Hundreds of bills have been filed between the Missouri House of Representatives and Senate in the first days of pre-filing this week, with gun reform and constitutional amendments among the priorities for several lawmakers.

Pre-filing bills opened on December 1, allowing a glimpse at legislators' priorities heading into the legislative session in January.

Following what was considered to be a tumultuous legislative session in 2022, Governor Mike Parson had previously told reporters he wished lawmakers had done more, naming topics like critical race theory, a parents' bill of rights, and policies regarding trans athletes as "things left on the table that shouldn't have been left on the table."

With the disbanding of the controversial conservative caucus over the summer and no congressional maps to approve, it's possible that lawmakers will be able to enact more of the Governor's priorities this upcoming session.

Many of the pre-filed bills may not make it past filing, but they can serve as an indication of trends coming to the new General Assembly.

Legislators on both sides of the aisle filed bills regarding changing firearm policies in Missouri, albeit in opposite directions. Democrats, like Columbia's Rep. David Tyson Smith, filed bills hoping to further restrict firearm access, following the deadly school shooting in St. Louis in October. Rep. Smith's proposed policy would bar teenagers from purchasing certain types of assault rifles.

Some Republicans filed bills seeking to loosen gun laws, including lowering the age requirement for concealed carry licenses to 18, down from 19. Another policy reevaluates if nonviolent criminals who have served their sentence could be able to get a firearm.

Another key topic facing the House of Representatives, in particular, is raising the threshold for constitutional amendments to be approved. Those policies come on the heels of Missouri voters approving a constitutional amendment legalizing recreational marijuana by a simple majority vote.

Lawmakers have criticized the ease with which amendments can be added to the constitution in the past, including after Medicaid expansion was approved by Missouri voters.

Other bills pre-filed tackle much-expected policies, including topics like the Governor had pushed for. Rep. David Griffith of Jefferson City filed his much-expected policy expanding oversight of veteran mental health by the state government, following his series of committee hearings over the summer on the subject.

"There was not a single veterans bill that was passed in either chamber last year," Rep. Griffith said. "So I pre-filed the bill again this year, and what this bill does, it really puts the onus on the Missouri Veterans Commission to provide the General Assembly with data, and do this on an annual basis to what we can see what they're doing to prevent veteran suicide."

Regular session is set to reconvene on Wednesday, January 4, 2023.