The Missouri senate is upset with the House. The House isn’t buying into the senate’s economic development bill. Governor Nixon is in the middle….and the special legislative session is on the verge of ending with the main reason for its existence becoming road kill.
The ambitious agenda announced for this special session was highlighted by a big jobs package that focused on creating a China trade Hub at Lambert-St. Louis Airport. The senate has killed that idea. The House wants it but has killed another issue the senate wants. The two sides appear to be widely separated on any compromise efforts.
Added to it is a co-called compromise bill offered by the House after meetings with the governor…But Senate leader Rob Mayer says the senate won’t accept it.
He says chances are slim on the China Hub at best.
The senate came close to shutting down the special session yesterday afternoon. Mayer has headed that off for now. But he candidly admits this special session is unlikely to pass much if anything at all.
Rank and file members say the governor and legislative leaders didn’t talk to them about a deal struck to start the special session. Mayer doubts either chamber will pass the economic development bill now. He says the Facebook fix bill could be the only thing that comes out of this session—which he thinks will end tomorrow, probably, with most lawmakers going home in a bad mood.