Mixed results from Missouri legislative session

In the last statewide election, the Republican Party took the governor's seat, along with every other statewide office.

The voters spoke, and did so emphatically.

And so the state government entered this legislative season with a GOP agenda, and the means to get a lot of things done, knowing it had strong majorities in the House and Senate and knowing the opposing party was not waiting in the governor's office with his veto pen at the ready.

With this accumulation of power, the government didn't run as smoothly as one might expect, but the legislature did nail down some key legislation.

Republicans pushed through the highest priority with relative ease: the right-to-work law. This gives workers the right to work for union-based employers without being mandated to pay dues. Economic officials across the state have been making the case for decades for Missouri to join several other neighboring states in becoming a right-to-work state. The political stars finally aligned, and the bill was passed through both houses and signed by the governor. We look forward to seeing the economic results from this change in Missouri Law.

The legislature also passed the REAL ID bill, allowing Missourians to get ID cards that meet federal standards. And the legislature passed a budget bill that fully funds the foundation formula for public schools. This came partly at the expense of higher education. Universities across the state, including Southeast Missouri State, are making difficult decisions to pare down staff, programs and faculty as a result of the funding cut.

There were some disappointments, including the rejection of a statewide prescription database aimed at deterring doctor shopping for the purpose of abusing opioids. Missouri remains the only state without a statewide prescription database to fight the opioid problem. Missouri's government also failed to pass serious ethics reform, which was disappointing.

We offer a nod to Todd Richardson, the House Speaker, a state representative from Poplar Bluff, for what appeared to be a smoothly run session on the House side of the legislative body. But there seemed to be a disconnect and struggles between the governor and Senate.

This was evident in several squabbles between Gov. Eric Greitens and senators. Greitens, according to reports, is linked to a not-for-profit organization that ran attack advertisements against senators, fellow Republicans, when they opposed certain legislation.

Several senators have openly engaged in hostility toward the governor, whether it be regarding ethics reform, the governor's political funding sources, the Ameren/mill bill that would bring hundreds of jobs to the Bootheels at the risk of raising electric bills of Ameren customers across the state. Greitens has very publicly criticized senators such as Doug Libla for his opposition of the bill that could resurrect the former Noranda aluminum smelter as well as bring a steel mill to the Bootheel. While we're rooting for these new jobs, Greitens has lowered himself to sound bite attacks, using empty phrases like "career politicians" when describing those in opposition of the bill. Greitens is very sharp and well-educated. He should know there are term limits in Missouri, and he should be able to better articulate his support for the bill and improve his persuasion skills.

The governor has called a special session to hammer out a decision on the mill bill. We really hope something gets worked out so these high-paying jobs can fill a huge economic gap left by Noranda. And there may be more special session items on the horizon. But beyond the special session, there is much work to be done to build and repair relationships so the state of Missouri can move ahead on important issues for the people of Missouri.