The Missouri House has a new speaker. State Representative Dean Plocher, a Republican from the St. Louis suburb of Des Peres, has been selected by members to serve as the top leader of the lower chamber.

 

The Republican-controlled Legislature is likely to focus this session on raising the threshold for the number of votes required to have an initiative petition become law, restrictions on letting transgender athletes participate in sports, and an attempt to legalize sports betting, among other things.