filibuster

Abortion is heading back to the ballot, after Missouri Republican lawmakers fell back on a little-used rule to shut down a Democratic filibuster and push through a ballot amendment to ban abortion again. They used the same maneuver to repeal a paid sick leave law — just months after Missouri voters approved both.

This year’s Missouri General Assembly session was defined by fighting among factions in the Republican Party amid campaigns for other offices ahead of the November general election. It resulted in a recent low for passing legislation. Most laws are still waiting a signature or veto from Gov. Mike Parson.

By some measures, Missouri's recent legislative session was the least productive in recent history. The bitter and public factionalism among Republican lawmakers became so pervasive that it helped tank one of the party’s biggest priorities: a ballot item making it harder to amend the Missouri Constitution.

A gridlocked Missouri Senate was unsuccessful in passing a measure to change how voters can amend the state constitution. But the legislature did pass measures relating to public safety and ranked-choice voting.