Today at noon at the capitol in Jefferson City the Missouri General Assembly started the 2019 legislative session – the 100th in the history of the state.

Before the House was gaveled into session boutonnieres were placed on members’ desks on the House floor.

New members on the House floor greeted friends and family in the side and public galleries:

And greeted their colleagues on the House floor:

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft (r) brought the House to order and led the chamber in the Pledge of Allegiance:

319 U.S. 624 West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (No. 591) [1943]

….Symbols of State often convey political ideas, just as religious symbols come to convey theological ones. Associated with many of these symbols are appropriate gestures of acceptance or respect: a salute, a bowed or bared head, a bended knee. A person gets from a symbol the meaning he puts into it, and what is one man’s comfort and inspiration is another’s jest and scorn….

A bowed head:

Listening to Secretary of State Ashcroft’s (r) remarks – the republican side of the House chamber:

Members were then sworn into the House:

The Democratic minority in both chambers of the General Assembly are “super minorities” – that is, they have little ability to stop or even slow down actions of the majority.

The House Democratic Minority Leader spoke after nominations for Speaker of the House were closed:

Representative Elijah Haahr (r) was elected as Speaker of the House:

After speeches by the Speaker and the Speaker Pro Tem and a series of formalities and resolutions the House adjourned.

Previously:

Rep. Bruce Franks, Jr. (D): comforting the afflicted, afflicting the comfortable (January 4, 2018)