Cindy O'Laughlin

The special session featured a number of unprecedented actions that would have been unthinkable before July when it became clear that Missouri would join other states overhauling their congressional lines.

State Sen. Lincoln Hough voted against efforts to end debate on gerrymandering and initiative petition bills — and was swiftly removed as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Voters will likely see the issue on the ballot in 2026.

With just days remaining in the 2025 legislative session, unfinished Republican priorities include addressing Amendment 3 and Proposition A.

With lawmakers set to take next week off, they leave having already accomplished one major priority.

Republicans say that putting a new measure on the ballot to undo Amendment 3 is a priority for this legislative session.

For the first time since 2018, Missouri lawmakers will work with a new governor. While outgoing Gov. Mike Parson pushed a more budget-focused agenda, Gov.-elect Mike Kehoe already has established policy goals.

Incoming Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin said Missouri’s Children’s Division has failed in its core mission and needs to be restructured to protect vulnerable children.

In a rare instance of triumph for Missouri Democrats, an effort to raise the bar to amend the state constitution — a central GOP priority — was defeated.

The Missouri House refused to go to conference and wanted the Senate to adopt a version of the proposal with other provisions that critics call "ballot candy."