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SR 542

SR 542 - This Senate resolution modifies Senate Rule 50 to provide that the chair of each committee shall be authorized to report no more than three bills when the Senate is on the order of business of reports of standing committees. The President Pro Tem of the Senate may receive additional bills from the chair at the discretion of the President Pro Tem. This resolution is identical to SR 87 (2025) and SR 562 (2024). JIM ERTLE

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Mike Moon

Missouri Senate rule change limits committee chairs to reporting maximum three bills per session, potentially slowing legislative floor consideration with specified exceptions.

Referred S Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions and Ethics Committee
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Bill Summary · SR 542

Legislative bill overview

SR 542 proposes to modify Missouri Senate Rule 50 by limiting each standing committee chair to reporting no more than three bills during the designated order of business for committee reports, with specified exceptions. This is a procedural rule change that would constrain the volume of legislation advanced from committees to the full Senate floor at any given time.

Why is this important

This rule change would directly affect the pace and flow of legislation through the Missouri Senate by creating a bottleneck at the committee reporting stage. It could slow the legislative process, reduce the number of bills receiving floor consideration, and shift power dynamics between committee chairs and leadership in determining which bills advance.

Potential points of contention

  • Legislative productivity concerns: Critics may argue this artificially restricts legislative output and prevents important bills from receiving floor votes, while supporters contend it forces prioritization and prevents low-quality legislation from advancing
  • Committee chair power: The rule fundamentally alters which bills get reported, potentially concentrating influence over bill selection or creating conflicts between chairs and chamber leadership
  • Exceptions ambiguity: The bill references "certain exceptions" without detail in this summary, leaving unclear which bills could bypass the three-bill limit and whether this creates unfair advantages for specific legislation types

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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