Missouri General Assembly returns to the state capitol

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Lawmakers returned to the Missouri State Capitol Wednesday for the start of a new legislative session. 

Plenty of new faces filled the inside of both the House and Senate chambers as members were sworn into the 103rd General Assembly. Leaders in both chambers say they are excited for what is to come in the next five months, and after recent years of drama, they say they are ready to move forward. 

"It is time to set clear standards and demand accountability," Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O'Laughlin, R-Shelbina, said. "We owe it to the people of Missouri to ensure their hard-earned tax dollars are not wasted on political agendas but invested in ways to strengthen our communities and deliver results that are as solid as the values we represent."

In the Senate, members made history Wednesday by electing O'Laughlin to be the first female to lead the upper chamber. 

Across the building, representatives elected Jackson County representative and former Majority Floor Leader Jon Patterson as Speaker of the House. He said his number one priority this session is public safety, followed by child care availability and increasing mental health resources for Missouri's youth. 

These priorities are similar to the topics Democrats want to focus on this session. 

"If the majority party and the minority party are kind of coming together and having similar objectives, I love that, but I would also say that it's been my experience, we often agree on the problem and vehemently disagree on the solution," House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, D-Kansas City, said. 

Missourians can also expect the Amendment 3 referendum, better known as legalizing abortion, to be top of mind this session, as many Republicans want to challenge the recent referendum approved by voters. 

"If you took 10 doctors and lined them up and said what is the definition of fetal viability, I think you would get 10 different answers," Patterson said. "I think our citizens deserve to know what these are, and I think it's a debate worth having."

Patterson, who also made history by being the first Asian American elected to lead the Missouri House, said he doesn't want to repeal the amendment but instead wants to clarify the provision. Democrats said that's a non-starter for them. 

The legislative session runs through the middle of May.