Jim Neely's Capitol Report

2019 Legislative Session Begins

It was an exciting week here at the Capitol as many new faces walked through the doors. The members of the historic 100^th General Assembly gathered in the State Capitol Wednesday for the opening of the 2019 legislative session. This session the Missouri House of Representatives welcomes fifty-six first-time members, who took the oath of office alongside 106 returning members. The House now has 115 Republicans and 47 Democrats with one seat currently vacant. In comparison, the Missouri Senate now has a split of 24 Republicans and 10 Democrats.

Members elected Rep. Elijah Haahr to serve as the Speaker of the House for the 100^th General Assembly. They also elected Rep. John Wiemann to serve as House Speaker Pro Tem.

House Speaker Haahr Outlines Priorities during Opening Day Address

Following his election by acclamation, new House Speaker Elijah Haahr delivered an opening day address that outlined his policy priorities for the 2019 session. The Speaker talked about how the first General Assembly two centuries ago represented a state of 66,000 citizens and the 100^th General Assembly now represents a state of more than 6 million.

Haahr noted in his address that the state is at record low unemployment, the tourism industry is booming, and the state’s geographic location in the middle of the country gives it a natural advantage as it competes for commerce. As Haahr outlined his priorities for the legislative session, he focused on:

·      Passing policies that cultivate employers rather than control businesses.

·      Building on the historic tax relief passed by the legislature and continuing to balance the budget without raising taxes on Missourians.

·      Continuing the legislature’s commitment to fully fund the school foundation formula. Haahr noted that “the way we spend educational dollars is as important as how much we spend.  We need schools that challenge yet support our students.”

·      Developing 21^st century colleges to help create a 21^st century workforce.

·      Continuing to lead the charge to confront the opioid epidemic raging across the state.

·      Providing opportunities to those in a broken criminal justice system by passing more reforms that build on the reforms made last year to Missouri’s sentencing laws.

House and Senate Members Hold Joint Session and Reception to Commemorate 100^th General Assembly

After both the House and Senate wrapped up their typical opening day proceedings, the two legislative bodies convened a joint session in the House Chamber to celebrate the historic 100^th General Assembly.

2019 marks two milestone events in Missouri’s history. The First General Assembly of the future State of Missouri convened at the Missouri Hotel in St. Louis on September 19, 1820—nearly a year before the state was officially admitted into the Union. The General Assembly organized, held the inauguration of the governor and lieutenant governor, and elected Missouri’s two United States senators. The first legislature also designated St. Charles as the temporary capital and appointed a commission to report on the site for the permanent capital.

Just over 100 years later, on January 8, 1919, the Fiftieth General Assembly convened in the current Capitol for the first full session of the legislature in the new building. The session ended a seven-year period where legislative and executive functions were performed in temporary quarters until the construction of the Capitol was complete.