Filing for all of Missouri’s House of Representatives seats, half of the State Senate seats, all of the congressional seats, and the one U.S. Senate seat up this year began Feb. 22 and closes Mar. 29. That means anyone with the $300 filing fee can come to Jefferson City and add their name to the 2022 election cycle, and there has been a steady stream of filing this year.

While the Missouri House Redistricting Commission came to an agreement and we know what the new House districts will look like for the next 10 years, at this writing, a special judicial commission has taken over the drawing of the new senate district lines. And, with congressional redistricting at a standstill in the Senate, a lawsuit will most likely throw congressional redistricting to the courts as well. To say the General Assembly is in disarray is an understatement partly due to House and Senate members looking for a new opportunity to serve as they get turned out of office by term limits.

There is a bright spot for MIBA as we have been successful in helping move legislation out of committee (SB 831 & HB 2127) in the Senate and the House to establish a separate criminal charge for someone tampering with an automatic teller machine. While there are other charges on the books, nothing is specific to tampering with an automatic teller machine. However, some don’t like specific charges for specific crimes, so moving this legislation to the finish line will be a heavy lift.

We are getting ready to adjourn for the annual Legislative Spring Break, a week off from the day-to-day craziness. Let’s hope things get back to normal when the legislature reconvenes Mar. 21.