Victor Callahan

The Post-Dispatch has a good story today the General Assembly's attempt to overhaul Proposition B, which now sits on Gov. Jay Nixon's desk. I was particularly interested in this breakdown of St. Louis area-legislators who voted against the will of their constituents. 

Across the state, there were at least four Senators and thirteen Representatives who voted contrary to his or her district's position. 

• In the Senate, Victor Callahan, Bob Dixon and Rob Schaaf voted to overhaul Prop B -- and for the the emergency clause that would prevent a future referendum.  (The proposal to add an emergency  clause failed in the Senate, and is not part of the final bill approved by the House and Senate.)  Scott Rupp also voted for the overhaul, but opposed the emergency clause. 
• In the House, Jamilah Nasheed, Jerry Nolte, Noel Torpey, John McCaherty, Kurt Bahr, Paul Wieland, John Diehl, Doug Funderburk, T.J. Berry, Terry Swinger, Paul Curtman, Bill White and Melissa Leach voted against their constituents' wishes.

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In related celebrity endorsement news, Ellen DeGeneres is calling on Gov. Nixon to veto SB 113 -- on her website and on her syndicated talk show. 

From KRCG:

Members unanimously re-elected Sen. Victor Callahan, D-Independence, as the Minority Floor Leader.

Sen. Jolie Justus, D-Kansas City, will be the Assistant Minority Floor Leader.

Members picked Sen. Tim Green, D-Spanish Lake, to serve as Caucus Chairman, and Sen. Robin Wright-Jones, D-St. Louis, will be Caucus Secretary.

“The people of Missouri sent a clear message that they want us to work on getting our economy moving again,” Sen. Callahan said. “We look forward to working with the majority to create jobs and improve education. These are not partisan issues and we must work together to find solutions.”

"What I'd like to do is go back from the best ethics bill in the universe and get it down to the best ethics bill in the galaxy -- and maybe beyond -- but not universe."

Senate President Pro Tem Charlie Shields on SB844, the "ethics" legislation passed last Thursday in the House

The whole exchange between Sens. Shields and Victor Callahan about the House legislation was pretty interesting. 

Listen: