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State Rep. Peter Merideth is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where he joined St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jaclyn Driscoll to talk about his effort to legalize recreational marijuana.

The St. Louis Democrat also discussed how he thinks his party will fare next year in the Missouri House, where Republicans hold a commanding majority for yet another year.

Here’s what Merideth had to say during the show:

• His bill would levy a tax similar to the one on cigarettes on recreational marijuana. It would also have the state’s Bureau of Tobacco and Firearms regulate it, as opposed to the Department of Health and Senior Services, which handles medical marijuana.
• Merideth is on a House committee that’s looked into the execution of the medical marijuana program. And he’s been outspoken against the decision to limit the amount of licenses that are given out to do things like grow, test and distribute marijuana.
• Merideth also talked about his verbal confrontation with Rudy Guiliani during a House committee hearing calling on Congress to overturn the results of a handful of states that were critical to President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. That resolution passed out of committee but will likely not reach the House floor.
• He talked about why he feels that the 2021 budget process is going to be challenging because of a potential drop in revenue due to COVID-19.

Merideth is an attorney who was first elected in 2016 to represent a district taking in portions of south and central St. Louis. He was reelected in 2018 and 2020 with little difficulty.

With the departure of state Rep. Kip Kendrick from the House, Merideth will serve as the ranking member of the Budget Committee. While Republicans dominate the Legislature, Democrats can have an impact on financial matters through their work in the Budget Committee.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Jaclyn Driscoll on Twitter: @DriscollNPR

Follow Peter Merideth on Twitter: @PeterForMO

Music: “Mausoleum” by Son of the Pale Youth

This year, we produced a season that put a racial equity lens on the COVID-19 pandemic and a season about the current uprising for Black lives. As a collective we have faced this season’s challenges head first and continue to press on by producing meaningful and impactful stories, which is why we wanted to know what experiences have other journalists in our region experienced during this time. In this episode we’ll hear from a correspondent for Kaiser Health News about the importance of telling the stories of everyday people during this time and a reporter from the St. Louis American will share what it’s like to work on a year-long fellowship to produce stories about COVID-19 affecting the Black community.

St. Louis County Councilwoman-elect Shalonda Webb is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where she talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum about her priorities for the north St. Louis County-based 4th District.

The Democrat won the race to represent the district in November. It includes municipalities like Florissant, Bellefontaine Neighbors and Black Jack, as well as unincorporated communities like Spanish Lake. She’ll take office in January.

Here’s what Webb discussed during the show:

• Her Democratic primary win in August over incumbent Rochelle Walton Gray. That victory was tantamount to election since the 4th District is overwhelmingly Democratic.
• How people in her district, which is predominantly African American, are handling the COVID-19 pandemic. St. Louis County Executive Sam Page has been at odds with some council members over how he has reacted to the virus’ spread.
• Longstanding efforts to redevelop the closed Jamestown Mall. She said it will cost millions of dollars to tear the mall down, and added she’s hoping it’s replaced with a mixed-use facility.
• With the council divided about Page, Webb said she’s aware she could be a key vote to override any vetoes. But she added that her main focus is to advocate for North County on the council.

Webb is a Port Arthur, Texas, native who has spent her career at the Boeing Company. She is the wife of former state Rep. Steve Webb, D-St. Louis County.

Webb ran against Walton Gray and Mark Behlmann in the August primary. She received backing from U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay, D-University City, and state Sen. Gina Walsh, D-Bellefontaine Neighbors. She ended up beating both of her Democratic opponents by close to 10 percentage points.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Music: “Running Late” by Other People

State Rep.-elect Chad Perkins joined St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum on the latest episode of Politically Speaking to talk about his election to the Missouri House and northeast Missouri’s political metamorphosis.

The Bowling Green Republican will represent Missouri’s 40th District, which takes in portions of Pike, Ralls, Monroe and Lincoln counties. He is succeeding state Rep. Jim Hansen, a Frankford Republican who was barred from running again by term limits.

Here’s what Perkins talked about during the program:

• How northeast Missouri went from a Democratic bastion when he was growing up to one of the most Republican areas in the entire state. Perkins says the national Democratic Party’s leftward drift on social issues supercharged the political realignment.
• Efforts to overhaul the state’s criminal justice system. Perkins, who served as a deputy Pike County sheriff, discussed some of the ways he feels the Legislature can help sheriff departments across the state.
• What should be done to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in rural areas. Perkins opposes a statewide mask mandate.
• How expanding rural broadband may help revive some of rural Missouri’s economic fortunes. Expanding that service has been a priority for rural lawmakers.

Perkins is a Republican committeeman and the former mayor of Bowling Green. That historic town was home to Champ Clark, a former U.S. House speaker who nearly became president before losing the Democratic nomination to Woodrow Wilson.

The counties that make up the 40th District are historically Democratic. But thanks to years of Republican inroads and President Donald Trump’s unprecedented popularity in rural Missouri, Perkins’ win in the August GOP primary was tantamount to election. He did not have a Democratic opponent in November.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

House Speaker Elijah Haahr is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where the departing lawmaker talked to St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jaclyn Driscoll about key lessons he learned from being the top GOP member of the Missouri House.

The Springfield Republican served in House leadership for four years, including the last two years as speaker. He is departing from the Legislature due to term limits in early January. House Majority Leader Rob Vescovo, R-Jefferson County, will succeed him as speaker.

Here’s what Haahr talked about on the program:

• His biggest accomplishments, including the passage of legislation overhauling the criminal justice system in 2019.
• The major events that happened during his term, including the rise of the Ferguson protest movement, the death of Tom Schweich, the near-impeachment of Gov. Eric Greitens and the COVID-19 pandemic that took over the 2020 session.
• Some of the tough decisions he had to make as speaker, most recently when he chose not to consider several bills that would have allowed the attorney general to intervene in St. Louis murder cases under certain circumstances.
• The pros and cons of term limits. While he noted that he may not have become speaker if term limits weren’t in place, Haahr noted that they have a lot of downside — especially when it comes to retaining institutional memory.

An attorney, Haahr was first elected to his post in 2012. He quickly rose up the ranks, eventually being selected to chair the House Emerging Issues Committee and being elected as House speaker pro tem.

He chose not to run for anything during the 2020 election cycle. At only 38, he’s not ruling out a run in the future but added he was thankful he didn’t seek another office while trying to steer the House through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Jaclyn Driscoll on Twitter: @DriscollNPR

Follow Elijah Haahr on Twitter: @elijahhaahr

Music: “In the Red” by Audio Ammunition