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Politically Speaking: Rep. Schroer on special session — and Gov. Greitens' 1st session

St. Louis Public Radio | By Jason Rosenbaum,
Jo Mannies
Published May 21, 2017 at 10:06 PM CDT
Rep. Nick Schroer, R-O'Fallon
Jason Rosenbaum I St. Louis Public Radio
Rep. Nick Schroer, R-O'Fallon

On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome state Rep. Nick Schroer to the program for the first time.

The O’Fallon Republican represents a portion of St. Charles County in the Missouri House. He was first elected to the 107th  House District in 2016.

Rep. Nick Schroer joins the Politically Speaking podcast.

Schroer, a Ferguson native, received his law degree from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. He decided to jump into the electoral fray after Rep. Ron Hicks decided against running for re-election. Ultimately, he defeated Rick Lucas by a landslide in the GOP primary. He went onto defeat Democrat (and professional wrestler) Curtis Wylde in the general election.

Since entering the Missouri House, Schroer has focused on criminal justice and law enforcement related bills. One of his bills would enhance the penalties for people who attack a law enforcement office. Another would have allowed someone to sue if they sustained certain injuries on the property of business enterprises that voluntarily prohibit firearms.

Here’s what Schroer had to say during the show:

  • He is sympathetic to the idea of reopening an aluminum smelter in southeast Missouri – and possibly building a steel plant nearby. But he’s worried that lowering the electrical rate to achieve that purpose could hurt consumers. “I want to make sure that before I push the red or green button on Monday, or whenever we deal with this, that it is going to be the right thing for that part of the state but for all Missourians,” he said.
  • While others were critical of how Gov. Eric Greitens dealt with the legislature, Schroer said he appreciates that the governor has been willing to work with lawmakers to get major pieces of legislation passed.
  • He says one bill he’s going to push for next year is raising the age for people to be tried as an adult for most crimes to 18.  Schroer says juveniles housed in adult jails have a harder time finding a job or going to college. “And the recidivism rates for individuals are exponentially higher than those in these 44 other states who are first housed in the juvenile justice system – or sent back on House arrest,” he said.
  • Schroer said he hopes that the House continues to push for a ban on lobbyist-paid meals, entertainment and travel. Rep. Justin Alferman’s bill to largely restrict lobbyist freebies died in the Missouri Senate near the end of the legislative session.


Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Jo Mannies on Twitter: @jmannies

Follow Nick Schroer: @NickBSchroer

Music: “Spoonman” by Soundgarden

Copyright 2021 St. Louis Public Radio. To see more, visit St. Louis Public Radio.

Missouri News
Jason Rosenbaum
Since entering the world of professional journalism in 2006, Jason Rosenbaum dove head first into the world of politics, policy and even rock and roll music. A graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, Rosenbaum spent more than four years in the Missouri State Capitol writing for the Columbia Daily Tribune, Missouri Lawyers Media and the St. Louis Beacon.
See stories by Jason Rosenbaum
Jo Mannies
Jo Mannies has been covering Missouri politics and government for almost four decades, much of that time as a reporter and columnist at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. She was the first woman to cover St. Louis City Hall, was the newspaper’s second woman sportswriter in its history, and spent four years in the Post-Dispatch Washington Bureau. She joined the St. Louis Beacon in 2009. She has won several local, regional and national awards, and has covered every president since Jimmy Carter. She scared fellow first-graders in the late 1950s when she showed them how close Alaska was to Russia and met Richard M. Nixon when she was in high school. She graduated from Valparaiso University in northwest Indiana, and was the daughter of a high school basketball coach. She is married and has two grown children, both lawyers. She’s a history and movie buff, cultivates a massive flower garden, and bakes banana bread regularly for her colleagues.
See stories by Jo Mannies