Missouri House of Representatives

The deadline for the legislature to pass the budget for the upcoming fiscal year is 6 p.m. Friday.

The ethics committee dropped its investigation of Dean Plocher last week. But allegations of witness tampering linger as the legislative session nears its end.

The upper chamber adjourned without taking up any bills despite a state constitutional deadline coming on Friday. That deadline has only been missed once, in 1997,

A resumption of the internal GOP warfare that led to a 41-hour filibuster last week could, for the first time since 1997, force lawmakers to complete appropriations in a special session.

A GOP-sponsored bill would eliminate the formal process for 14- and 15-year-olds to work and only require a signed permission slip.

The GOP chair of the Missouri House committee was thwarted in her attempt to livestream the hearing and include allegations of obstruction in a motion to dismiss the investigation of Speaker Dean Plocher.

A rejected report from the House ethics committee suggested transferring subpoena power automatically to another member of House leadership — the speaker pro tem — if the speaker or anyone on his staff are subject of an inquiry.

Because the House made changes to the legislation previously approved by the Senate, including adding language that was stripped off, it has to again get Senate approval.

The 2-page proposal states that beginning in the 2026 federal elections, a candidate running to represent a congressional district in Missouri may do so only if they live in that district.

The legislation comes after several unsuccessful attempts to stop public funds from going to abortion providers or affiliates through the budget process. The bill now goes to Gov. Mike Parson.