State Reps Wright and Laubinger give legislative overviews

By Lisa Brotherton-Barnes | August 6, 2025 |

State Representative Dale Wright and State Representative Becky Laubinger. Lisa Brotherton-Barnes

Missouri State Rep. Becky Laubinger shared a recap of her first legislative session during the July meeting for the St. Francois County Conservative Club at the Farmington Public Library. She emphasized the challenges of navigating the political learning curve and her commitment to pro-life values as she settles into public office. Missouri State Rep. Dale Wright also spoke and gave a bird’s-eye view of the launch of his final term in office.

Laubinger, who represents District 117 in Southeast Missouri, told attendees that her inaugural session in the Missouri House of Representatives was a time of learning, adaptation, and relationship-building.

“I went in intending to learn this session, knowing that I was new,” Laubinger said. “I knew I would not make major changes on anything… and at the end of the session, I realized it’s rare for people to make major changes, no matter how long they’ve been there.”

She expressed appreciation for her mentor, Rep. Dale Wright from District 116, who helped guide her through the legislative process and encouraged her early involvement in committee work. Laubinger serves on the House committees for Health and Mental Health Policy, Elementary and Secondary Education, Children and Families, Legislative Review, and the Joint Committee for Public Assistance. She also joined the Substance Abuse Prevention Task Force, a position that aligned with her professional background working with individuals facing addiction.

“I do have a little bit different perspective than some of the people on the committees as far as that balance between helping versus enabling,” she explained. “I think we err too much on the side of enabling–we need to help those in need to help themselves.”

Laubinger focused much of her remarks on the upcoming 2026 statewide ballot measure that would revise Amendment 3, the constitutional amendment that previously protected access to abortion in Missouri. The new measure, also dubbed “Amendment 3,” stems from a joint resolution passed by the Missouri General Assembly earlier this year. If approved by voters, it could significantly restrict abortion rights in the state.

“This is not a total abortion ban,” Laubinger clarified. “We were close to that before, and then people passed Amendment 3… There was a lot of crazy marketing with that.”

She criticized what she described as the expansive definition of abortion used by some advocates, saying it conflates medical care like miscarriage treatment with elective abortion. “There’s a lot of confusion when we talk about abortion versus when they talk about abortion and what that means,” she said.

Drawing on her work counseling women facing unplanned pregnancies, Laubinger argued that cultural and emotional support—not just policy change—will be crucial to shifting public attitudes.

Asked about other notable takeaways from her first year, Laubinger shared that political maneuvering in the Capitol can be fraught—especially for newcomers trying to strike the right tone on contentious votes.

“Just learning how to stay strong on issues without destroying relationships is a big part of it,” she said. “You do have to work with all the other 163 people there.”

She acknowledged that after initially observing quietly, she began to cast more “no” votes after spring break—sometimes stirring political tension. But she emphasized the importance of engaging directly with colleagues before or after votes to explain her reasoning and preserve working relationships.

Regarding the role of lobbyists, Laubinger said they can be both helpful and influential, often possessing greater institutional knowledge than the lawmakers themselves due to Missouri’s strict term limits.

Rep. Wright enters final term of service

The conversation then shifted to Rep. Dale Wright, a seven-year legislative veteran, who praised Laubinger’s swift adjustment to Capitol life.

“She’s caught on to this real fast,” Wright said. “I’m not sure who’s mentoring who.”

Wright distributed copies of his final Capitol report and reflected candidly on the evolving challenges in Jefferson City, including the influence of long-tenured lobbyists and bureaucrats. Committees where he serves include Elections, Higher Education and Workforce Development, and Ways and Means.

Wright shared a personal frustration: the demise of his welfare-to-work incentive bill, which aimed to reduce public assistance dependency by gradually shifting insurance costs to recipients as they gained employment.

“The Democrats liked it because it wasn’t a drop off a cliff,” he explained. “And Republicans liked it because it got people off the rolls. But I had no interest from House leadership.” Though the bill had bipartisan appeal, Wright said it was ultimately shelved after multiple failed attempts to advance it. “This year, I just kind of trashed all the paperwork and gave it to another representative… and I think he gave up too.”

Wright highlighted the bill’s potential impact by pointing to skyrocketing public assistance numbers. “When I got to the House seven years ago, there were 846,000 people on assistance. Now it’s over 1.3 million,” he said. “We can’t stay on that projection forever.”

Wright, who originally ran for office to champion pro-life policies, reflected on the journey of Missouri’s abortion laws—particularly the passage of one of the strictest bans in the nation, which voters later struck down.

“My first vote was for that bill—no exceptions for anything,” he said. “Now, I support the new H.J.R. 73, which will be the new Amendment 3 on the 2026 ballot. It includes exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother. I think that’s reasonable.”

Wright praised local partnerships for advancing key infrastructure projects. He worked with Sen. Mike Henderson and Rep. Laubinger to secure funding for MAC’s new technology building and is now supporting efforts to expand Farmington’s industrial capacity.

“There’s 706 acres available for an industrial park,” he said. “All of our parks are full, and if we don’t do something, we’re going to be left behind. This would put Farmington and the Mineral Area on the map.

Looking ahead

Both legislators emphasized that public engagement, collaboration, and perseverance are essential to navigating Missouri politics.

Rep. Dale Wright (R-Farmington) revealed that a $15 million funding request for a regional industrial park and research farm tied to Mineral Area College failed in the final stages of the legislative session. Though the project made it into the Senate’s version of the budget at $10 million, it was ultimately excluded from House Bill 19 — a supplemental funding bill that never advanced.

“I personally talked to the governor,” Wright told the crowd. “I said, ‘I cannot vote for your stadiums if you can’t support the Mineral Area in St. Francois County.’ He said, ‘I love your project, but I can’t do it.’”

Wright suggested the region’s funding request may have been sidelined as political retaliation for his “no” vote on the $3 billion state-backed stadium deal for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals. “That’s probably why we didn’t get our funding,” he said.

Despite the setback, Wright praised several recent accomplishments for Mineral Area College (MAC), including the college’s expansion into Cape Girardeau — where it has displaced Three Rivers College as the designated service provider — and a new nursing program in Perryville.

“These are big wins,” Wright said. “Getting Cape into the taxing district will further strengthen MAC’s footprint and financial base.”

$170 Million IKO Plant

Wright also highlighted the arrival of IKO Industries, a Canadian roofing materials manufacturer, which is investing $170 million to build a new granule plant near Bismarck. The facility is expected to create around 70 jobs.

“They’ll take iron rock, grind it into cubes, paint it, and ship it to shingle plants in Georgia, Maryland, Texas — all over,” Wright said. “They’ve also just bought a packaging company. This is a totally integrated operation, and it’s going to bring good-paying jobs to the part of the county that really needs it.”

An additional boost may come from Beelman Trucking of Ste. Genevieve, which plans to build a similar plant nearby, potentially creating another 60 jobs. The state helped fund a gas line extension from Deloge to Bismarck to support both developments, though Wright noted IKO invested more than the state did in the project.

Still, Wright said he is proud of the work accomplished during his seven years representing Missouri’s 116th District, saying, “This has been my honor.”

School vouchers, charter schools, and funding fairness

Education quickly became a focal point of the forum. Wright, a self-described proponent of public schools, said he voted against House Bill 727, which would have diverted $50 million to parochial schools as part of an $810 million education funding package. “I was glad they got it, but I couldn’t do that because it would take so much money out of your public schools,” Wright said.

Others in the room expressed nuanced perspectives. “I’m on the Board of Education in Bismarck, but I’m also a product of private Christian schools,” one attendee said. “I was torn, but I can see where it’s really going to hurt public schools.”

Wright agreed, but noted that some parochial schools would benefit significantly. “St. Paul was going to get $65,000. That’s a big deal to them,” he said. “Their principal told me, ‘I’ll support you either way.’”

When asked about oversight, Wright acknowledged that private and charter schools don’t face the same accountability standards as public districts. “Charter schools are for-profit. Somebody decides to invest and make money on them,” he said. “They find a sponsor like Wash U or Mizzou, and that’s it.”

Some attendees argued for a results-based funding model that focuses on student outcomes rather than public-versus-private divides. Wright responded that such conversations are ongoing. “Senator Henderson is looking at a results-based model,” he said. “The governor also wants to revisit the formula because it’s not fair to rural districts.”

Mental Health System

The conversation intensified as attendees pressed the lawmakers about worsening conditions for the severely mentally ill, especially in rural southeast Missouri. One public administrator described a mounting crisis in which jails and hospitals are “pushing back” against housing patients with untreated or chronic mental illness. “It just keeps growing every year,” she said. “We’re not getting anywhere with these individuals who are facing homelessness.”

Wright pointed to what he called “lopsided” infrastructure investment, citing a new psychiatric hospital in Kansas City. “They’re building a $500 million hospital out there, and yet they’re talking about closing ours here,” he said. “It makes no sense. People shouldn’t have to drive to Kansas City to see their loved ones.”

Attendees expressed exasperation over the collapse of emergency mental health care. In one example, a psychiatric patient remained in Parkland Hospital’s ER for over 100 days while awaiting placement. “There’s no place to send them, so they just lie there for days,” Wright said. “And that takes up the beds for heart attacks, car wrecks, and everything else.”

Others agreed, citing wait times of 12–14 hours for medical patients even to be seen. Wright, who formerly served on the House Mental Health Committee, voiced alarm over the Missouri Department of Mental Health’s plan to shutter Farmington’s mental health hospital and convert it into a facility exclusively for sexually violent predators. “They want to move everybody down here,” Wright said. “And now we’re going to be the capital of sexual predators for the state of Missouri. You’ll see barbed wire coming down Columbia Street.”

The proposal stems from a staffing crisis at Fulton State Hospital, where the state spent roughly $200 million building a facility for such offenders but has failed to recruit enough employees to operate it. Wright said the state’s solution is to shift those inmates to Farmington, where a larger trained workforce is available — albeit reluctantly. “Our labor has already said they aren’t up for that,” Laubinger confirmed.

Lisa Brotherton-Barnes is a Daily Journal and Farmington Press staff writer. She can be reached at lbarnes@dailyjournalonline.com.