The Missouri House approved rules that critics argue entrust too much power to the new Speaker of the House.
Rep. Dean Plocher was elected Speaker of the House on Jan. 4.
“He now has more power than any House Speaker in our history,” said Andy Wells, No Left Turn in Education state director. “The only way anything will get passed in the House is if he wants it to.”
House Resolution 11, adopted by a vote of 105-51 on Jan. 11, was sponsored by Majority Floor Leader Rep. Patterson (R-Lee’s Summit)
“It centralizes all power within the speaker to the point that he will have 'say' over who's on committees; when bills go to committee; when they come out of committee, and if they ever go to the rules committee after being approved like an education bill,” Wells told the St. Louis Record.
No Left Turn in Education is a parental rights organization with chapters in 50 states that mobilizes community participation in curriculum and school board meetings.
“Normally, the leader of the committee determines whether a bill goes before their committee,” Wells said. “Then, once those bills are approved, if they are approved, they automatically go to the rules committee. The rules committee hears everything that is approved and then the house leadership decides whether or not it's heard on the floor. This year, Plocher has decided that he wants sole authority over what gets heard in the rules committee.”
Plocher was elected in Nov. 2015 and since then has represented Chesterfield, Country Life Acres, Crystal Lake Park, Des Peres, Frontenac, Huntleigh, Kirkwood, Ladue, and Town & Country.
He did not respond to requests for comment but Jean Evans, former executive director of the Missouri Republican Party, said the Speaker has always been very powerful.
"They always decide who picks the committees and they've moved people on and off committees," she said. "There is no drama. Things are running really smoothly in the capitol right now."
Lawmakers debate changes to the House rules at the start of a new General Assembly every two years, according to media reports.
"I think Dean Plocher added a rules committee, which actually diffuses his power because rules committee chairs can stop a bill," Evans told the St. Louis Record. "He's a very smart guy and he's somebody who takes counsel and listens to everybody in his caucus, even the people he doesn't agree with. So, I have a lot of confidence in him, and it's good to see them moving forward."