House freshmen learning the ropes

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Rookie lawmakers members from Southeast Missouri knew that the reality of life in the Capitol would differ from the perceptions of the job they held last year on the campaign trail.

For most of them, the biggest surprise was exactly how hard the job is.

"There is a lot more work involved than people think," said state Rep. Gayle Kingery, R-Poplar Bluff.

During the legislative session, workdays begin early in the morning and can last until well after midnight. Weekends back home are often spent visiting with constituents and local officials.

"I thought coming in I had a good grasp on what the job entailed, but I'd say it's probably even more than I expected it to be," said state Rep. Scott Lipke, R-Jackson. "I certainly expected to come up here and work, and I haven't been disappointed there."

A few hours of sleep

The more work he has to do the better, said state Rep. Kevin Engler, R-Farmington.

"I want to be an active participant and have some power," Engler said. "They have got my time from 6 a.m. to midnight -- just give me a few hours to sleep."

Because of term limits, the 90-member freshman class constitutes a majority in the 163-member House of Representatives.

Doomsayers predicted the mass inexperience would result in legislative breakdown, particularly with the state experiencing its worst financial crisis in generations. The atmosphere is different to be sure, but the Capitol dome hasn't come crashing down as a result.

While it took some weeks for the newcomers to get the swing of the process, they soon settled in. Local freshmen who are part of the Republican majority point with pride to the major legislation to come out of the House by the time they reached the session's symbolic midpoint Thursday and adjourned for spring break until March 31.

Since the session began in January, the House has steadily acted on issues that helped Republicans take control of the chamber for the first time in almost 50 years. Legislation on workers' compensation reform, changing the distribution of education funding and an effort to reduce civil lawsuits against businesses and doctors have been forwarded to the Senate.

"I am amazed at the unity of the Republican Party so far," Engler said. "I thought there would be more confrontation in our own ranks."

Lipke said Republicans have closely followed the direction of House Speaker Catherine Hanaway, R-Warson Woods, and other GOP leaders but not blindly.

"We're free to stand up and say whatever we want to say," Lipke said. "If we want to fight something that our leaders want, we have the ability to do that."

During last fall's campaigns, Republicans railed against the state's spending problems. When faced with the task of drafting a state budget that was $1 billion out of balance, some have come to realize the issue is more complex than that.

"When I was campaigning, I wasn't really aware the budget was that short, so that was kind of a surprise to me," said state Rep. Otto Bean, R-Holcomb. "But we're meeting the challenge and doing what the voters wanted us to do."

The Republican majority's most controversial action so far was to forgo passing a detailed budget, as has been tradition, and instead send the Senate a spending plan that would give each department a lump sum and leave executive branch officials to sort out what to pay for.

Detractors of the plan say House Republicans passed the buck on making unpopular budget cuts.

Kingery said the budget decision was difficult for many lawmakers, but one Republicans ultimately decided was sound.

"It is simple, direct and allows flexibility," Kingery said. "The only sticking point: Were we giving up or were we actually doing our job?"

State Rep. J.C. Kuessner, D-Eminence, said he has enjoyed a fine working relationship with Southeast Missouri Republicans but that their chosen course on the budget was a disappointment.

"I feel like they got discouraged and thought it was going to play bad back home and weren't willing to make those necessary cuts," Kuessner said.

An indirect approach

Being in the minority, Kuessner has learned to take the indirect approach to push the priorities of his district by asking Republican colleagues to sponsor bills desired by his constituents.

"I felt my bills wouldn't go through, so why waste the time and energy there rather than getting someone else to push them through," Kuessner said.

With the eagerness that comes with being new to the job, some freshman say the snail's pace at which the process moves is frustrating.

"Things don't move as fast as you'd like them to move," said Lipke. "Everybody comes up here with the idea that they're going to make a difference and pass bills."

Floor debate can quickly grow tiresome, Engler said.

"I did not realize there is so much time spent just yacking," Engler said. "I understand everyone should have their voice heard, but some people just go on for hours on the same things."

mpowers@semissourian.com

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