Senator Justin Brown's Legislative Column for Feb. 2, 2024
Friday, February 2, 2024
State Sen. Justin Brown For Immediate Release: | Capital Building, Room 420 Contact: Ashley Bax |
Moving Forward It has taken a bit longer than we typically see at the beginning of session, but I’m happy to share that there were some positive steps forward and notable accomplishments in the Missouri Senate this week. It all comes after an overnight filibuster on Monday that may have, hopefully, broken the log jam that has caused some issues early in the legislative session. The highlight I am most proud of is that we were finally able to confirm the large number of appointments the governor had made to Missouri’s various commissions, boards and departments. It is so inspiring to see these dedicated citizens, most of whom are volunteering their time, knowledge and experience, step into these roles and work for the good of others. Another issue that had become entangled in the process also took a big step forward as several Initiative Petition (IP) reform bills were heard in hearings by the Senate Local Government and Elections Committee. While the bills all had a variety of proposed changes that are designed to strengthen the integrity of our IP process by requiring additional measures to be met by voters, it was Senate Joint Resolution 74 that was chosen to move forward and was passed by the committee. Under this proposed change to the constitution, IP ballot measures would require a majority of voters to approve the measure statewide, as well as in a majority of state House of Representative districts. I very much look forward to the open floor discussion on this popular issue. I imagine that will happen very soon and I will provide an update when it occurs. It’s my honor to serve as your senator for the 16th District. If you have questions or need any assistance, please call my office at 573-751-5713 or log onto my webpage at senate.mo.gov/brown for more information. ### | |