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The House General Laws Committee heard testimony on eight bills centered on the LGBTQ community on Tuesday. They would impose restrictions including barring transgender girls from participating in sports that align to their gender identity and from accessing gender-affirming health care.
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Missouri Republicans, especially in the Senate, spent much of the past two years fighting with each other but now are hoping to band together to pass major priorities such as making it harder to pass ballot petition initiatives.
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The Missouri General Assembly is already fielding legislation on college students and campus life.
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Efforts to ban transgender girls from competing in women’s sports are expected to pick up momentum when lawmakers return to the Capitol in January.
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Mirroring federal legislation passed on Dec. 8, Missouri Rep. Chris Sander, a Republican from Lone Jack, has pre-filed a bill to recognize marriage between two individuals.
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On the first day of prefiling, both state Democrat and Republican legislators proposed measures to increase school security.
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While Republicans will still hold a supermajority in the chamber, House Democrats were able to gain three seats, giving them their largest numbers in years.
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Republicans scored big wins from Eric Schmitt in the U.S. Senate contest and Scott Fitzpatrick in the auditor’s race, but Democrats came out on top in Missouri’s only competitive state Senate contest and gained in the House.
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Democrats have hoped for years to cut into the Republican supermajority in Jefferson City. While the chances of that are slim this election, newly drawn statehouse districts means Republicans may have to fight harder for their seats.
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Democrat Mark Ellebracht, who has represented his Northland district in the Missouri House since 2017, is running for a fourth term in office.
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During a special session, lawmakers also passed legislation last week that cuts Missouri’s income tax. Both bills now head to Gov. Mike Parson’s desk, where he is expected to sign them.
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The legislation decreases the top rate to just under 5% and sets the stage for further reductions. The cut was one of the goals of the special session Parson called.