State Official Pay Raise Plan Blocked After Intense Moves in Senate

next fiscal year after state senators successfully blocked a proposed pay increase Thursday.

The House had voted overwhelmingly against the pay raises last week, but some Senate Democrats had filibustered Wednesday as a means of allowing the increase to take effect.

State Sen. Rob Schaaf of St. Joseph said Wednesday that he didn’t want to waste more time because Democrats had promised another filibuster. But on Thursday, minority Senate Democrats backed down after Schaaf threatened a rare legislative procedure that would have clamped down another attempt at preventing a vote, and the raises died in a 31-3 vote.

The Republicans’ show of power comes weeks into a legislative session marked by some of the party’s largest majorities, which could make it easier for the GOP to push legislation through the chambers without needing concessions.

Republican Sen. Mike Kehoe, who was one of four Republicans and one Democrat who joined Schaaf in threatening to end a filibuster, said it’s early in the session to be pulling a move more commonly used when compromise seems unlikely. But the Jefferson City lawmaker also criticized Democrats for attempting to prevent a vote, an effort typically used as leverage by the minority party.