An ailing state lawmaker who is leaving office as he battles liver cancer will see one of his legislative priorities signed into law Thursday by Gov. Jay Nixon in the legislator's hometown.
State lawmakers this week swiftly passed a bill sponsored by Democratic Rep. Rory Ellinger of University City that prevents nursing mothers from being penalized for breast-feeding in public. The measure also allows nursing mothers to avoid jury duty with doctor approval.
Ellinger is a 72-year-old attorney in his second term in the state House of Representatives. He is a former University City School Board member whose biography identifies Ellinger as a one-time bodyguard for Martin Luther King Jr.
Ellinger initially planned to seek re-election later this year before his health problems surfaced.
