JEFFERSON CITY – After spending his first term as a member of the Agriculture Committee, Doyle Justus was appointed its chair days after beginning his second two-year stint in the Missouri House of Representatives.

Justus explained before a bill is debated on the House floor, it has to pass through a hearing and vote by an assigned committee.

Justus said as the chair of the committee, he has met with lobbyists from several farm organizations, including the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association and The Corn and Soybean Association.

The committee has also conducted hearings into a bill that would increase labeling requirements for pesticides.

“We had a lot of robust discussion on that,” Justus said.

Justus anticipates the bill will likely pass through the ag committee, which will send it to the rules committee, which also has to approve it.

Justus expects a bill regarding exporting water to resurface. Discussed in committee the last two years, Justus said the bill would allow the Department of Natural Resources to monitor and limit the exportation of Missouri groundwater.

“Right now, anyone can come in and put a pipeline in and take groundwater and send it to places lacking those resources,” Justus explained.

A bill allowing the Missouri Farm Bureau to sell health insurance should also receive consideration.

“Farm Bureau wants to offer a health care plan their members would be allow to purchase,” Justus said.

He explained it would be ideal for individuals whose income narrowly disqualifies them for assistance through Obamacare.

To maintain lower premiums with the plan, Justus said Farm Bureau could deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions.

Justus further explained several neighboring states off the health insurance plan, including Kansas and Iowa. Testimony provided to the committee indicated 10 percent of applicants are denied due to pre-existing conditions.

Beyond the agriculture committee, Justus expects the House to be busy enacting a lot of new Gov. Mike Kehoe’s agenda outlined in the Jan. 27 State of the State Address.

“Public safety has come up as a hot topic,” Justus said. “We’ve seen some legislation in the House already regarding how the St. Louis Police Department is ran.”

Gov. Kehoe has stated he’s interested in disbanding local control of the police department and placing it under the supervision of a state-appointed board. Kansas City’s police department has been managed by a state board since 2023.

Justus said there will also be considerable discussion about “tightening up” abortion legislation.

“We went from being able to have no abortion to Amendment Three, which is one of the most liberal set of regulations in the country,” he said of the amendment approved by voters in November repealing many abortion restrictions.

Gov. Kehoe also announced a significant spending increase in the upcoming budget, which Justus said will lead to a lot of scrambling in light of decreased revenues.

“I’m concerned about the budget,” he said. “We are required to balance the budget. And Gov. Kehoe presented a larger budget than last year. That’s going to create drama at the statehouse as everybody will be fighting for their piece of the pie.”

While balancing a budget with more expenses and lower revenues may create some lively discussion, Justus and his House colleagues are optimistic the Senate will be more productive in 2025 compared to 2024. With rampant in-party disputes among Senate Republican caucuses, the Senate President adjourned the 2024 session two-days early with several bills waiting for a vote.

“Everybody is very hopeful the Senate is going to function a lot better than they have in the last two years,” Justus said. “We say that with a cringe, not wanting to jinx it. But right now, Republicans are working well together and even Democrats are working well with them.”

Justus attributes the in-fighting running rampant in the Senate to the overall political climate that featured several contested races for higher state offices.

“Those statewide elections were a rain cloud over the state capitol,” he said. “They are gone.”