Author: Mark Holguin

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg dive into the major fissures among Senate Republicans that were showcased during last week’s veto session dispute.

In addition to breaking down what happened on the Senate floor, Rosenbaum and Kellogg spoke with two senators who were on opposite sides of the often pointed debate: Bob Onder, R-Lake Saint Louis, and Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia.

Here’s what was discussed on the show:

• Kellogg explained the origins of the legislative fight, which revolved around whether a senator who was not the sponsor of a bill could make an override motion. Sen. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, sought to override Parson’s veto of a line item of tax refunds for certain businesses, but he initially was prevented from doing so by Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, who was presiding.
• Both Onder and Rowden delved into whether it was appropriate for Kehoe to not recognize Moon for the motion, especially since it’s relatively rare for a presiding officer to make such a move.
• The two senators discussed whether the tensions will spill over into the 2022 legislative session. Before last Wednesday, some conservative members of the Senate were openly criticizing the chamber’s leadership on a host of issues — including how they went about passing a gas tax hike and a renewal of a critical tax to fund Missouri’s Medicaid program.

Onder has been in the Missouri Senate since 2015. He previously served a single term in the Missouri House before making a run for the now-defunct 9th Congressional District seat. Onder is a doctor who also obtained a law degree. He represents portions of St. Charles County.

Rowden recently won reelection to Missouri’s 19th Senate District, which takes in Boone and Cooper counties. He first won election to that seat in 2016 after serving two terms in the Missouri House. As majority leader, Rowden controls what gets debated on the floor — making him one of the most powerful legislators in Jefferson City.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Sarah Kellogg on Twitter: @sarahkkellogg

Follow Bob Onder on Twitter: @BobOnderMO

Follow Caleb Rowden on Twitter: @CalebRowden

I wanted to hear from Black women in our region about what the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) act means to them and discuss their own personal journey with hair. In this episode we visit Frizz Fest 2021, hear from a beauty salon owner about the importance of individuality, and an African American history professor breaks down the history of Black hair.

State Reps. Keri Ingle and Rudy Veit are the latest guests on Politically Speaking. They talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg about a recently enacted law that provides oversight for unlicensed residential youth homes.

Ingle is a Lee’s Summit Democrat and Veit is a Wardsville Republican.

Here’s what the two legislators talked about on the program:

• Ingle explained why certain residential facilities, which can house children with behavioral issues, needed to have regulation. She pointed to media reports, including from the Kansas City Star, about residents being abused.
• Both lawmakers detailed some of the provisions in their legislation, including requiring background checks for employees and safety inspections. It also allows parents or guardians access to their children in the facilities without prior notice.
• Ingle noted that there was an attempt to provide oversight of these facilities in the early 2000s, but those efforts were quickly rejected. One source of opposition was that some facilities with a religious orientation felt it was an affront to their liberty to be regulated by a governmental entity.
• Veit and Ingle discussed the value of bipartisanship in the Missouri House. Veit indicated that prior relationships could soften debate on the floor about particularly contentious issues.

Veit is an attorney who was first elected to the Missouri House in 2018. His district includes parts of Miller and Cole counties, including Jefferson City, Eugene and Wardsville. He was reelected to his post in 2020 without much difficulty.

Ingle has a background in social work and has investigated child abuse and neglect. She won election in 2018 in a district outside Kansas City. She flipped her House seat from Republican to Democrat. Ingle won reelection in 2020 by a larger margin than her 2018 victory.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Sarah Kellogg on Twitter: @sarahkkellogg

Follow Keri Ingle on Twitter: @RepKeriIngle

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Sarah Kellogg and Eric Schmid delve into how Missouri and Illinois are handling the once-a- decade process of redistricting.

The delay in census data collection, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, has caused states across the country to prolong their processes, with some holding special sessions to tackle the responsibility.

Kellogg talks to St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum on Missouri not having a special session on redistricting, pushing the bulk of the process into the 2022 general legislative session.

Schmid interviews NPR Illinois’ Hannah Meisel on Illinois Democrats’ decision to publish the first version of their state redistricting map without the 2020 census data.

Here’s what was discussed in the show:

• Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s decision to not hold a special legislative session, lawmakers’ reactions and who may take advantage of tackling congressional redistricting during the general session.

• Three congressional districts that could see major changes and a decades-long alliance between Black Democrats and Republicans over Missouri’s 1st Congressional District.

• How Illinois Democrats’ decision to create their first version of a state legislative redistricting map using non-census data has now led to multiple lawsuits.

• The role Illinois plays in maintaining a Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Follow Sarah Kellogg on Twitter: @sarahkkellogg

Follow Eric Schmid on Twitter: @EricDSchmid

This is the second of a two-part tribute to the late Dr. Jonathan Cedric Smith, whose commitment to cultural memory we shared in our most recent episode. In this episode, we’re handing over the mic to family, friends, and community members who were impacted by Jonathan’s passion for social justice and will be carrying forth the legacy of love that he left them.

Dr. Jonathan C. Smith Syllabus: http://tiny.cc/rfziuz