JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri House of Representatives has given its approval to anti-sex trafficking legislation seeking to provide greater protections for children who have been victimized by sex trafficking. The House on Wednesday third read and passed Rep. Ed Lewis' HB 2032 with a unanimous 140-0 vote, sending a clear message that sexual exploitation of children will not be tolerated in the Show-Me State, and further providing for the safety of children in Missouri. "This legislation is important simply because of what it does for the child." Rep. Ed Lewis, R-Moberly, said. "This bill focuses on protecting children under the age of 18 who have been trafficked ensuring they are treated as a victim and getting them the help they need while cracking down on those who would facilitate the exploitation of a child. By passing this legislation, Missouri defends its children while also saying that trafficking of any kind will not be tolerated in our state."
Missouri senators have now devoted more than an entire calendar day to redistricting. Discussions began just after five on Monday afternoon. Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz of Sullivan says the map contained in House Bill 2117 lacks the votes to pass Currently, the proposal features a six-two split but many Senate conservatives feel this gives Missouri liberals too much representation. In the last presidential election, 56.8% of the state voted for Donald Trump while 41.41% of Missouri voted for Joe Biden. Senator Karla May says concerns remain with some of the proposed congressional districts, mainly around her hometown of St. Louis House Bill 2117 was set aside for further talks late Tuesday night. So far, Missouri senators have spent over 31 hours on the proposed congressional redistricting map, including a lengthy filibuster, with more likely to come before week's end.
Jefferson City, Mo. – The members of the Missouri House have approved and sent legislation to the Senate that will establish new boundaries for Missouri's eight congressional districts. The House approved the congressional redistricting plan (HB 2117) Wednesday morning by a vote of 86-67. State Rep. Dan Shaul, who chairs the House Special Committee on Redistricting, said the map approved by his committee and the House of Representatives was created with input from legislators representing their constituents, public testimony from citizens across the state of Missouri, and 2020 census data. He stressed that the map contains compact and contiguous districts as required by the constitution while also keeping communities of interest and like-mindedness together. "We took the data from the Census and the input of Missourians from around the state to create a fair bill and a fair map. This is a map that keeps communities of interest intact, that abides by our constitution, and th