SR 543: Put Missouri Senate Proceedings on Video — and Put the People Back in the Room
Missourians deserve to see their government at work—especially when the Senate is gaveled in and conducting official business. SR 543 is a simple, practical step: it would require the Missouri Senate to provide an audio and video feed of Senate proceedings on the Senate website.
Listen: Audio-Only Version
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File: /audio/senate-video-sr543.mp3
Quick Action
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Why this matters
Missouri’s Constitution begins with a reminder that government is not something done to the people—it is something derived from the people. That means transparency is not a luxury. It is a basic condition of legitimate self-government.
Missouri Constitution, Article I, Section 1
“That all political power is vested in and derived from the people; all government of right originates from the people, is founded upon their will only, and is instituted solely for the good of the whole.”
Missouri Constitution, Article I, Section 3
“The people of this state have the inherent, sole and exclusive right to regulate the internal government and police thereof, and to alter and abolish their constitution and form of government whenever they may deem it necessary to their safety and happiness.”
A public video feed does not “attack” the Senate. It strengthens the Senate by putting the people back where they belong: able to watch, learn, and hold their representatives accountable.
What SR 543 does
- Amends Senate Rule 96 to require an audio and video feed of “senate proceedings” available on the Senate website.
- Sets a firm deadline: the feed must be operational no later than March 1, 2026.
- Becomes effective upon adoption (it is a rules resolution, not a statutory bill).
Current status: SR 543 has been offered and referred to the Senate Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions and Ethics Committee (see Senate tracker).
The committee can hold a hearing, vote to report the resolution out, and leadership can bring it to the floor for adoption.
Act for Missouri criteria check (adapted for a Senate rules resolution)
- Limited scope: Focused on one thing—public access to Senate audio/video feeds. No unrelated policy add-ons.
- Clear intent and measurable outcome: A public feed on the Senate website, with a firm deadline (March 1, 2026).
- Low risk to taxpayers: SR 543 itself does not appropriate funds; implementation costs are operational and modest compared to overall spending.
- Potential improvement: Clarify in the rule text that “senate proceedings” explicitly includes floor proceedings and committee meetings, so the requirement cannot be narrowed later.
Missouri is an outlier
According to NCSL’s survey of legislative broadcasts and webcasts, Missouri’s Senate floor is listed as audio-only—and only one other state senate is shown the same way. That is not “normal.” It is a transparency gap Missouri should close.
“But won’t this cost money?”
We have confirmed that the Senate already records floor and committee proceedings for internal use by members. That means the expensive part—cameras and capture—already exists. What remains is primarily public distribution: hosting/streaming, web integration, archiving, accessibility (captions), and a clean public interface.
Based on typical government video streaming costs and what we’ve heard internally, a reasonable, expected range for a basic “House-style” public feed is about $120,000–$180,000 per year (plus modest one-time setup costs). In a state budget measured in the tens of billions (FY26 budget context), that is not a serious barrier. It is a priorities question.
How SR 543 gets enacted
Because SR 543 is a Senate rules resolution, it does not have to pass the House or be signed by the Governor. It must be adopted by the Senate.
- Committee step: The Rules Committee schedules SR 543 for a hearing (or executive session) and votes to move it forward.
- Leadership step: Senate leadership places SR 543 on the calendar for floor consideration.
- Floor step: The Senate votes to adopt the resolution.
- Implementation: The Senate provides the public feed by the deadline (March 1, 2026).
If leadership claims “the process takes time,” remember: Senate rules can be changed by the Senate itself. Missouri Senate rules also include procedures for taking up rule changes on short notice (see Rule 98).
Action plan for citizens
Do these steps (in order)
- Step 1: Call your own Senator. Ask them to publicly support SR 543 and press leadership to move it quickly.
- Step 2: Call the Rules Committee Chair and Vice-Chair. Ask them to schedule SR 543 and report it out.
- Step 3: Call the Senate Pro Tem and Majority Floor Leader. Ask them to put SR 543 on the calendar for adoption.
- Step 4: Post your own summary on Facebook/X in your words. Tag your Senator and leadership.
- Step 5: Take (or retake) the Employee Evaluation and share your Senator’s transparency score.
Talking points (use your own words)
We recommend avoiding copy‑and‑paste scripts. Staff can spot identical messages and discount them. Instead, use the points below and write your own short email or phone notes.
Core ask
- Please support and adopt SR 543 to require an audio + video feed of Senate proceedings on the Senate website (deadline: March 1, 2026).
Why it’s reasonable
- Missouri’s Senate is an outlier nationally for public floor video.
- The Senate already records proceedings for internal use—this is about making an existing capability public.
- A basic public feed is a modest cost in a multi‑billion‑dollar state budget.
What to request from leadership
- Schedule SR 543 for a Rules Committee hearing/executive session immediately.
- Commit to a floor vote and a published implementation plan (timeline, where the feed will live, how archives will be organized).
- Include committee meeting webcasts as soon as practical (the public should see the work where it happens).
What “support” looks like
- Public statement supporting SR 543.
- Pressuring leadership to move the resolution.
- Voting “yes” on adoption.
Who to contact
Start with your own Senator (use the “Find Your Missouri Legislators” tool at the top of this page). Then contact leadership and the Rules Committee.
Senate leadership
| Leadership Role | First | Last | Dist. | Party | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assistant Majority Floor Leader | Curtis | Trent | 20 | R | (573) 751-1503 | curtis.trent@senate.mo.gov |
| Assistant Minority Floor Leader | Steven | Roberts | 5 | D | (573) 751-4415 | steven.roberts@senate.mo.gov |
| Majority Caucus Chair | Ben | Brown | 26 | R | (573) 751-3678 | ben.brown@senate.mo.gov |
| Majority Caucus Secretary | Sandy | Crawford | 28 | R | (573) 751-8793 | sandy.crawford@senate.mo.gov |
| Majority Caucus Whip | Jill | Carter | 32 | R | (573) 751-2173 | jill.carter@senate.mo.gov |
| Majority Floor Leader | Tony | Luetkemeyer | 34 | R | (573) 751-2183 | tony.luetkemeyer@senate.mo.gov |
| Minority Floor Leader | Doug | Beck | 1 | D | (573) 751-0220 | doug.beck@senate.mo.gov |
| Senate Pro Tem | Cindy | O'Laughlin | 18 | R | (573) 751-7985 | cindy.olaughlin@senate.mo.gov |
Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions and Ethics Committee
| Committee Role | First | Last | Dist. | Party | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike | Cierpiot | 8 | R | 573-751-1464 | mike.cierpiot@senate.mo.gov | |
| Karla | May | 4 | D | 573-751-3599 | karla.may@senate.mo.gov | |
| Brian | Williams | 14 | D | 573-751-4106 | brian.williams@senate.mo.gov | |
| Chair | Tony | Luetkemeyer | 34 | R | 573-751-2183 | tony.luetkemeyer@senate.mo.gov |
| Vice-Chair | Cindy | O'Laughlin | 18 | R | 573-751-7985 | cindy.olaughlin@senate.mo.gov |
Show all Missouri State Senators (click to expand)
Tip: Phone calls tend to be the fastest way to register an opinion. Follow up with a short email in your own words.
Help the message spread
- Share this page and the Employee Evaluation with your network.
- Post what you did (call/email) in your own words and tag your Senator.
- Ask friends to complete the evaluation and contact leadership.
Optional: “I took action” post ideas
Use your own words—these are starters you can personalize.
- Idea 1: “I asked my Senator to support SR 543 so Missourians can watch Senate proceedings online. Transparency isn’t optional.”
- Idea 2: “I called Senate leadership today: public floor video should be the minimum standard. Missouri can do better.”
- Idea 3: “I completed the Senate Transparency Employee Evaluation. If we’re the employer, we should measure the work.”