Representative offers tale of how legislature works

Enemies one day, friends the next, colleagues all the time. That's the way the Missouri House of Representatives works and Rep. Jake Zimmerman, D-Olivette, offers an example in his latest report:

We've reached the silly season: the end of the legislative session, when ideas thought dead roar back to life, and other causes are laid to rest - sometimes in the light of day, sometimes through backroom maneuvers. I'll have a bigger recap for you when we cross the finish line. But first I wanted to share a fascinating snapshot - recently I was caught in the middle of both legislative extremes, and the story felt like it was worth telling.

Last week, we had our biggest public fight of the year: partisan battle lines were drawn as the Republican House majority rejected a plan to provide $150 million of additional health insurance to Missourians. Courtesy of the feds and the Missouri hospitals, the cost of this plan in Missouri tax dollars would have been exactly zero. Yet - over the objections of even other Republicans, the House GOP said no. (Why, you ask? My best guess: raw partisanship in some cases, extreme anti-government ideology in others, and an unwillingness to buck leadership among the rest.)

Tensions ran high, nasty language and borderline slanderous allegations were coming from both sides, and it was getting ugly. I rose to speak, and gave what might have been the pivotal speech from our side of the aisle, calming things down and returning to the facts.

While the result was terribly disappointing, I couldn't have been prouder of House Democrats, and of my own small role in putting the focus back where it belonged - on the horrible actions being taken for purely political reasons. (For a good - if opinionated - summary of what happened, click here .)

What's neat, however, is that while all this was developing, another pivotal moment was playing out for me on the other legislative extreme: the quiet side. Some background: one of my highest priorities this session was to pass a desperately-needed fix to Missouri's corporate dissolution laws. Without this fix, people who bought real
estate through limited partnerships years ago could be stuck in a weird legal limbo, all because of an obscure loophole that was never closed. Obviously that's not as exciting as health care for the poor... but it's hugely important to the people trapped in legal purgatory. I tried last year and failed, so I really wanted to get it
fixed this year. (If you want details, you can see my original bill here .)

A bill like this will never attract press attention or limelight. That means you need to amend it onto a bigger piece of legislation without raising lots of objections... and that usually takes bipartisan help. So, within days of the big health care fight, I had to deal with the same Republican leaders I had so loudly opposed, to make sure my amendment could quietly pass. They agreed to help, and the gambit worked. And so, Senate Bill 217 is on its way to Governor Nixon's desk, and - pending his signature - I found my biggest personal legislative victory of the session.

In short, the old rule is true: politics makes strange bedfellows, and your fiercest opponent today can be a crucial ally tomorrow. That's what makes the legislature so rewarding and so maddening, all at the same time.