JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.— A nonstop, overnight filibuster by Democratic lawmakers in the Missouri Senate reached roughly 50 hours before ending late Wednesday afternoon, when a GOP-backed proposal looking to make it harder to amend the state constitution was sent back to a committee. The body adjourned until Thursday morning after being in session since Monday.
Lawmakers face a 6 p.m. Friday deadline to pass legislation before the end of this year's session. Senate Democrats blocked all work in hopes of pushing Republicans to compromise on the constitutional amendment. Democrats say Republicans added unrelated sections to the measure to include a ban noncitizen voting, which is already outlawed.
The motion to send the resolution passed by a vote of 18-13 but not without anger from hard-line conservatives who were angry that the GOP supermajority couldn't pass a key priority of the party.
State Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, who introduced the motion Wednesday said it was a way of keeping the legislation alive, because the party did not have enough support to override the filibuster using a procedure known as "moving the previous question" which likely would have brought an end to the rest of the session's business in the Senate.
Democratic Sen. Lauren Arthur described the noncitizen voting provision as a “shiny object” designed to ramp up support for what she believes is an otherwise unpopular change to the constitutional amendment process.
“It’s our priority to make sure that if this goes to the ballot, that voters have a clear understanding of what it is that they’re being asked,” Arthur said.
Currently, amendments are enacted if they get support from 51% of all voters statewide, known as a simple majority.
The GOP wants to make it so amendments need support from 51% of voters in a majority of congressional districts as well. It's part of an effort to give more weight to voters in rural areas that trend more Republican compared to the state's big cities.
Missouri Republicans have been trying for years to put stricter limits on constitutional amendments, arguing that policies such as the legalization of recreational marijuana, approved by voters in 2022, should not be included in the constitution.
The GOP faces added pressure to send the proposal to voters this year as abortion-rights advocates work to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot this fall that would legalize abortion.
Senate Democrats and Republicans earlier this year reached a compromise on the proposal, with Democrats ending another filibuster after Republicans stripped the provisions on noncitizen voting. House Republicans later re-added that language, taking senators back to where they were in negotiations months ago.
Senators took turns filibustering to give exhausted fellow Democrats a chance to sleep, eat and shower. Aside from discussing the measure at hand, Democrats wasted time on subjects ranging from football to the long list of bills likely to die this year.
On Tuesday, Sens. Brian Williams and Doug Beck spent much of their shift debating their favorite movies starring Denzel Washington. Arthur and Sen. John Rizzo talked about the Real Housewives reality show franchise Tuesday night. By Wednesday the topic had shifted to chicken carbonara recipes.
A brief ceasefire Wednesday morning came as Rizzo yielded the floor to Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden, a Republican, to recognize Senate administrative staff for their service before the end of session.
Sen. Bill Eigel, a member of the Freedom Caucus and a candidate for governor, warned before adjournment Wednesday that if the move to send the initative petition measure to committee was in hopes of getting other legislation done before Friday's end of session, "don't get your hopes up."