Senate filibuster stymies progress with days left
Samantha Gonzalez will make history Thursday as one of the first three students to earn a bachelor’s degree, of any kind, from a Missouri community college.
All three will be graduating from Ozarks Technical Community College with a degree in respiratory therapy.
The California native said her educational journey has been less than conventional. She graduated from Ozark High School in 2010 but it wasn’t until years later that she enrolled in OTC.
“I didn’t go to college right away. I ended up meeting my husband when I was 19 and so I got married and kind of did life a little backwards. I had kids and he was in the military so I supported his career and followed him around and raised our children,” said Gonzalez, 31. “When he got out of the military, I wanted to focus on myself and give myself
In the final week of the legislative session, the Missouri Senate is at a standstill as Senate Democrats filibuster legislation seeking to raise the threshold for passing citizen-led constitutional something to be proud of and also be a role model for our daughters.”
Her initial goal was to become a teacher. She completed an associate’s degree in early childhood education and was a substitute in Nixa Public Schools. Then, the pandemic hit.
“It shed a lot of light on respiratory therapists and the respiratory field in general and it sparked something in me to want to be involved,” she said.
Three years ago, the Coordinating Board for Higher Education gave OTC and the St. Louis Community College the authority to offer bachelor’s degrees in respiratory therapy.
OTC debuted respiratory therapy in January 2023 with students enrolled in Springfield and Waynesville. It is selective admission, meaning students complete prerequisites before they apply.
Brandon Burk, program director, said OTC can accept up to 30 students for the bachelor’s program, which typically amendments.
Senate Joint Resolution 74, sponsored by state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, was brought before the Senate for debate at 2:40 p.m. on Monday. Democrats quickly moved for the measure to be stripped of the House amendments or for a conference to be held between House and Senate members to find an agreeable compromise.
The hang-up causing this standstill is the addition of “ballot candy,” which Senate Democrats had negotiated to remove from the legislation during a filibuster before allowing it to pass in February. The Missouri House added the ballot candy back in, sending it back to the Senate for final approval.
The eNewspaper is an electronic copy of your print newspaper. Enjoy every page by going to news-leader.com/enewspaper or scan this code on your mobile device. You will also find late news and sports in the bonus sections. Check it out today!
Ballot candy is a term used to refer to items added to sweeten the petition and encourage voters to pass the measure. This language is generally placed first in the ballot summary language, obscuring the true meat of the petition.
In this instance, that language asks
Subscriber-only eNewspaper