JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.—The Missouri State Senate on Monday gave final passage to a public safety bill that includes putting the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department back under a state-appointed board.

Lawmakers moved quickly, without debate to pass House Bill 495 on Monday. Last week, a nine-hour filibuster ended with agreement on amended measure. The largest concession in the amended bill is that the police unions will not have appointment power over any of the board members. The board will include the mayor of St. Louis and five members nominated by the governor and confirmed by the Senate.

Control of the police department has been a priority for several years for Republicans who hold supermajorities in both chambers. It is one of the top public safety priorities of Gov. Mike Kehoe, who identified it on the campaign trail last year and in January during his state of the state address.

It has been opposed by St. Louis mayor Tishaura Jones, who quickly released a statement after the bill passed the Senate Monday.

“This effort to take away St. Louisans’ control of their own police department is in line with the cowardly attempts at autocracy we are seeing at the national level,” Jones said. “I cannot and will not sit down and allow this complete disregard for democracy to compromise the safety of our residents for political gain. This fight is far from over.”

Jones has suggested that the bill will be the subject of legal challenges. 

The bill returns to the House where it will go before a committee hearing on fiscal review Wednesday morning and could be on the House floor later that day. Lawmakers will go on their week-long spring break after session on Thursday.

Governor Kehoe’s office has indicated that he will sign the bill as soon as it is ready to be signed.