Leadership in the Missouri House

The day after the general election in November I was elected by my fellow state representatives to the leadership position of Assistant Majority Floor Leader. So, what does an Assistant Majority Floor Leader do?

The top dog in the House is the Speaker of the House. The Speaker decides which committees will exist, which members will serve on those committees, and who will chair each of the committees. The Speaker also chooses whether to refer a bill on to a committee or the House floor for debate, or let it die. Because of such control over legislation, it has been argued that the Speaker may be as politically powerful as the governor.

The Senate also has a Speaker, but there the position is called President Pro Tem. Due to Senate rules, the Senate’s President Pro Tem does not have as much control as the Speaker of the House.

The second-most important person in the House is the Majority Floor Leader. The Floor Leader selects which bills that the Speaker approved actually get debate time on the House floor.

The Speaker and Floor Leader each have replacement members to fill in when they are absent, and they are the Speaker Pro Tem and my role, the Assistant Floor Leader. The top two could miss time for a few minutes due to a meeting, or could leave permanently if they resign or die in office, so it is important to have competent backups when they are unavailable. I am honored and humbled to have been chosen for that role.

Other minor leadership positions are the Whip, Caucus Chair, and Caucus Secretary. The Whip’s job is to make sure there are enough votes to pass a bill before the vote is taken. If there is not enough support for a bill, there is no sense in wasting time debating and voting on it.

The Caucus Chair organizes caucus meetings and advises members on interfacing with constituents. And the Secretary plans events for the House, like the annual charity softball tournament.

Both Republicans and Democrats have leadership positions. The minority party (currently the Democrats) has a Minority Floor Leader, Minority Whip, etc. Every leadership position has a minority counterpart except for the Speaker. The one Speaker serves and rules the whole House.

Other important members are the committee chairs, especially the chairs of the Budget Committee and Rules Committees. These members can often have a larger effect on legislation than everyone except the Speaker and Floor Leader.

The new Speaker is from Springfield, the Floor Leader is from the St. Louis suburb of Arnold, the Speaker Pro Tem is from the St. Louis suburb of St. Charles, the Whip is from the Fort Leonard Wood area, the Caucus Chair is from the rural Springfield area, and the Secretary is from Annapolis in southeastern Missouri. I will be one of the few House leaders from a rural area, and the only one north of I-70.

The next session begins on Jan. 9. It will mark the beginning of Missouri’s 100th General Assembly. I am looking forward to being part of the leadership team and to help propel quality legislation through the process to improve the quality of life for Missourians everywhere.

Until next time, Merry Christmas and best wishes of safety, health and prosperity to you and your family.