John Rizzo

The new map passed by the House likely would keep Missouri’s current congressional delegation of six Republicans and two Democrats. It now goes to the Missouri Senate with only four days left in the legislative session.

The budget includes raising the minimum pay for teachers, fully funding the state’s Medicaid program, including its expansion population, and income tax credits, as well as close to $3 billion in federal funding for projects across the state.

Unlike the House version, the Senate substitute uses state money to fund charter schools. The bill now goes back to the House, where it would need to pass to reach the governor.

Despite passing a more than $46.5 billion budget, the House left about $1.8 billion in general revenue unspent. Senate leaders have indicated they plan to spend at least some of that leftover money.

The budget bills come as the Missouri Senate is expected to make changes to the House’s legislation. Senators have expressed frustration at the House taking what they believe is longer than normal on the budget with only six weeks left in the 2022 session.

The House vote against the map comes after the Senate rejected the House’s request for a conference committee to find a compromise on the bill. If the stalemate doesn’t break, the task of drawing the maps would likely go to the courts.

The map makes several changes compared to the House version that passed in January, including adding an emergency clause, which would put it into effect before the Aug. 2 primary.

While the Missouri House has already passed nearly 40 bills, gridlock in the Senate has brought operations in the upper chamber to a near-standstill. With eight weeks left, only a supplemental budget bill has made it past the finish line so far.

The lack of action on the appointment came one day after a vocal demonstration against acting Director Don Kauerauf. On Tuesday evening, Gov. Mike Parson appointed Richard Moore as acting director.

Missouri’s Senate minority leader sees both the campaign ambitions of legislators and the task of redistricting as factors that will shape how the 2022 session goes.