Capitol Report: 2022 legislative session begins
EDITORIAL MUG: Allen Andrews
Lawmakers returned to the State Capitol Building Wednesday, January 5 for the start of the 2022 legislative session, which is officially the Second Regular Session of the 101st General Assembly.
House members returned to Jefferson City with a current split of 110 Republicans, 49 Democrats, and 4 vacant seats. On the first day of session, two Republican members announced their resignations to pursue other interests. The resignations drop the total number of Republicans in the House to 108 members, which is one vote short of a veto-proof majority.
Leading up to the start of the session, members have pre-filed bills at a near-record pace. Pre-filing began Dec. 1 and ended January 4. In that period of time House members pre-filed 770 pieces of legislation. That number is significantly more than the 688 pre-filed bills for the 2021 session, and just six bills short of the pre-filing record of 776 that was set in 2020.
Legislators begin the session with a number of pressing issues on the table. They will need to move quickly to approve new congressional district maps based on the latest U.S. Census data. The maps have to be approved and signed into law in time for the August 2 primary. Lawmakers will also work expeditiously to approve a supplemental budget bill proposed by Gov. Parson. The governor has asked the House and Senate to have the legislation approved by February 1.
As the 2022 legislative session progresses, members will also focus on a number of other important issues including the state operating budget, protections for the unborn, election integrity, school accountability and transparency, and protections against overly burdensome mandates.
As always, it is an honor to serve you.
Representative Allen Andrews, District 1, Majority Whip, Missouri State Capitol, Room 302-1, 201 West Capitol Avenue, Jefferson City, MO 65101; Telephone: 573-751-9465; [email protected]
Allen Andrews is the First District State Representative.
