Senate Filibuster Ends – SMS Name Change Approved

An all-night filibister in the State Senate finally ends with Senators voting 23-7 to give first round approval to a bill that would change the name of Southwest Missouri State University to Missouri State. The vote came shortly after 6:30 this morning, following about fourteen hours of debate. Efforts continued throughout the night in a bid to reach an agreement that would end the stalling tactic, which was launched by Senator Chuck Graham of Columbia. Those efforts included discussions with the presidents of both universities. Eventually, University of Missouri President Elson Floyd contacted Graham, encouraging him to end the filibuster.