The 2025 Session of the Missouri General Assembly kicked off at noon on Jan. 8. As expected, Dr. Jon Patterson and Alec Riley were elected speaker of the House and majority leader, respectively, key leadership positions in the House. Cindy O’Laughlin and Tony Luetkemeyer were elected president pro tem and majority leader, respectively, key leadership positions in the Senate.
For now, the House and Senate are going through the exercise of swearing in new members, making speeches on what their top priorities are for their tenure, forming new committees and getting rid of or consolidating old ones, and naming committee chairs and members. Time will tell what happens with the key issues, but they will surely get floor time this year. However, them crossing the finish line is a big “if” at this point.
With the naming of committee chairs, Sen. Sandy Crawford of Buffalo was named chair of the Senate Insurance and Banking Committee, a position she has held for the last two years; and Rep. Bill Owen of Springfield was named chair of the House Financial Institutions Committee. Committee members will be named shortly.
As for the “big” issues, Pro Tem O’Laughlin outlined her priorities as education, repealing the non-partisan court plan and placing the appointment of the highway superintendent for the Missouri Department of Transportation with the governor. Speaker Patterson highlighted trying to deal with two recent statewide vote issues that passed, abortion rights and the increase in the minimum wage.
As for banking-related issues, MIBA is working with other financial groups to address fraud, especially fraud targeted at Missouri seniors. We’ll update you on our progress in our next article.
As always, it is a pleasure to represent MIBA, and we thank you for your trust in our ability to navigate the Missouri Legislature and Executive Branch.