Missouri Senate gridlock on final day of 2023 session affects sports betting and crime-related bills.

The Missouri Senate faced gridlock on the final day of the legislative session, with only 43 non-budget, policy bills passed, the lowest in 30 years. A bill to make it harder to amend the state constitution through the initiative petition process failed to pass, as did a proposal to eliminate the sales tax on grocery food. Legislation to ban texting while driving, extend postpartum Medicaid coverage, and create a transitional benefits program for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families were among the bills that passed. The Senate was locked in gridlock due to intraparty warfare, with Sen. Bill Eigel filibustering to protest his personal property tax bill being held up until the Senate approved a different bill to legalize sports wagering.