Peter Merideth

The House General Laws Committee heard testimony on eight bills centered on the LGBTQ community on Tuesday. They would impose restrictions including barring transgender girls from participating in sports that align to their gender identity and from accessing gender-affirming health care.

On the first day of prefiling, both state Democrat and Republican legislators proposed measures to increase school security.

The establishment of the new department comes after nearly 50 years of the Missouri National Guard being part of the Department of Public Safety.

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.

Gov. Mike Parson wanted a starting date of Sept. 6 for a special session on an income tax cut and agriculture tax credits. However, Republican leadership in a joint statement said they intend to use this week for further negotiations.

The bill, passed by lawmakers during the recently completed 2022 legislative session, would provide a one-time, nonrefundable tax credit for those who paid income tax this year. However, Gov. Mike Parson has expressed concerns over the bill.

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.

According to the state’s Department of Revenue, of the roughly 3.2 million Missourians who filed state income taxes, only around 1.4 million of them would receive their full tax credit amount.

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.