New to Missouri's legislature? A primer on how the Show-Me State's General Assembly works

Missouri's General Assembly is back in Jefferson City, as state lawmakers prepare for months of policy negotiations, political jockeying and budget decisions.

The legislature's annual session has big stakes for Missouri residents: billions of taxpayer dollars get allocated and bills impacting hundreds of thousands of residents are debated and passed. But state government can be confusing and hard to follow, especially for those outside the sphere of Missouri government and politics.

In anticipation of the Jan. 5 start of the session, we're outlining some of the basics of the legislature — how it works, who's in it, how bills get passed and what Missourians can do to get involved — for those who may be new to the Show-Me State or for longtime residents interested in a refresher.

What is the Missouri General Assembly?

Missouri's General Assembly serves as the legislative branch of the Show-Me State's government and is the primary lawmaking body of the state.

Much like the U.S. Congress, its federal counterpart, the General Assembly is bicameral — made up of two separate chambers, the House and Senate. 

It's made up of 197 total lawmakers, 163 in the House and 34 in the Senate, all representing specific regions of the state. House members serve two-year terms, and a Senate term is four years. Both chambers have term limits: a lawmaker can serve a maximum of four terms in the House and two in the Senate, or eight years per chamber. All House members and half of the Senate are up for election every two years.

Who represents me in Jefferson City? Enter your address to find your lawmakers

What and when is the legislative session?

The vast majority of legislation and action within the General Assembly happens within a five-month period at the beginning of each year, known as the "regular session." During this time, lawmakers from all around the state meet in the state capitol in Jefferson City — attending committee meetings, debating on the floor of both chambers and negotiating policy behind the scenes.

Missouri's constitution requires the General Assembly to convene on the first Wednesday in January — this year, that's Jan. 5 — and ends on May 30.

More:Elections, abortion, schools, stimulus & more: 7 issues in Missouri politics to watch in 2022

Once the regular session adjourns, bills can no longer be considered. At this point, the governor — currently Mike Parson, a Republican — decides whether to sign the passed bills into law or veto them. If a veto is issued on any legislation passed during regular session, the legislature is called back in September for the opportunity to overturn vetoes (called a "veto session"). In 2021, the General Assembly returned for a veto session but did not end up overriding any of Parson's vetoes.

The General Assembly can also return to Jefferson City in what is known as a "special" or "extra" session, called by the governor or petitioned by 75 percent of each chamber. Last year, a special session was called in order to extend a tax critical to funding Missouri's Medicaid program, which stalled during the regular session due to disagreement among Republicans.

How is power divided in the legislature?

The Republican Party holds strong majorities in both the House and Senate, with 24 of 34 Senate seats and 112 of 163 House seats. Democratic power is concentrated almost exclusively in the St. Louis and Kansas City metro regions, as well as two House members from each of Columbia and Springfield; the GOP dominates exurban and rural regions of the state.

Those wide margins mean that the Republican priorities of both legislative leaders and the governor often dominate debate and legislation. Democrats often have to partner with lawmakers across the aisle to get any of their policies across the finish line, and spend significant time fighting and attempting to dilute conservative bills.

More:Meet the major players in Missouri's legislature as the 2022 session gets underway

That large Republican presence has also resulted in disagreements between members of the party in recent years. The party's House caucus frequently diverges on the details and implementation of key policies and bills.

The line in the Senate is drawn more clearly, with a dedicated Conservative Caucus — a group of several senators within the party that frequently takes more hardline right-wing stances on issues. Last year, they feuded with Republican leadership during disagreements about when and how to withhold public funds from Planned Parenthood, banning vaccine mandates and even the rules and decorum of the Senate itself.

Who are my state representatives and senators?

Not sure who represents you in the Missouri House and Senate? Don't fret — the state has just the tool for that.

Both the House and Senate websites have "legislator lookups" that allow you to enter your address and find out who represents you (one representative and one senator). They also have full lists of members to peruse, including their party, committees and currently proposed legislation. The websites are house.mo.gov and senate.mo.gov.

More:Who represents me in Jefferson City? Meet Springfield & Greene County's state lawmakers

Keep in mind that this year is special, in that within the next few months, new lines will be drawn in accordance with updated census data released this year — a process known as redistricting. House and Senate districts will be adjusted depending on how the populations of regions have grown or shrunk (each House district represents approximately 37,000 people, while each Senate district represents approximately 176,000).

Redistricting will enter play come November, when the entire House and half of the Senate seek re-election. Good news, though — once the new lines are inked, they're there for a decade until the next batch of census data is collected.

How does the legislature make laws?

The actual lawmaking process is composed of a number of steps, involving coordination between both chambers, committees and the governor.

Any member of either chamber can propose bills for the legislative session starting on Dec. 1 (known as "pre-filing) and can continue to submit them until the 60th day of the session. Members can only sponsor a bill in the chamber to which they belong, but can partner with another lawmaker to have a similar version proposed in the other chamber (see the term "carrying a bill" below). Every bill is assigned a number.

A bill is "read" twice in a chamber before it is assigned to a committee by chamber leaders — either the Speaker of the House or the President Pro Tempore. That bill will then receive a hearing in front of the committee, in which members of the public can come testify for or against the bill. The committee as a body can amend or alter the bill before taking a vote, either recommending that it "do pass" or "do not pass." A committee can send a bill back to the full chamber without a recommendation, though it's rare. 

Legislation in 2022:Here's what bills Springfield, Greene County lawmakers pre-filed

The full chamber then works to "perfect" a bill. Amendments to the bill from members can be proposed and voted on before the vote to perfect the bill, which requires a majority of members present voting to approve it. It then goes on to a third reading, at which point only minor technical amendments can be proposed. The perfection and third read stages are when the vast majority of floor debate over bills takes place. 

If a bill receives a constitutional majority of votes in the chamber, it's then sent to the other chamber, where it goes through the same process again. If significant changes are made to the bill in the other chamber, it has to go back to the original chamber for those changes to be approved. Finally, the bill will be sent to a conference committee, which is made up of five members of each chamber and designed to resolve any differences between the two chambers on the bill. If both houses approve the report from the conference committee, the bill is sent to the governor's desk.

The complexity of the process can vary depending on the bill. For example, the controversial Second Amendment Preservation Act passed last year had over 50 actions taken on it as it made its way through the General Assembly.

Why should I care about any of this?

There are few things more important than being an informed and active citizen — Missouri's state legislature (like those in every other state) makes decisions every single day that impact your life.

Lawmakers have the ability to pass new taxes or tax breaks that could see you spending a few more cents at the gas pump or cut your small business a break. They could decide to allocate more or less money to an institution, program or agency that you and your family benefit from or utilize. They could change how millions of residents go about accessing health care services, or how families can decide which school to send their kids to.

The list goes on. While it's always important to stay in tune with local and national government, state government is vital, too! Stay tuned however you can.

Where can I learn more about the legislature?

The News-Leader will have regular reporting from Jefferson City in the coming months, including exclusive stories focused on policy and policymakers for Springfield. Make sure to subscribe if you want to access all of our reporting.

Missouri's official state website, mo.gov, has a vast array of links, documents and details about countless agencies, programs and more. 

If you're interested in a raw, unfiltered feed from the sphere of Missouri politics and government, consider tracking the Twitter hashtag #moleg (short for "Missouri legislature") — where elected officials, lobbyists, press and others share their thoughts and happenings of the day.

Handy jargon, terms and definitions to know

Appropriations: State and federal dollars allocated to a certain agency, issue or entity. Several committees are dedicated to making recommendations on appropriations for certain issues and areas of state government. Appropriations bills assign funding.

Caucus: A subgroup of members in the General Assembly that often represent mutual interests or identities. The biggest and most important are the party caucuses, Republicans and Democrats; other caucuses include the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus, the Conservative Caucus in the Senate and the Missouri Democrats Latino Caucus. Caucuses will often meet privately to iron out details of policy preferences and action.

Carrying a bill: When a member from one chamber is tasked with sponsoring a bill that has made progress or is a priority for a legislator in the other chamber. The bill carrier may be either chosen by the bill's sponsor or the chair of a committee. The member carrying a bill in the other chamber is also called a handler.

Emergency clause: Can be attached to a bill to force it to go into effect when it becomes law sooner than the standard 90 days. Requires approval of two-thirds of each chamber to be attached.

Filibuster: Continuing debate in a chamber to stall action. Frequently occurs in the Senate, where the filibuster can last indefinitely; party colleagues, especially in the minority, often join forces in order to extend it as long as possible. Each member in the House is limited to 15 minutes of debate on a given bill or amendment. 

Floor leaders: Elected by each party. Floor leader of the majority party controls how the chamber takes up legislation and actions, while the minority leader serves as the primary spokesperson for their party. Majority leaders are currently Republicans Sen. Caleb Rowden and Rep. Dean Plocher, of Columbia and St. Louis. Minority leaders are currently Democrats Sen. John Rizzo and Rep. Crystal Quade, of Independence and Springfield.

PQ (previous question): A procedural tactic that serves to shut down debate on a bill. It is frequently used in the House but rarely employed in the Senate, where it is seen as an absolute last resort tactic.

President pro tem: Presides over the Senate when the lieutenant governor is absent. Elected by members of the Senate and responsible for assigning legislation to committees. Currently Sen. Dave Schatz, a Republican from Sullivan.

Roll call vote: A vote in which every single member is asked to formally record their decision (rather than a voice vote). Both chambers must take roll call votes on final passage of bills and other actions, but any group of five members can request a roll call vote on any singular action (primarily driven by political motive to get lawmakers' votes on the record).

Sine die: A legal term meaning adjourned with no appointed date of return. Marks the end of each legislative session.

Speaker of the House: Presides over the House of Representatives, traditionally the head of the majority party. Elected by the House body. Currently Rep. Rob Vescovo, a Republican from Arnold.

Sponsor/co-sponsor: The member(s) who introduces a bill for the General Assembly's consideration. 

Galen Bacharier covers Missouri politics & government for the News-Leader. Contact him at gbacharier@news-leader.com, (573) 219-7440 or on Twitter @galenbacharier.