JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri lawmakers ended a contentious legislative session Friday having spent much of their five months in the Capitol fighting over the boundaries for the state’s new congressional maps.
Along the way they managed to pass a massive $49 billion budget that includes more money to pay teachers, billions of dollars in brick-and-mortar projects and full funding to cover an expanded population of Medicaid recipients.
And despite Republican infighting, Senate leaders managed to navigate a politically tricky landscape to help secure GOP priorities like changes in election laws, tax rebate checks worth up to $500 and a funding stream for charter schools.
