By KWMU
St. Louis, MO – A state representative from Kirkwood died this weekend, just a day after lawmakers finished their spring session.
Richard Byrd apparently had a heart attack in his home Saturday night. He was 46 years old.
Byrd chaired the House Judiciary Committee and handled a major priority of his Republican Party over the past few years: Establishing new limits on medical malpractice and personal injury lawsuits. Those changes passed the General Assembly this year and Gov. Matt Blunt signed them into law in March (they take effect in August).
Blunt will have to call a special election to fill Byrd's seat. The 94th district includes parts of Kirkwood, Des Peres, Glendale, and Oakland in St. Louis County.
Byrd is survived by a wife, Moira, and two children, Richard and Eleanor Catherine.
Blunt has ordered flags at all state buildings to fly at half-staff in Byrd's memory.