Missouri Legislative Session At The Half

At approximately the half-way mark for its 2013 session, the Missouri General Assembly has in some ways performed as expected, but has also delivered some genuine surprises.

An update on what's transpired so far in Jefferson City and what seems likely in the remainder of the session.

Interview Highlights

On taxes: “The Missouri Senate proposal would increase the sales tax slightly. They say that it would be offset by the cuts in income tax," says Marshall Griffin. "But still the House is very leery, very shaky of any type of tax hike. There’s going to need to be some negotiations between the House and the Senate before it even gets to Governor Nixon, who is likely to veto it.”

On Medicaid: "The Missouri Chamber’s members are not unanimous in supporting Medicaid expansion," he says. "It’s more of a situation of ‘Let’s hold our nose and support this.’”

On the bill that would allow medical workers to opt out of procedures/referrals: "There is a chance that the Democrats could get up and filibuster this bill. But if the Republicans really want it, they’ll find a way to give them something else they want," says Griffin. "That’s kind of the way things work in Jefferson City, and I’d assume other state capitols and Washington, D.C. as well.