With the Capitol up and running again, Clean Missouri made it one step further in the state House. A committee of lawmakers in the Missouri House approved Clean Missouri, sending it to the full House for the final debate.
The bill includes a gift ban for legislators and new redistricting guidelines and has already been approved by the Senate. The bill, though, has divided the legislature between Republicans and Democrats. Rep. Jon Carpenter, D-Kansas City, did not agree with Sen. Dan Hegeman, R-Cosby, who sponsored the bill.
Carpenter says amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not the right time, “I just feel like we could spend our time on things we can agree on to address the crisis, and this is going to divide us, at a time when we need to be united.”
If the House ultimately decides to approve the bill, Clean Missouri, or amendment one, will go back to the ballot for voters to decide again.