Politics: Term limits have hit recent leaders in both the Missouri House and the Missouri Senate, resulting in new leadership for the 2025 General Assembly. Governor-elect Mike Kehoe (R) will be sworn into office on January 13th, replacing Governor Mike Parson (R). Kehoe has been serving as Lieutenant Governor since June 2018, first appointed by Parson, then elected to a full term in 2020. Kehoe previously was a state Senator and served as Senate Majority Floor Leader, 2015 to 2018.
The 2024 Speaker of the House and President Pro Tem of the Senate are terming out. Rep. Jon Patterson (R-Lee’s Summit) will be the new Speaker and Sen. Cindy O’Laughlin (R-Shelbina) will become the Senate President Pro Tem. Rep. Patterson is a medical doctor and has served as House Majority Floor Leader. Sen. O’Laughlin has served as Senate Majority Floor Leader. She is a retired small business owner who ran a family trucking business for many years before her recent sale of the business to her son.
House Republican Leaders for 2025 include: Speaker Jon Patterson (R-Lee’s Summit); Rep. Alex Riley (R-Springfield), Majority Floor Leader; Rep. Chad Perkins (R-Bowling Green), Majority Speaker Pro Tem; Rep. Lane Roberts (R-Joplin), Majority Assistant Floor Leader; Rep. Hardy Billington (R-Poplar Bluff), Majority Caucus Whip; Rep. Bennie Cook (R-Houston), Majority Caucus Chair; and Rep. Ann Kelley (R-Lamar), Majority Caucus Secretary.
House Democratic Leaders for 2025 include: Rep. Ashley Aune (D-Kansas City), House Minority Leader; Rep. Marlon Anderson (D-St. Louis), Assistant Minority Leader; Rep. Aaron Crossley (D-Independence), Minority Caucus Whip; Rep. Emily Weber (D-Kansas City), Minority Caucus Chair; Rep. Kimberly-Ann Collins (D-St. Louis), Minority Caucus Vice Chair; Rep. Eric Woods (D-Kansas City), Minority Caucus Secretary; and Rep. Bridget Walsh Moore (D-St. Louis), Minority Caucus Policy Chair.
Senate Republican Leaders for 2025 include: Sen. O’Laughlin, President Pro-Tem; Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer (R-Parkville), Majority Floor Leader; Sen. Curtis Trent (R-Springfield), Majority Assistant Floor Leader; Sen. Ben Brown (R-Washington), Majority Caucus Chair; Sen. Jill Carter (R-Granby), Majority Caucus Whip; and Sen. Sandy Crawford (R-Buffalo), Majority Caucus Secretary.
Senate Democratic Leaders for 2025 include: Sen. Doug Beck (D-St. Louis), Senate Minority Leader; Sen. Steven Roberts (D-St. Louis), Assistant Minority Floor Leader; Sen. Angela Mosley (D-Florissant), Minority Caucus Chair; and Sen. Brian Williams (D-University City), Minority Caucus Whip.
2025 Session Preview: 2024 in the Missouri Senate is nearly one to forget as constant disagreements resulted in one of the least productive legislative sessions in modern Missouri history. Only 46 bills passed the Legislature and were signed by the Governor in 2024, and 18 of those bills were appropriations bills. With new House and Senate leadership, positive changes are expected.
Legislative leaders are expected to work together with the help of Governor-elect Kehoe to find ways to work together and push forward major caucus priorities such as energy policy, health care, criminal justice, education reforms, income tax cuts, and several others to which the legislature has been unable to address over the past two sessions.
The state’s fiscal budget is expected to tighten, creating more spending restrictions and difficult decisions for the next administration.
2024-2025 Dates of Interest
- December 2, 2024 – Legislation Pre-Filing Begins
- January 8, 2025 – First day of the Legislative Session
- January 13, 2025 – Inauguration Day
- January 20, 2025 – No Session, MLK Jr. Observance
- March 17-21, 2025 – No Session, Spring Break
- April 21, 2025 – No Session, Easter Break
- May 9, 2025 – Missouri Budget Must be Passed
- May 16, 2025 – Last day of Legislative session