Missouri legislators return to Jefferson City Wednesday with some big decisions to make regarding redistricting and how to allocate a windfall of federal funding. Unfortunately, some among the ruling Republicans appear intent on making the coming legislative session all about abortion, school curriculum and resistance to responsible pandemic measures. Buckle up.

Lawmakers this session will draw new congressional boundaries, the once-in-a-decade process that, in Missouri as around the nation, has historically been used by whichever party is in control to gerrymander lasting demographic advantages in future elections. To their credit, leading Republicans in Missouri appear to have dismissed talk from their own side of the aisle about trying to eliminate one of the only two Democratic congressional seats in the state's eight-seat House delegation. Instead, the state will likely continue its current 6-2 split. While that's better for Democrats than losing a seat, former President Donald Trump's 56% share of the state's vote in the 2020 presidential election indicates a 5-3 split would more accurately reflect Missouri's political makeup. But in these hotly partisan times, you take what small mercies you can get.

Now if only the GOP's cooler heads can prevail on some of the other issues coming down the pike.

Some Republican lawmakers have filed an avalanche of legislation that couldn't be more helpful to the coronavirus if the virus itself had written it. There are measures to require businesses to serve the unvaccinated whether business owners like it or not. So much for the conservative principle of unfettered free enterprise. There's legislation to allow businesses to be sued if they require vaccination of employees and "injuries" result. So much for conservative opposition to runaway litigation.

Other Republican bills seek to stir up the culture-war fight over school curriculum, prohibiting teaching related to race and, more generally, giving the state expanded power over the decisions of locally elected school boards. So much for the conservative principle of protecting local control over schools.

And then, of course, there is abortion rights. The U.S. Supreme Court looks increasingly likely to scuttle Roe v. Wade, which would leave it to individual states to decide how restrictive they want to be regarding a woman's right to control her own body. Among the more egregious legislation on the horizon in Missouri is a measure to mimic Texas' near-total ban on abortion rights, including a civil-litigation enforcement mechanism that bears a disturbing resemblance to bounty hunting.

There was a time when Republican lawmakers adhered to the old adage that government is best which governs least. The adage has its limits, though. Government can and should assertively make life better for citizens. But in the case of the Legislature, getting through this session without fundamental damage being done to citizens' rights, education and health is the best Missourians can hope for.

REPRINTED FROM THE ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

Photo credit: 12019 at Pixabay