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Missouri Senate tackles early voting, abortion bill and voter ID in final week of session

state capitol
Ryan Famuliner
/
KBIA
A Missouri Senate committee is considering legislation that would make CPR training mandatory for high school graduates, beginning in the fall of 2014.

Republicans in the Missouri Senate succeeded in passing two of their top priorities early Tuesday morning.

In a bit of old-fashioned horse-trading, Democrats agreed to allow votes on a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow early voting during regular business hours (HJR 90), and on a bill that would require women to wait 72 hours before getting an abortion (HB 1307).  In exchange, Republicans agreed to drop their push for 'paycheck protection' (HB 1617) and for requiring voters to show photo ID (HJR 47).

"There was consensus on the two issues that we were able to move forward with...and I think the Democrats understood that," said Senate President Pro-tem Tom Dempsey, R-St. Charles.

State Sen. ScottSifton, D-Affton, had been leading a filibuster of the 72-hour waiting period bill.

"There are many other issues to be taken up in the next four days," Sifton said, "many of which are terribly important to my constituency, including specifically the (student) transfer bill, which has been in conference this evening and will be in conference again in the morning."

Sifton suggested that continuing his filibuster could have jeopardized the passage of the student transfer bill, along with several other bills, in the closing days of the legislative session.

The 72-hour waiting period and early voting measures now return to the Missouri House for further consideration.

The 2014 Missouri regular session ends Friday at 6:00 p.m.

Follow Marshall Griffin on Twitter:  @MarshallGReport

Copyright 2014 KWMU-FM. To see more, visit http://www.stlpublicradio.org.

Missouri Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a proud alumnus of the University of Mississippi (a.k.a., Ole Miss), and has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off the old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Mason, and their cat, Honey.
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