed in the Senate on Thursday - including a resolution by Sen. Mike Bernskoetter, R-Jefferson City.
Bernskoetter's SCR 32 urges Missouri's Congressional delegation to support the "Bring Our Heroes Home Act" that would declassify prisoner of war and missing-in-action records.
Rep. Dave Griffith, R-Jefferson City, also introduced a matching resolution in the House this week. Both local legislators' bills note that of the more than 81,900 U.S. service members who remain unaccounted for from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Cold War, 2,298 are Missourians.
Someone else was also absent Thursday; Schatz opened the majority's news conference with a tribute to late News Tribune reporter Bob Watson - best known professionally for his coverage of state government.
"Obviously, we've kicked this thing off, and unfortunately, for the first time in many decades, we won't be joined by Bob Watson, of the News Tribune. He passed away this August. Obviously, he was a tenacious voice. He will be missed - his endless amount of questions that he threw at us, as well. We just want to remember he's not here with us," Schatz said.