Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz returns to Politically Speaking to talk with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jaclyn Driscoll about a host of issues the Missouri General Assembly could take up in the second half of the 2021 session.

Schatz is a Republican from Sullivan who was elected to represent Missouri’s 26th District in 2014. He was reelected in 2018 and was picked by his caucus as the president pro tem after the 2018 election season. Schatz will be barred by term limits from running for the Senate after 2022.

Here’s what Schatz talked about during the show:

• Whether the Senate may add funding for Medicaid expansion to the state budget. The Missouri House declined to expand the health care program last week — and a failure of the Senate to act could mean the issue is heading to court.
• His bid to increase Missouri’s gas tax, a measure that passed out of the Senate but faces an uncertain fate in the House.
• Whether lawmakers could institute a period of time for voters to cast absentee ballots in person without an excuse. He also discussed why he would be in favor of requiring a government-issued photo ID to vote absentee in person.
• Whether Missouri’s candidate filing deadline could have to be pushed back — and whether he could be a candidate for the U.S. Senate next year.

Schatz represents all of Franklin County and most of western St. Louis County. As pro tem, he is responsible for appointing committee chairs and directing legislation to committees.

Schatz’s family owns a utility contracting business.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Jaclyn Driscoll on Twitter: @DriscollNPR

Follow Dave Schatz: @DaveSchatz26