By Rick Francis, state representative
JEFFRSON CITY — We returned to the State Capitol Building Wednesday, January 5 for the start of the 2022 legislative session, which is officially the Second Regular Session of the 101st General Assembly.
In the Missouri House, there are 108 Republicans and 49 Democrats. Leading up to the start of the session, House members have pre-filed bills at a near-record pace. Pre-filing began Dec. 1 and ended January 4. In that period of time House members pre-filed 770 pieces of legislation. That number is significantly more than the 688 pre-filed bills for the 2021 session, and just six bills short of the pre-filing record of 776 that was set in 2020. I filed six bills during the pre-filing period. I will be writing about them in future capital reports.
We will need to move quickly to approve new congressional district maps based on the latest U.S. Census data. The maps have to be approved and signed into law in time for the August 2 primary. The critical part of drawing congressional maps is to ensure that the map can survive judicial and public scrutiny.
The proposed maps are available at the following links:
https://house.mo.gov/pr/Maps/JointProposedMap.pdf
https://house.mo.gov/pr/Maps/JointProposedDistricts.pdf
We will also work expeditiously to approve a supplemental budget bill proposed by Gov. Parson. The governor has asked the House and Senate to have the legislation approved by February 1. This supplemental bill has some critical funding for schools and state employees.
As the 2022 legislative session progresses, I’m pushing for a number of other important issues including the state operating budget, protections for the unborn, election integrity, agricultural funding, and protections against overly burdensome mandates.
If you have any questions regarding any state matters or legislation, please don’t hesitate to contact email me at Rick.Francis@house.mo.gov or call 573-751-5912.
If you would like to sign up for my capital report following this link: https://house.mo.gov/CapitolReport.aspx?district=145
It is an honor to serve as your State Representative.