Senate Prepares for 98th General Assembly

The 2014 General Election brought little change to the makeup of the Missouri State Senate. The majority currently holds 23 seats, while the minority holds nine. Two seats are vacant. Once the election results have been certified by the Missouri Secretary of State, the majority-minority ratio in the Missouri Senate will change to 25-9.

Six newly elected senators will be sworn in when the 98th General Assembly convenes at noon on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015. All current or former members of the Missouri House of Representatives, the six new senators include: 

• Senator-elect Bob Onder, R-Lake St. Louis, will represent the 2nd Senatorial District, which was previously held by former Sen. Scott Rupp. District 2 includes part of St. Charles County.
• Senator-elect Jeanie Riddle, R-Mokane, will serve the citizens of the 10th Senatorial District, which includes six counties. Senator Jolie Justus, D-Kansas City, currently represents District 10, but is leaving office due to term limits.
• Senator Brad Lager, R-Savannah, is also leaving the Missouri Senate as a result of term limits. Senator-elect Dan Hegeman, R-Cosby, will take his place in the upper chamber, representing the 12th Senatorial District, which includes 15 counties throughout northwest Missouri.
• Senator-elect Paul Wieland, R-Imperial, will represent the 22nd Senatorial District, which was vacated by former Sen. Ryan McKenna in December 2013. District 22 includes part of Jefferson County.
• Senator-elect Jill Schupp, D-Creve Coeur, will serve the citizens of the 24th Senatorial District, currently represented by Sen. John Lamping, R-Ladue. District 24 includes part of St. Louis County.
• Senator-elect Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, will replace current Sen. Brian Nieves, R-Washington, in the upper chamber, representing the 26th Senatorial District. District 26 includes Franklin and west St. Louis County.

Senate Leadership Selected

On Thursday, Nov. 6, the senate majority and minority caucuses elected new leadership for the upcoming session. The newly selected Senate Majority Caucus Leadership will look much as it did during the 97th General Assembly, as all but one leadership position will remain the same. While the minority caucus also re-elected several of their senators to leadership, no senator will return to the same position.

Senator Tom Dempsey, R-St. Charles, was elected by the majority caucus to serve a second session as president pro tem. The pro tem is responsible for ruling on parliamentary matters, appointing committee members, and assigning legislation to committees, among other duties. The senator previously served as pro tem during the 97th General Assembly and as majority floor leader before that.

Other Senate Majority Caucus Leadership positions recently filled include:

• Senator Ron Richard, R-Joplin, was chosen as majority floor leader. The floor leader is responsible for setting the schedule of bills up for consideration by the full body, the time allotted for floor debate on legislation, and the meeting times and dates during session.
• Senator Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City, will serve as assistant majority floor leader. The assistant floor leader assumes the duties of the floor leader in his or her absence.
• Senator Brian Munzlinger, R-Williamstown, was selected as majority caucus whip. He replaces Sen. Nieves. The whip traditionally ensures caucus members are in attendance when votes are cast.

Also, Senator Eric Schmitt, R-Glendale, was elected majority caucus chairman, while Sen. Jay Wasson, R-Nixa, was chosen as majority caucus secretary.

The minority caucus voted to elect Sen. Joseph Keaveny, D-St. Louis, as their new minority floor leader. He will replace Sen. Justus, who is leaving office due to term limits. Senator Keaveny served as caucus chairman during the 97th General Assembly. Senator Gina Walsh, D-St. Louis, was selected as assistant minority floor leader; she previously served as caucus secretary.

Senator Jason Holsman, D-Kansas City, was chosen as minority caucus secretary, and Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, D-University City, was elected as minority caucus whip. Senator S. Kiki Curls, D-Kansas City, will serve as minority caucus chairman; she previously held the position of assistant floor leader.      

Prefiling of Senate Bills

Each new legislative session requires a certain amount of preparation so that lawmakers are able to hit the ground running once session begins. One of these preparations is the numbering of prefiled legislation. Senators are allowed to start prefiling their bills for the next legislative session on July 1. Beginning on Dec. 1, all prefiled bills receive bill numbers. A complete list of all prefiled bills in the Missouri Senate is available online at www.senate.mo.gov.

Committee Work Continues

Several Senate and joint committees are scheduled to meet this month. The Senate Administration Committee, chaired by Sen. Dempsey, will meet at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at the Capitol in Room 326. The committee oversees and controls all financial obligations and business affairs of the Senate, as well as its offices and seats, among other duties. In addition to Sen. Dempsey, committee members include Sen. Richard, Sen. Kehoe, Sen. Keaveny and Sen. Walsh.

The Joint Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect, which was formed pursuant to Senate Bill 628 and Senate Bill 636 from the 2012 legislative session, will meet at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3, in the Pershing Round Room. The joint committee is chaired by Sen. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia.

The committee is charged with studying and analyzing the state child abuse and neglect reporting and investigation system; devising a plan for improving the decision process for removal of a child from a home; determining the additional personnel and resources necessary to adequately protect children and improve their welfare; addressing the need for additional foster care homes; and improving the quality of care provided to abused and neglected children in the custody of the state.

Finally, the Joint Committee on Solid Waste Management District Operationswill meet at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3, in House Hearing Room 1. Those senators serving on the committee include Sen. Schaefer; Sen. Schmitt; Sen. Wayne Wallingford, R-Cape Girardeau; Sen. Chappelle-Nadal; and Sen. Holsman. The committee’s final report is to be submitted to the General Assembly by Dec. 31, 2014, at which time the committee will be dissolved.

To see a list of upcoming Senate hearings, visit the Missouri Senate’s official website at www.senate.mo.gov and click on the “Hearings” link on the right side of the page.

The Missouri Senate’s Capitol Briefing will be distributed and posted monthly throughout the interim.  For more legislative news, please visit the Senate newsroom at www.senate.mo.gov/newsroom, where you will find various audio and video programs and other informational services, such as:

• Missouri Legislative Update – A video program produced throughout the legislative session and interim that provides an overview of news in the Missouri Senate and House of Representatives.  The program features news interviews with lawmakers conducted by Missourinet’s Bob Priddy and stories on issues concerning Missourians.
• This Week in the Missouri Senate – A weekly, audio program that wraps up the week’s news in the Missouri Senate.  Programs are posted online every Friday in .mp3 format.
• The Senate Minute – A condensed, one-minute audio report of current Senate news.  Programs are posted in .mp3 format and are available through podcast.
• Daily Audio/Video Clips – Throughout the year, the Senate Newsroom posts broadcast-quality audio and video highlights from Senate committee hearings, floor debate, press conferences and other legislative events.  Please note: Clips linked to this Capitol Briefing are only available for the legislative week referenced in the publication.