The clock is ticking for Missouri lawmakers, who have passed six bills so far this year.
With three weeks left to go in the Missouri Legislature’s session, the Senate’s gridlock this year has created a giant traffic jam of bills awaiting attention. If lawmakers don’t pass some of Gov. Mike Parson’s key priorities, could a special session be on the horizon?
“We’ll have to see,” Parson told Missourinet affiliate KCHI in Chillicothe. “You know, the main thing we’ve got to do is we’ve got to get the budget done. That’s the one thing that constitution says we do. But, you know, special sessions just depend on what the facts are and I don’t think right now anybody knows what’s going to cross the finish line or not. So, we’ll address that issue at the end of the session.”
Some of the governor’s top requests this year include passing a childcare tax credit package, pay increases for state workers, increasing teacher pay, and funding to improve I-44 as well as some low-volume roads.
The governor could also throw a curveball and threaten to call a special session for something out of left field. Near the end of the 2023 legislative session, Parson threatened to call a special session if lawmakers failed to pass transgender-related legislation.
The deadline to pass a balanced state budget is May 10. The deadline to pass policy bills is May 17.
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