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Proposal would shorten legislative sessions in Mo.

By Marshall Griffin, St. Louis Public Radio

Jefferson City, Mo. – There's a proposal in the Missouri Senate to shorten the length of legislative sessions from nearly five months to just under three.

The resolution would require the General Assembly to end regular sessions in late March, instead of mid-May. It's sponsored by State Senator Luann Ridgeway (R, Smithville).

"We need to be spending more time back with the job producers, back with our families, back in our home district, rather than spending almost five months out of the year down here with bureaucrats and government insiders and passing more legislation that people back home have to put up with," Ridgeway said.

Ridgeway hopes to persuade Senate leaders to schedule a hearing for her resolution. She also says that shorter legislative sessions would save the state thousands of dollars per week.

Mark Mehmert with the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce doesn't like the idea.

"Certainly the local businesses do kind of flourish and gain quite a bit when the legislature's in session...it's definitely a boon to our town in many ways, but it certainly would be something that would probably shake the local economy quite extensively," Mehmert said.

If lawmakers pass the resolution, it would go before Missouri voters in November.

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