Lincoln Hough

Instead of speaking on the billions of dollars within the Missouri budget, House Democrats repeatedly spoke out against language added to each bill that prohibits spending on anything associated with diversity, equity and inclusion. That language is expected to be stripped out in the Senate.

Sen. Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, expressed unease with the measure so soon after a deadly school shooting in Nashville.

The Missouri Senate passed the first of two supplemental budgets on Wednesday. With no changes made to the bill, it now goes to Gov. Mike Parson, who’s expected to sign it.

Both Senate bills now go to the House. In addition to the special session, the annual veto session ended on Wednesday, with no legislation overridden by lawmakers this year.

The session, called by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, is supposed to center around a permanent income tax cut as well as tax credits for agriculture. However, some lawmakers are filing unrelated bills in hopes of passing them this time around.

The Springfield Republican said that the legislature already passed both tax relief and agriculture tax credit programs this past session before Gov. Mike Parson vetoed them and that passing them the way Parson wants them could be a heavy lift.

The budget includes millions for both starting and existing teacher salaries and school transportation as well as investments across the state.

The Springfield Republican also talked about how the legislature would move forward after a landmark Supreme Court decision on Medicaid expansion.

It's deja vu in Missouri: Voters will again decide which state legislative redistricting system they want.

Senate Republicans were nearly unanimous in their support for a ballot measure that could do away with a state legislative redistricting system that…