The end of a early Thursday was a cease-fire in the Missouri Senate鈥檚 Republican civil war, not a peace settlement.
But the only place it applies is in the chamber itself.
Outside, on social media and conservative talk radio, the barrage continues.
The Missouri Freedom Caucus surrendered the floor under threat of being forced to do so with a motion to shut off debate, Senate Majority Leader Cindy O鈥橪aughlin in a social media post.
The motion, known as the previous question, requires the signatures of 10 members of the 34-member Senate and its use to end a filibuster is seen as a last-resort option by Senate leadership.
Using it to close down members of the minority party is rare. Using it on members of the majority party is considered beyond the pale.
But that is where they were at 3 a.m. Thursday, O鈥橪aughlin wrote. The motion not only had the signatures of the necessary 10, but 鈥渆very member鈥� of the Senate had signed, she wrote.
鈥淭he filibustering Freedom Caucus members were told we had it and if they didn鈥檛 sit down we鈥檇 use it,鈥� O鈥橪aughlin wrote. 鈥淭hey sat down.鈥�
State Sen. Bill Eigel told a different story Thursday morning on a Kansas City radio station. Eigel is seeking the Republican nomination for governor.
In his version, the end came when there were 18 other Republicans willing to vote in favor of changing the majority requirements to pass constitutional amendments.
At that point, the bill renewing medical provider taxes necessary to finance the state Medicaid program received first-round approval.
鈥淲e allowed as a measure of goodwill for that to take a step forward towards completion,鈥� Eigel said on the .
The bill needs a final roll call vote to send it to the House and Freedom Caucus members are ready to renew their filibuster, Eigel said.
鈥淭he commitments better be kept as we go into next week or we鈥檙e going to end up right back where we were this week,鈥� Eigel said.
State Sen. Mike Cierpiot, a Lee鈥檚 Summit Republican, followed Eigel on the Mundo program and said he was lying. The Freedom Caucus caved under threat of being shut down, he said.
It took 41 hours, he said, because so many Republicans were reluctant to use the previous question motion. Finally, he said, 18 Republicans of the 24 in the chamber had put their names on the motion.
Cierpiot and Eigel have a bitter enmity, and at one point in the 2022 session as they made selections from the buffet-style meal being served during a Senate break.
鈥淚 would sign that against Bill Eigel any time, any day, because he does this silliness all the time,鈥� Cierpiot told Mundo.
Crunch time
The next two weeks as the legislative session comes to a close are the busiest of the year. The budget 鈥� including one to provide money for programs short of funds to finish the year 鈥� must be finished by Friday.
All legislative work must cease on May 17.
As majority leader, O鈥橪aughlin is essentially the Senate traffic cop, giving members the green light to bring their bill up for debate. Her plan when the chamber convened last Tuesday was to give Republican state Sen. Lincoln Hough of Springfield, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the floor to first get the provider tax bill through, then lead the debate on the budget bills.
The Freedom Caucus came to the floor demanding that the Senate debate a proposal changing the majority requirements for passing constitutional amendments.
An agenda change seemed designed to trigger a filibuster by Democrats. The measure has already been through the Senate once and Democrats to force removal of provisions that the before returning it.
In her Friday post, O鈥橪aughlin said she wanted the budget finished before beginning an extended debate on initiative petition legislation.
鈥淚f you take away the political theater you understand the budget has to go first,鈥� O鈥橪aughlin wrote. 鈥淭his week, the 鈥楩reedom Caucus鈥� burned up virtually the entire week with a filibuster. They denounced other senators (myself included), read from the Bible and basically lectured anyone who would listen on the 鈥榚mergency鈥� we have and how they should be the ones determining the schedule.鈥�
The spur behind changing the majority requirements for constitutional amendments is the prospect of an abortion rights proposal on the November ballot.
Supporters of abortion rights on Friday on an initiative petition to enshrine reproductive rights in the Missouri Constitution. If there are enough valid signatures in six of the state鈥檚 eight congressional districts, it will go on a ballot later this year.
Republicans want to put the changes to majority requirements 鈥� raising the threshold to require a majority vote in five congressional districts in addition to a statewide majority 鈥� on the August ballot. That could put the higher bar in place for the November election.
Every Republican in the Senate supports the changes to majority requirements, O鈥橪aughlin wrote.
鈥淏asically it gave more weight to rural votes,鈥� O鈥橪aughlin wrote, 鈥渁nd requires not only a 50 + 1 % vote to win an issue but also a majority in five of eight congressional districts.鈥�
The week that includes the budget deadline is a time of maximum leverage. Passing a budget is the only work that lawmakers must complete in any given year and only once, in 1997, have lawmakers missed the deadline on any spending bills and returned to complete appropriations work in a special session.
In an interview early Thursday, Hough said he has been working to reduce the steps necessary to pass a budget this year to help meet the deadline. He鈥檚 preparing Senate substitutes for the committee-passed bills, written after consultations with House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, leadership in both chambers and Democrats.
Last week, Smith said agreement on final budget provisions was needed by Wednesday to provide enough time for staff work and the workings of House rules. Sending the House revisions that are acceptable would eliminate days of work.
鈥淚t is not the norm, but nothing in this environment is the norm,鈥� Hough said.
Cracked caucus
When the Missouri Freedom Caucus formed late last year, it counted six Republican Senators among its members 鈥� Eigel and Sens. Rick Brattin, Jill Carter, Denny Hoskins, Andrew Koenig and Nick Schroer.
But last week, Carter refused to participate in the filibuster, refused to speak to Eigel on the Senate floor and renounced her membership soon after the filibuster ended.
鈥淲hile I remain loyal to the same conservative principles and the advancement of legislation that benefits our state and my constituents, I can no longer, in good conscience, be part of behaviors, and actions behind the scenes that defames grassroots, and violates the needs of my constituents,鈥� Carter .
Carter did not return calls seeking comment on her decision.
In a response to a Facebook comment, Carter said she would not discuss why she acted.
鈥淚 did what I did because it was best for me and my conscience, and how I represent my district, that鈥檚 what I want people to know,鈥� Carter said. 鈥淚f I need to say more in time I will, but I am not in the habit of bashing on social media platforms just to keep up with the vitriol.鈥�
Eigel and the Freedom Caucus, however, engaged in no such restraint.
After her refusal to speak to Eigel on the floor, he accused her of betraying the group, failing to keep a promise and selling out.
鈥淚t seems like so often, when, when individuals get down to this chamber, something happens,鈥� Eigel said. 鈥淭hey lose that desire to fight for the things that they said they were gonna fight for in campaign season. You don鈥檛 often get to see the moment when it happens for a legislator.鈥�
A statement posted to the Missouri Freedom Caucus social media accounts said Carter鈥檚 loyalty to the group was under suspicion before the public break because she had voted against caucus priorities previously.
鈥淚t is easy to lose your way and be overwhelmed by the Jefferson City swamp and the Missouri Uniparty,鈥� the statement reads.
And Eigel that Carter would 鈥渞emain in his prayers鈥� to regain her bearings.
鈥淣obody wins when commitments are broken so publicly on (the) Senate floor, and many of the folks celebrating this fracture don鈥檛 share Jill鈥檚 belief set to begin with,鈥� Eigel wrote.
Carter鈥檚 break is akin to O鈥橪aughlin鈥檚 withdrawal from a group, with several of the same senators, that called itself the conservative caucus. Like Carter, she was the only female member.
And then, as now, the most aggressive member of the caucus was Eigel.
In January, speaking to editors and publishers visiting the Capitol with the Missouri Press Association, O鈥橪aughlin said she was ready to from the Senate.
She also told them why she quit the conservative caucus.
鈥淚 felt like the conservative caucus was really all about Sen. Eigel,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e wanted to make all the decisions and I didn鈥檛 agree with the decisions and after being in there awhile, we start filibustering our own bill and I thought 鈥榮omething is not working here.鈥欌��
This story was originally published by The Missouri Independent, part of the States Newsroom.
