Pre-Filing Antics Continue As Politicians Rush To Get Their Soundbite

Welcome back to Under the Dome, your weekly update on the goings-on of the Missouri state legislature.

Activists Convinced A Lawmaker To Withdraw A Bill Criminalizing Abortion

Last week, Missouri State Rep. Bob Titus, a Republican from Billings, proposed legislation that would have criminalized abortion, putting women and doctors at risk of jail time for getting or providing necessary health care.

A national outcry soon followed – abortion was the most talked-about political topic in Missouri on Twitter/X, and the President even commented on it.

The public pressure got to Rep. Titus, and he withdrew the bill. One version of the bill, filed in the senate by Senator Mike Moon from Ash Grove, remains.

Lawmakers Want To Make Life Harder For LGBTQ People

New bills filed this week show the legislature wants to continue its attempts to make life harder for LGBTQ people – just in time for campaign season.

“The single common theme that’s happening right now is the legislature is attacking LGBTQ+ people and their very ability to exist on a day to day life,” said Robert Fischer, a spokesperson for PROMO. “Everyone’s trying to get their soundbite together for their campaign.”

Proposals range from “Don’t Say Gay”-style education bans to bills that would make it illegal to use someone’s preferred name in school.