Senator Elaine Gannon’s Capitol Report for April 18, 2024

Final Four

The Senate adjourned for the week on April 18, signaling the start of the final four weeks to get proposals and the state operating budget for fiscal year 2025 through the legislative process and truly agreed to and finally passed. The intensity and pace of the final weeks of session remind me of the restlessness and sense of urgency felt in the classroom at the end of the school year, when students and teachers could taste summer break, but were still weeks away from experiencing it. In the past weeks, no legislation has made it to the governor desk to be signed into law, but I suspect we’ll see a landslide of bills passed in the final four.

One bill I hope is included in this final push is Senate Bill 767. Passed by the Senate on April 11, the bipartisan proposal will eliminate child marriage in Missouri. Currently, a 16-year-old can marry with parental consent, which oftentimes sets young girls up for a life of mistreatment and control. The other provisions in SB 767 will address the payment of attorney fees and court costs during divorce proceedings, in addition to modifying the factors a court will consider when awarding custody to parents.

Another proposal nearing the goal line is House Bill 2634, which will ban public funds from being used to reimburse MO HealthNet for services provided at abortion facilities and their affiliates. The prolife movement has advocated for years to defund these clinics, but attempts to include language in the operating budget or other statutes have been deemed unconstitutional by the courts. I’m hopeful, and feel it is important, this is the year we codify this restriction into law.

The only constitutional mandate of the General Assembly is to balance a state operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The appropriation bills are generated and deliberated in the Missouri House of Representatives before the Senate Appropriations Committee dives into the “markup process” and votes to follow the governor’s recommendations, go with the House’s version or customize their own line item figures. The governor’s original proposed budget calls for $52.7 billion in spending, a slight increase over last year. The deadline to have all 18 spending bills finalized and to the governor is May 3, one week before adjournment.

To date, four Senate bills have been placed on the House Third Reading Calendar, inching one step closer to the finish line. One of these is Senate Joint Resolution 74, which will allow voters to decide whether or not to change the threshold to amend our Constitution to a majority of votes cast past statewide, plus a majority of votes cast in 5 of 8 congressional districts. I endorsed this resolution and believe it will give all Missouri voices equal volume, ensuring rural expanses of the state, like our community, do not get lost. 

In the upper chamber, there are several House bills nearing completion. I will definitely be an “aye” on House Bill 1488 when it comes up for a vote and fully support tax credits for working parents, employers who provide child care and the daycare owners who help keep our young ones safe. 

Page for the Day

On April 17, I was pleasantly surprised when my son, grandson and husband showed up during a hearing of the Senate Local Government and Elections Committee I chair. I was thrilled to introduce my loved ones to my colleagues in the chamber that afternoon and have my grandson, Wyatt, serve as page for the day.

The Gannon family poses for a photo after being introduced in the chamber.