By Tom Weber, KWMU
St. Louis – Lawmakers in Jefferson City took a break from their veto session Wednesday to honor out-going lawmakers.
Wayne Goode is among those serving his last days as a State Senator.
He's been in the General Assembly for 42 years and would have run again, but term limits are forcing his retirement.
He's one of five state senators with more than 20 years' experience who can't run again.
And Goode doesn't like the fact that the Senate won't have any member with even 10 years' experience come January.
"I think institutional memory in any organization is extremely important," Goode said. "There needs to be people who know how things have gone in the past; what's been tried, what works, what doesn't work. That's going to be missing."
Goode says the lack of experience will put more power in the hands of lobbyists and workers in state offices who have been longer.
Goode introduced the piece of legislation in the 60's that eventually created The University of Missouri-St. Louis.