BY: JASON HANCOCK
Missouri Independent
Republican and Democratic lawmakers gathered in Jefferson City last week to choose new leaders for the upcoming legislative session in January.
In the Senate, where GOP infighting has caused unending gridlock for the last few years, Sen. Cindy O’Laughlin was chosen by her caucus to be president pro tem — the highest ranking job in the chamber.
O’Laughlin, of Shelbina, is the first woman to ever hold that position in Missouri. She previously served as Senate majority leader.
“I am deeply honored by the trust my colleagues have placed in me to serve as president pro tem of the Missouri Senate,” O’Laughlin said in a statement to the media.
She hinted at the chaos the Senate has endured in her statement, saying her focus will be on “fostering a Senate that works in harmony, respecting our common goals and building on the strengths of each member while ensuring we keep our promises to the people of Missouri.”
As president pro tem, O’Laughlin is in charge of appointing committee members, assigning legislation to committees and ruling on points of order raised during debate in the Senate Chamber, among other legislative duties.
Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer of Parkville was chosen to be the Senate majority leader, a job that gives him authority over the chamber’s debate calendar, as well as setting session meeting times and dates.
Luetkemeyer is not a member of the Senate Freedom Caucus — the group of GOP senators who quarreled with the chamber’s leadership and used Senate rules to muck up the legislative process. But he was the caucus’ preferred choice for majority leader, raising hopes among Republicans that the inter-party warfare is a thing of the past.
Democrats tapped Sen. Doug Beck of Affton to serve as minority floor leader and Sen. Steve Roberts of St. Louis as assistant minority floor leader.
In the House, Republicans followed the line of succession they set earlier this year and elevated Rep. Jon Patterson of Lee’s Summit to speaker and Rep. Alex Riley of Springfield to majority leader.
“We have achieved many significant accomplishments over the past few years,” Riley said, “but there’s much more to be done.”
Democrats chose Rep. Ashley Aune of Kansas City to be the next minority leader. She takes over from Rep. Crystal Quade of Springfield, who has held the post for six years but will leave the House in January due to term limits.
Aune promised to “build upon the foundation my predecessor has established.”
“I didn’t run as a Democrat in a deep red state because I thought it would be a cakewalk,” she said. “I ran because I want to help make our party stronger and build a Democratic movement that truly reflects the values of Missourians. The challenges are real, but so is our resolve.”
Republicans will enter the next legislative session in January with supermajorities in the House and Senate.
The party will have 24 of the Senate’s 34 seats and 111 of the 163 House seats.