Today, Wednesday, Sept 10, the Missouri Senate was reduced to a theatrical show. I was embarrassed to say the least. In my opinion, the theatrics became a mockery of what should be the most honorable body of deliberation in Missouri, and it could've been easily avoided if it had been handled appropriately.
I want to explain the statement I made in an inquiry with my democrat colleague, Senator Doug Beck. You can listen to the entire exchange below.
Click the link and go to the 29.47 mark.
First Came The Call
The 2nd extraordinary session of the year began in the senate today (Sept. 10) in Jefferson City after a call from Governor Kehoe to take up congressional redistricting and initiative petition (IP) reform. The push for new congressional districts is one we are seeing across the country as the republican party tries to save as many U.S. congressional seats as possible in the midterm elections in order to keep the majority.
Do I want the republicans to keep the majority in congress? Of course I do. But HOW we go about doing it matters.
Behind the Curtain
What has happened here in Jefferson City is that we've been given a map that moves Missouri's congressional district lines, dividing urban Kansas City and combining my entire senate district with several rural counties across mid-Missouri. The effect of this is that the 5th district will change from being held by a Democrat to a Republican. This is Emmanuel Cleaver's district and it currently includes the city of Independence which is the largest city in my district.
The senate is supposed to be a deliberative body. One that allows for each senator to speak at any time and for as long as he wishes. This is what makes the senate different from the House. Senators voices are not supposed to be silenced. We each represent approximately 185,000 constituents. When senators are silenced, the voices of their constituents are silenced.
We were called into this special session to take up and consider two issues. What has happened is that the bills were drafted, filed and they are being railroaded through the legislature without any actual deliberation or opportunity to make changes. That's not uncommon in the House, where they operate with a different set of rules that gives virtually all the power to the Speaker. But in the senate, each senator is supposed to have the power to stand, be heard and weigh in on the issue at hand with the expectation that as the bill moves through the process it will be changed in a way that works for the majority. But that isn't what's happening here.
I Wasn't Elected to Be a Puppet
What's happening is we have been handed only one version of a map and only one version of an IP reform bill. And we are being "highly encouraged" to take them up and pass them exactly as they have been sent to us from the House.
My voice has effectively been silenced and my ability to have any influence in the actual content of these bills is basically zero. The same is true for every other senator in this chamber. We have been given two pieces of legislation which are very important and we will have no real input as to their outcome except for either a yes or no vote.
We are a sovereign state and I am a firm supporter of the tenth amendment to the U.S. Constitution which states;
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.
Therefore, we should not take orders from Washington. As an elected state senator my first and foremost priority is to represent my constituents in my district and make decisions based on what is best for the people of the state of Missouri.
The congressional map was a hot topic in 2022 when they drew the lines for the map we have now. The conservatives tried to get a 7-1 map at that time and they were unable to accomplish the task - even with a republican supermajority. And now, they are steamrolling a 7-1 map through the legilslature! I've only just today been given any data or information this new map was based on.
Initiative petition reform has been debated in this building for a decade or more, but somehow there is a brand new version that has not ever been 'vetted" by the legislative process and we are expected to take it up and pass it without making any changes.
This isn't what I was elected to do. I didn't promise my constituents that I would come here to rubber stamp what the party wanted. I came here to represent the people in my district and preserve our freedom and liberty.
PQ Politics
Everyone here knew the democrats would filibuster. Instead of allowing the filibuster to work, republican leadership prefers to shut down any filibuster attempts with a PQ, Previous Question. This means we don't have to be here working as long, but it's harmful to both how the senate is functioning now and how it will function in the future.
We are setting incredibly bad precedent. The senate needs to continue to be the slow, deliberative body it was designed to be.
Steamrolling legislation through a process that is all theater & shutting down the voices of senators in the process is NOT beneficial. It's harmful to the legislative process, to the future of the senate and most of all it's harmful to the people of Missouri.
The Process vs The Legislation
The legislation being presented is far from perfect, but my complaint isn't with the legislation itself it's with the process. Tomorrow, the Local Government and Elections Committee will meet and hear both bills being considered. I'm honored to sit on the committee and looking forward to having continued conversations on the policy & the process. There is much work to do and I'm committed to working on behalf of my constituents and all the people of Missouri.
Yesterday, the Missouri General Assembly convened for a special legislative session called by Governor Kehoe. The main topic? A proposal to spend nearly $1 billion in public funds to keep the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals in Missouri.
Let me be clear: I love our teams. I want them to stay in Kansas City. But I believe Missouri families should come first.
A Cap on Property Tax Increases
That’s why I filed a bill that would cap the increase in property tax liability on primary residential real estate to 5% per assessment cycle.
I filed this bill because I’ve heard from too many Missourians who are being crushed by skyrocketing property tax bills. Working families, seniors on fixed incomes, and single parents are being hit hard—and many are afraid they won’t be able to keep their homes.
Owning a home is part of the American Dream. It’s also the primary way Missourians build wealth and stability for their families. If we don’t act now, we risk making homeownership unattainable for thousands of people across our state.
Working Together for a Solution
Throughout this process, I’ve worked closely with Governor Kehoe, Senate leadership, and colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find a solution we can all support. Property taxes affect every district and every corner of Missouri—urban and rural alike. While I know this bill is only the first step toward fixing the broader property tax issue, I’m encouraged by the collaboration and momentum we’re seeing. I’m hopeful we’ll make this step official very soon.
Priorities Matter
Kansas is making a strong play to lure our teams across the border. Their governor just signed legislation to finance as much as 70% of new stadium costs through public revenue sources.
But here in Missouri, before we rush to throw taxpayer dollars at billionaire-owned teams, we need to ask:
What are we doing to help the people who are already here, working hard, paying taxes, and trying to keep their homes?
I’m not saying we shouldn’t talk about stadiums. But we must talk about tax relief first. We have a responsibility to the people we represent, not just to professional sports franchises.
I'm Fighting For You
As this special session moves forward, I’ll continue to fight for real, lasting property tax relief. I’ll continue to push for policies that make homeownership affordable, predictable, and protected.
This is about putting people over politics—and priorities over pressure.
Thank you for standing with me. If you support this effort, I encourage you to reach out and let your voice be heard.
Are Your Taxes Going Up?
Unfortunately, there's a good chance they are. Over 80 of Missouri's 114 counties have received a Memorandum of Understanding from the State Tax Commission, which is asking them to increase real property valuations in order to come into compliance with the STC's acceptable valuation threshhold. This is no longer only a Jackson County problem.
Our office has procured most of those MOUs, which you can see by clicking the links below. We encourage you to take a look and see if your county is included. If it is, you can expect your property taxes to increase - possibly skyrocket - at the end of the year.
The State Tax Commission
Most Missourians don't know much, if anything, about the State Tax Commission and its role in your tax bill or how your property taxes are determined.
First of all, the STC is made up of three commissioners appointed by the governor and approved by the senate. The three current commissioners are:
Gary Romine, Chairman
Debbie Mcginnis, Commissioner
Greg Razer, Commissioner
Their duties and responsibilites are codified in Chapter 138 of Missouri statutes.
What's most important for you to know for today is that it is their job to equalize the valuations of properties across the state in an effort to ensure one county isn't paying taxes at a rate that far exceeds or is considerably less than the others. They work with the county assessors to analyze property sales data, conducting a "Residential Sales Study" to determine the average percentage of market value.
For example, in Atchison County the Residential Sales Study result was 72.35%, meaning on average homes were valued at 72.35% of market value.
The STC has adopted the IAAO standards (International Association of Assessing Officers) which requires the valuations to be in the range of 90-110% of market value. If you are wondering why Missouri needs to adopt international standards regarding our property valuations, you're not alone.
Undervaluing Property
The problem many Missourians are about to encounter is market value of property has increased dramatically in recent years. Assessments haven't kept up and properties are being valuated significantly below the IAAO standard of 90-110% of market value. It's the STC's goal to try to get all of those counties up to the thresshold, which the IAAO deems to be "fair and equitable."
The MOU's
Memoradums of Understanding (MOU) have been issued for over 80 of Missouri's 114 counties. This is an agreement between the county assessor and the state tax commission, where the assessor is agreeing to increase the valuations as requested by the STC.
In Missouri, the assessors are able to raise property valuations by 15% without a physical inspection. If the valuation requires an increase of over 15%, an exterior evaluation is required. Ultimately, the valuation can increase without limits if a simple look at the exterior of the property is conducted. This is part of the reason Jackson County has had so many exorbitant increases and it's quite possible other counties will now experience the same.
We've uploaded the MOUs we've collected to a Google Drive so you can see if your county is included. There are three folders you need to look through.
1. Residential MOU's - These are all pertaining to residential property
2. Commercial MOU's - These are all pertaining to commercial property
3. Withheld Memos - These assessors refused to sign the MOU and because of that, the STC is recommending that thousands of dollars of state assessment maintenance plan reimbursement funds be withheld from the county
Solutions
During the upcoming special session, I'll be filing a bill that will cap the tax liability increase on residential property to 5% every 2 years. This would not eliminate the increase in valuation or assessments, but the actual tax liabilty owed. It would only apply to the primary residence and it is optional for each county to adopt, much like the senior property tax credit program.
What Can You Do?
1. Contact the governor's office and urge him to add this issue to the call for special session.
2. Contact your senator and ask they support this common sense legislation to protect home ownership & your wallets! You can find your senator's contact information here with the Legislator Lookup Tool.
