The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections held in even-numbered years.
Missouri House of Representatives | |
|---|---|
| Missouri General Assembly | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | 4 terms (8 years) |
| History | |
New session started | January 4, 2023 |
| Leadership | |
Speaker Pro Tempore | |
Majority Leader | |
Minority Leader | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 163 |
 | |
Political groups | Majority
Minority
|
Length of term | 2 years |
| Authority | Article III, Missouri Constitution |
| Salary | $35,915/year + per diem[1] |
| Elections | |
Last election | November 5, 2024 (163 seats) |
Next election | November 3, 2026 (163 seats) |
| Redistricting | Legislative Control |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| House of Representatives Chamber Missouri State Capitol Jefferson City, Missouri | |
| Website | |
| Missouri House of Representatives | |
| Rules | |
| Rules of the House of Representatives of the 102nd General Assembly | |
Missouri's house is the fourth largest in the United States even as the state ranks 18th in population. The only states with a larger lower house in the United States are New Hampshire (400), Pennsylvania (203) and Georgia (180).[2][3] Republicans have controlled the State House since 2003.[4]
The next election will be held in 2026.
Operations
editThe Missouri House of Representatives meets annually beginning on the Wednesday after the first Monday in January.[5] A part-time legislature, it concludes session business by May 30. To serve in the chamber, an individual must have attained the age of 24 and have resided in their district for a period of one year preceding the election. State representatives are paid $36,813 per year, with a per diem of $121 per day. The Speaker of the House is the most powerful individual in the chamber, elected by all members of the House. The Speaker makes an additional $2,500 per year in accordance with state law. Representatives are term-limited to a maximum of four terms, or eight years, in the chamber.
Members confirm officers of the House every two years when organizing as a new General Assembly, which include the Chief Clerk, the Sergeant-At-Arms, the Chaplain, and the Doorkeeper.[6] The Chief Clerk has the added responsibility of serving as House Administrator and is responsible for supervising the work of eight non-partisan staff. The current Chief Clerk and House Administrator is Dana Miller.[6]
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)
|
Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Democratic | Ind | Vacant | ||
| End of previous session | 114 | 47 | 0 | 161 | 2 |
| Start of 2021 session | 114 | 48 | 0 | 162 | 1 |
| After April 6 special election[7] | 114 | 49 | 0 | 163 | 0 |
| Beginning of 2022 session[8][9][10] | 108 | 49 | 0 | 157 | 6 |
| Start of 2023 session[11] | 111 | 52 | 0 | 163 | 0 |
| April 17, 2023[12] | 111 | 51 | 0 | 162 | 1 |
| Latest voting share | 68.5% | 31.5% | |||
Leadership
edit| Position | Name | Party | District |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speaker of the House | Dean Plocher | Rep | 89 |
| Speaker Pro Tempore | Mike Henderson | Rep | 117 |
| Majority Leader | Jonathan Patterson | Rep | 30 |
| Assistant Majority Floor Leader | Jamie Burger | Rep | 148 |
| Majority Whip | Hardy Billington | Rep | 152 |
| Majority Caucus Chair | Chris Dinkins | Rep | 144 |
| Minority Leader | Crystal Quade | Dem | 132 |
| Assistant Minority Floor Leader | Richard Brown | Dem | 27 |
| Minority Whip | Ashley Aune | Dem | 14 |
| Minority Caucus Chair | Ingrid Burnett | Dem | 19 |
List of current representatives
editStanding committees
editThese are the yearly recurring committees that hold hearings on legislation filed by Representatives. Once filed, legislation is assigned to one of the following committees by the Missouri Speaker of the House. Legislation is typically assigned to the committee whose province envelopes the subject matter of the bill. However, there are frequently multiple relevant committees to which a bill can be assigned, and it is at the Speaker's discretion to choose which committee receives the bill. Politics can also play a part, as the Speaker may assign a bill to a committee with an unfriendly chair or membership, or may select a more friendly committee.
The partisan makeup of each committee is intended to reflect as closely as possible the partisan makeup of the entire House. Each Party caucus selects which of its members will serve on the Standing Committees, and the chair of each committee is chosen by the Speaker of the House.
| Committee[14] | Chair | Vice-chair | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Administration and Accounts | Jason Chipman | Peggy McGaugh | ||
| Agriculture Policy | Don Rone | Rick Francis | ||
| Budget | Cody Smith | Dirk Deaton | ||
| Children and Families | Mary Elizabeth Coleman | Dottie Bailey | ||
| Conference on Budget | Cody Smith | Vacant | ||
| Consent and House Procedure | Sara Walsh | Craig Fishel | ||
| Conservation and Natural Resources | Randy Pietzman | Don Mayhew | ||
| Corrections and Public Institutions | Andrew McDaniel | Chris Dinkins | ||
| Crime Prevention | Lane Roberts | Barry Hovis | ||
| Downsizing State Government | Ben Baker | Adam Schnelting | ||
| Economic Development | Derek Grier | Louis Riggs | ||
| Elections and Elected Officials | Dan Shaul | Peggy McGaugh | ||
| Elementary and Secondary Education | Chuck Bayse | Mike Haffner | ||
| Emerging Issues | Aaron Griesheimer | Jonathan Patterson | ||
| Ethics | Travis Fitzwater | Mark Ellebracht | ||
| Financial Institutions | Rick Francis | Michael O'Donnell | ||
| Fiscal Review | Travis Fitzwater | Doug Richey | ||
| General Laws | Curtis Trent | Alex Riley | ||
| Health and Mental Health Policy | Mike Stephens | Cyndi Buchheit-Courtway | ||
| Higher Education | Brenda Shields | John Black | ||
| Insurance Policy | Justin Hill | Jeff Porter | ||
| Judiciary | David Evans | Rudy Viet | ||
| Local Government | Vacant | Bill Falkner | ||
| Legislative Review | Dan Houx | Ron Hicks | ||
| Pensions | Patricia Pike | Rusty Black | ||
| Professional Registration and Licensing | Jeff Coleman | Chris Dinkins | ||
| Public Safety | Shane Roden | Andrew McDaniel | ||
| Rules – Administrative Oversight | J. Eggleston | Becky Ruth | ||
| Rules – Legislative Oversight | Phil Christofanelli | Doug Richey | ||
| Rural Community Development | Brad Pollitt | Greg Sharpe | ||
| Transportation | Becky Ruth | Jeff Porter | ||
| Utilities | Bill Kidd | Bob Bromley | ||
| Veterans | Dave Griffith | Herman Morse | ||
| Ways and Means | Wayne Wallingford | Mike McGirl | ||
| Workforce Development | Mike Henderson | Kurtis Gregory | ||
Budget committee and subcommittees
editTradition in the Missouri General Assembly is that all appropriations bills initiate in the Missouri House rather than the Senate. So each year, the chair of the House Budget Committee files legislation establishing the spending plan for the state of Missouri. This plan, which in 2007 exceeded $20 billion, may differ greatly from the Governor's budget recommendations, issued at the State of the State address given in late January.
The budget legislation is assigned to the House Budget Committee, which then assigns each bill to its respective subcommittee. After the subcommittee makes its recommendations, the full Budget Committee runs through the entire appropriations package, makes its desired changes, and sends the bill to the full House for consideration.[14]
| Committee | Chair | Vice-chair | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joint Committee on Legislative Research – Oversight Subcommittee | Dan Hegeman | Denny Hoskins | ||
| Joint Committee on Legislative Research – Revision Subcommittee | Cody Smith | Vacant | ||
| Appropriations – Agriculture, Conservation, Natural Resources, and Economic Development | Scott Cupps | David Evans | ||
| Appropriations – Education | Rusty Black | Brenda Shields | ||
| Appropriations – General Administration | Brad Hudson | Don Mayhew | ||
| Appropriations – Health, Mental Health, and Social Services | Kirk Deaton | Peggy McGaugh | ||
| Appropriations – Public Safety, Corrections, Transportation and Revenue | Sara Walsh | Lane Roberts | ||
Joint committees
editJoint Committees contain members from both the Missouri House and Senate. These committees may be permanent and study ongoing issues, or may be temporary and intended to come up with suggested legislation to address a one-time issue. The Chair of these committees typically alternates annually between a Representative and a Senator to prevent unfairness to one chamber.[14]
- Joint Committee on Administrative Rules
- Joint Committee on Capitol Security
- Joint Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect
- Joint Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Awareness
- Joint Committee on Education
- Joint Committee on Government Accountability
- Joint Committee on the Justice System
- Joint Committee on Legislative Research (three subcommittees)
- Joint Committee on the Life Sciences
- Joint Committee on Public Assistance
- Joint Committee on Public Employee Retirement
- Joint Committee on Tax Policy
- Joint Committee on Transportation Oversight
Term limits
editIn 1992, Missouri voters approved constitutional amendment placing term limits on the Missouri House of Representatives. A Representative can serve no more than four two-year terms in the house. The first time term limits prevented someone from running again was in 2002.
Political party strength
editSince 2003, the Republican Party has held this chamber of the Missouri General Assembly.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ [1], Missouri House of Representatives
- ^ CHRIS BLANK/The Associated Press. "Missouri Senate OKs shrinking number of House members". Columbia Missourian. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
- ^ brenda erickson (October 11, 2007). "Population and Size of Legislature". Ncsl.org. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
- ^ "Party control of Missouri state government: Historical party control". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
- ^ "State Legislatures" (PDF). The Council of State Governments. 2019. p. 1. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b "Missouri House of Representatives - Office of the Chief Clerk". house.mo.gov. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
- ^ Schallhorn, Kaitlyn (2021-04-29). "Capitol Briefs: David Tyson Smith sworn into Missouri House". The Missouri Times. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
- ^ Representative Rick Roeber (R-34) was expelled. [2]
- ^ Schallhorn, Kaitlyn (2021-10-20). "Tom Hannegan passes away". The Missouri Times. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ^ Long, Jeff (January 6, 2022). "Wayne Wallingford's former seat one of multiple vacancies in Missouri House". Southeast Missourian. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
- ^ "MO State Leg. Results". projects.cnalysis.com.
- ^ "Rep Rasheen Aldridge. Jr Resigns". Twitter.
- ^ "Leadership". Missouri House of Representatives. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Missouri House of Representative – Committees". house.mo.gov.
External links
edit- Missouri House of Representatives
- Publications by or about the Missouri House of Representatives at Internet Archive.