Deb Lavender

The legislation received almost unanimous bipartisan support in the House on Monday with a vote of 154-2. Since the House passed the Senate bill with no changes made, the measure now goes to the governor.

Senate Appropriations Chair Lincoln Hough said after speaking with departments, businesses and vendors, he recommended removing the anti-diversity, equity and inclusion language. The committee still must pass the budget bills before they can make it to the Senate floor.

The budget is less than Gov. Mike Parson’s initial proposal. However, Democrats and Republicans repeatedly clashed.

The bill would also remove taxes on Social Security benefits, which both parties say could be helpful to seniors in the state.

Before leaving for spring break, Missouri House Republicans called the first part of this year’s session successful. How much gets done during the second half, however, depends on how well both chambers navigate divisive bills.

On the Democratic side, Marine veteran Lucas Kunce, former state Sen. Scott Sifton and businessman Spencer Toder filed for the Senate seat of the retiring Roy Blunt on Tuesday.

Backlash over President Donald Trump's words and actions could be leading to a realignment in central and western St. Louis County, a historically Republican enclave. That could have a big impact on several key down-ballot races.

Sen. Andrew Koenig returns to Politically Speaking to talk with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum about his reelection campaign in Missouri’s 15th Senate District.

State Rep. Deb Lavender makes her case on why she can turn the historically Republican 15th Senate District blue. Lavender's bid to unseat GOP Sen. Andrew Koenig in the St. Louis County-based district is arguably the most competitive Missouri legislative contest of 2020.

Sen. Bob Onder, R-Lake Saint Louis, talks about his support for "concurrent jurisdiction" legislation that would allow the attorney general to intervene in St. Louis homicide cases under certain circumstances.