MIBA LOBBYING REPORT Andy Arnold Arnold & Associates As I write this, we are in the last week of the Missouri Legislature’s 2022 regular session. With five days to go, we are still working to pass legislation that would definitively criminalize ATM smash-and-grabs; the issue has been added to several bills we are pushing across the finish line. Today, (Monday) the House passed a third congressional map that they expect the Senate to take up and pass. The Senate is not so keen to tackle the issue. Maps have been one of the hottest topics of discussion since early January when the consensus among the Legislature was that maps would only be a minor distraction this Session. With four days left, those predictions don’t look so good. The Young Bankers were in town in the middle of last month and we were able to meet with House Financial Institutions Chairman Rick Francis, Senate Local Government & Elections Chairwoman Sandy Crawford, as well as State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick’s staff. What did we learn from those conversations? Politics sometimes requires us to accept a harsh reality. If we don’t pick and choose our battles, we may fade into the echo chamber from which we continuously seek to differentiate ourselves. Salvation will come Friday, May 13th, at 6:00 p.m. Any pending legislation will be dead and rendered harmless. The contention accrued every day of the 2022 regular session will dissipate, and we will begin the process of planning for 2023. Politics sometimes requires us to accept a harsh reality. June 2022 | 17
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