Redisticting proposal runs into opposition in Missouri Senate

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A proposal to redraw Missouri's congressional map ran into opposition in the state Senate on Tuesday because of regional disputes.

Senators from southwestern, southeastern, western and eastern Missouri raised concerns about how the proposed U.S. House districts would affect their areas. A central Missouri senator objected to putting his largely rural area in the same congressional district as Kansas City. The proposed map won House approval last week, but it did not reach a vote in the Senate on Tuesday.

State lawmakers are reconfiguring Missouri's current nine congressional districts into eight. Missouri lost one of its U.S. House seats this year when the 2010 census showed that the state's 7 percent population growth over the past decade did not keep pace with the rest of the nation.

Senate leaders said before the floor debate started that they did not expect to vote on the House version during the first debate but wanted to start discussion that could eventually lead to agreement.

"Hopefully it will spur some more conversation," said Senate Majority Leader Tom Dempsey, R-St. Charles.

The House proposal would extend the 8th Congressional District in southeastern Missouri farther north to pick up a significant chunk of Jefferson County near St. Louis. The 5th Congressional District that covers Kansas City would be extended east to cover several rural counties while a portion of Jackson County would carved out for the 6th Congressional District that would sweep across most of northern Missouri.

A Senate committee has approved its own proposed redistricting map that follows the general outline of the House proposal with several differences.

For example, the House puts a bigger chunk of Jefferson County into the 8th Congressional District than the Senate committee. Republican state senators from the southeastern corner have raised concerns that adding more people from Jefferson County could shift the district's focus from the Bootheel to St. Louis.

Sen. Jason Crowell, R-Cape Girardeau, said he could live with the Senate committee's version but that he would try to block a vote on the House map.

Other differences included how fast-growing St. Charles County would be divided among two congressional districts and the southwestern Missouri counties that would be included in the 7th Congressional District.

However, both the House and Senate versions would consolidate the two congressional districts in St. Louis city -- currently held by Democrats -- into a single district. The versions also group three largely rural counties into a congressional district with Kansas City and divide Jefferson County among three congressional districts.

Sen. Bill Stouffer, who represents the counties east of Kansas City that would be included in the 5th Congressional District, said he fears there would less attention paid to issues that are important in those rural areas.

"At least put us in a rural district and not an urban one," said Stouffer, R-Napton.

Sen. Ryan McKenna also raised concerns about his home Jefferson County. McKenna, D-Crystal City, said the maps would lead to his county being represented by a federal lawmaker from the St. Louis-area, one from the area around the Lake of the Ozarks in central Missouri and another from southeastern Missouri.

New congressional districts developed by lawmakers would be approved as legislation. Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon could veto the final proposal, which would force lawmakers to decide whether to try to override it with a two-thirds vote. Republicans control more than two-thirds of the state Senate and are just shy of that in the House.