State Senate Republicans have caucused and the filing of bills will begin December 1. The man who can decide what does and doesn’t reach the Senate floor in the 2016 session said he can’t rank legislative priorities, but Mike Kehoe (R-Jefferson City) told Missourinet there are some issues that stand out. Voter photo ID will be proposed again. “I believe Senator [Will Kraus] … will be working through voter ID. He’s been a champion of it before. He’s very passionate about it, and many people are,” said Kehoe. “We feel like if you’re going to vote for the most powerful man in the world, having proper identification is only reasonable.”
Because previous voter photo ID laws have been struck down as unconstitutional in Missouri, legislative Republicans have pursued a combination of a ballot initiative that would ask voters to change the Constitution to allow for voter photo ID, and a companion bill that would create the structure for voter photo ID if the ballot issue is passed.
Democrats argue the proposal is an attempt to disenfranchise voters who have a hard time securing the documents needed to get a photo ID, including many older African-Americans women.
Full Article: Voter photo ID, ethics reform among top priorities for Missouri Senate Republicans.