With a few weeks passed since the end of the 2022 Missouri legislative session, state Rep. Kevin Windham, D-Hillsdale, believes Democrats were fairly successful, despite being in the minority — especially with the budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
Windham joined St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg on the latest episode of Politically Speaking to talk about not only Democratic gains in the budget, but also other thoughts on the recently completed session.
Here are some of the things Windham talked about on the show:
- The slow pace of the Missouri Senate this year, including the prolonged passage of a congressional redistricting map. Windham urged keeping politics out of policy in order to avoid a similar session in the future.
- Some of the wins for Democrats within the budget, including fully funding Lincoln University’s land grant match, as well as what that match will do for the historically Black university.
- The passage of an omnibus elections bill that includes the requirement of a photo ID to vote. Windham was one of the representatives who expressed his disappointment the Senate did not put up a bigger fight against that legislation.
- Republicans’ failure to approve a vote by residents that would make it tougher for initiative petition issues to appear on the ballot and whether Windham expects to see those efforts return.
Windham currently represents the 85th District in the Missouri House, which encompasses part of St. Louis County, including municipalities within the Normandy school district.
He was first elected to the House in 2018 at the age of 25, making him the youngest Black man elected to the legislature.
Prior to serving in the legislature, Windham was a staffer in both the Missouri and U.S. senates. He is a graduate of Southeast Missouri University.
Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum
Follow Sarah Kellogg on Twitter: @sarahkkellogg
Follow Rep. Kevin Windham on Twitter: @KWindham85
