Missouri lawmakers began their 2025 legislative session on Wednesday with Republicans banking on intraparty warfare being a thing of the past.
But an unsuccessful effort to reject Jon Patterson as House speaker perhaps showcased that the session won鈥檛 be without rancor within the GOP caucuses despite Republicans holding a supermajority.
As is usually the case, the first day of the Missouri General Assembly was largely ceremonial. House and Senate members were sworn into office, while the respective leaders of the chambers 鈥� Patterson, R-Lee鈥檚 Summit, and Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O鈥橪aughlin, R-Shelbina 鈥� made speeches about what they鈥檇 like to see the next few months.
The ascensions of Patterson and O鈥橪aughlin were historic. Patterson is the first nonwhite speaker. O鈥橪aughlin is the first woman to be president pro tem.
鈥淚 am the first Asian American to ever serve as speaker of the Missouri House,鈥� Patterson said. 鈥淏ut here in this body, our uniqueness is forgotten on this floor. We lose our names. Here, I am only the gentleman from Jackson County. This is not a place for egos.鈥�
But before he took the oath as speaker, Patterson had to fend off a challenge from Justin Sparks 鈥� a St. Louis County Republican who took the unprecedented step of running for speaker after the GOP caucus chose its designee. Patterson ended up winning 152-10.
Among those who voted for Sparks was Bryant Wolfin, a Republican from Ste. Genieneve. He said, 鈥淧ower has steadily shifted away from the people and this body concentrated instead in the hands of a few.鈥� Others expressed dismay about Patterson's votes, including his opposition in 2023 to a ban on most gender-affirming care for minors.
鈥淭oday, the speaker holds a level of authority that would make even a monarch blush,鈥� Wolfin said. 鈥淭his is not what self-government looks like.鈥�
After the House adjourned, Patterson said Sparks鈥� challenge was about 鈥渁 person with an oceanic ego who took it upon himself to make this day about himself.鈥�
鈥淚 respect a lot of the people that came to the Capitol today to peacefully express their views,鈥� Patterson said. 鈥淚 think that's actually a great thing, but that was not about any policy agenda.鈥�
Sparks the lawmakers who voted for him exhibited political courage.
鈥淭hey chose to listen to their constituents and vote to decentralize the power of the speaker's office and send that power back to where it belongs - the people,鈥� Sparks wrote. 鈥淭his is why we will win. You can鈥檛 threaten us, you can鈥檛 buy us, and you can鈥檛 ignore us anymore.鈥�
Historically, the House minority leaders put themselves up for speaker. But Minority Leader Ashley Aune, D-Kansas City, ended up withdrawing. While she mentioned afterward that she developed a good relationship with Patterson, Aune added that he may have trouble dealing with the right flank of his caucus.
鈥淗e built a very conservative coalition to get where he is today,鈥� Aune said. 鈥淗e had to appease the folks on the far right of his caucus to earn their trust. I think he will move further to the right than we've seen him before, and I'll be interested to see how that takes shape this session.鈥�
Legislative leaders set their priorities
Both Patterson and O鈥橪aughlin will be tasked with maintaining order and unity in their caucuses, which will be a critical factor in determining whether Gov.-elect Mike Kehoe鈥檚 agenda makes it through the legislature. Both emphasized bolstering public safety as a key priority, dovetailing with Kehoe鈥檚 promise to roll out a plan to reduce crime as soon as he鈥檚 sworn into office next week.
鈥淭oo many Missouri families are being torn apart by violence and crime,鈥� Patterson said. 鈥淣othing is more harmful to the growth of our state than criminals who roam our streets with little fear of punishment. Therefore, we must pass legislation that addresses the critical issue of public safety.鈥�
O鈥橪aughlin鈥檚 speech also emphasized her opposition to abortion and the 鈥渘ormalization鈥� of drug use 鈥� a not-so-subtle reference to how Missouri voters approved constitutional amendments legalizing abortion and recreational marijuana.
鈥淎s a woman, I have seen firsthand how the role of the family has been transformed and sadly too often trivialized,鈥� O鈥橪aughlin said. 鈥淢others have been undervalued, fathers have been dismissed, and the institution of marriage has been diminished. These shifts have left deep and lasting challenges for families across our state.鈥�
Some Republicans have filed ballot items that would scale back much of the constitutional protection for abortion. Patterson in particular said there鈥檚 interest in changing the definition of fetal viability, which is currently the point at which a medical professional determines a fetus could survive outside the womb without extraordinary medical intervention.
Aune said voters spoke in November against legislators curbing abortion rights.
鈥淚 believe that it is incumbent upon us, as the folks who are sent down here and entrusted to represent them in the legislature, to uphold the will of the voters,鈥� Aune said.
Additionally, O鈥橪aughlin dedicated a major part of her speech decrying what she said was the 鈥渇ailure鈥� of Missouri鈥檚 child welfare system. That echoes her comments to 漏 2024 外网天堂 last year when O鈥橪aughlin said that Missouri鈥檚 Children鈥檚 Division needed a reset, including a major pay increase for investigators who look into alleged child abuse and neglect.
鈥淐hildren in crisis deserve more than delayed action and endless uncertainty,鈥� O鈥橪aughlin said. 鈥淭hey deserve a clear and stable path to safety, permanency and hope for a better future. Our responsibility is not just to respond, it is to act with purpose and urgency, ensuring the best outcomes for the most vulnerable among us.鈥�
Looking for harmony
Much of the discord in past sessions occurred in the Senate, particularly between GOP leadership and a group of lawmakers known as the Freedom Caucus.
Several lawmakers who were agitators against GOP leadership, such as former Sens. Bill Eigel and Denny Hoskins, are now gone. And there鈥檚 some optimism that there may be less factionalism than in years past.
鈥淲e owe it to the people of Missouri to ensure their hard-earned tax dollars are not wasted on political agendas but invested in ways that strengthen our communities and deliver results that are as solid as the values we represent,鈥� O鈥橪aughlin said. 鈥淚 am excited for the work ahead.鈥�
Sen. Tracy McCreery, D-St. Louis County, said there are more commonalities between Republicans and Democrats than people think. Members of both parties, for instance, have said they want to help defray the cost of child care.
鈥淚 have great confidence that we're going to be able to accomplish a lot of things, quite honestly,鈥� McCreery said. 鈥淲hen I listen closely to her [O鈥橪aughlin鈥檚] priorities, most of those are values that the Republicans and the Democrats share quite honestly. Of course, there's always going to be a couple of things that are more controversial, and those are probably the things that were going to cause great angst.鈥�
See photos from the first day of the legislative session:
