From the Office of Brad Hudson:
The Legislative Session is drawing to a close in the coming weeks and many bills are taking their final steps. This week, I would like to talk to you about my Senate Bill 160, which has been working its way through the Missouri House of Representatives and is nearing the finish line.
Originally, this bill prevented any colleges or university from giving preference to one student group over another based on beliefs or ideologies. While that portion of the bill is still alive and well, it has received several amendments which add many additional provisions to the bill.
The amending of bills throughout the legislative process is common, but can sometimes cause some unintended issues for the original legislation if there is not consensus on the offered amendments. When the Senate and House cannot agree on changes that should be made on a bill, many times the bill will go to ‘conference,’ a process that brings together a small amount of senators and representatives to decide what the final version of the bill will be. That version is then presented to the Senate and House again for final consideration and passage.
Senate Bill 160 received a number of amendments that, while on their own might be worthwhile pieces of legislation, could potentially keep the underlying bill from passing both the Senate and House and making its way to the governor.
One possible avenue for Senate Bill 160 to receive passage before the end of session is the conference process, which will be determined after the House passes the bill and we see what version makes its way back to the Senate for consideration.
The conference process is often used, but not often explained publicly, so I wanted to use this opportunity to discuss this important legislative process and give you an example of one tool your elected officials use to pass legislation to the benefit of our state and citizens.
As always, it’s a pleasure to serve you. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office.
