Missouri Legislative Session Ends Friday

Missouri House members have ended their work for the annual legislative session after sending more than 30 bills to the governor on the final day.  

The House adjourned about 10 minutes ahead of the mandatory 6 p.m. Friday deadline to pass legislation.

The Senate quit nearly three hours ahead of time, when it became apparent that Democrats would block all additional legislation because of their displeasure over the Republican's passage of a bill earlier this week limiting union powers.

In an unusual quirk, the House ended the day with a different leader than it began.

House Speaker John Diehl resigned Friday morning after acknowledging exchanging sexually suggestive text messages with a Capitol intern. Majority Leader Todd Richardson was elected to replace Diehl as speaker.