Ezra Bitterman
JEFFERSON CITY -- A proposal to name a large swath of Missouri highways after President Donald Trump received little pushback in a state Senate hearing on Monday.
A pair of proposals would name roadways after the president.
One, filed by Sen. Nick Schroer, R-Defiance, names Highway D from Route 94 to Highway T after the President.
Schroer picked the spot as a play on Trump's initials.
"It's fitting to have this road running through Defiance (for) somebody who was smeared, lied about, wrongfully impeached, wrongfully indicted, sued, nearly assassinated twice, and kept fighting to protect this nation," Schroer said.
Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, R-Arnold, wants to go a step further.
Her proposal would name all currently unnamed highways in Missouri after Trump, excluding those in the counties of Jackson, Boone, St. Louis and the city of St. Louis -- the only areas of Missouri which voted for former Vice-President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.
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Coleman has filed similar legislation in the past.
As a House legislator in 2021, she proposed naming a stretch of Interstate 55 in Jefferson County after Trump.
At the time, Coleman said her proposal was her way of saying "thank you" to Trump "for strengthening Missouri's economy, defending our values, and making America great again during his historic first term."
Her efforts were unsuccessful.
Democrats didn't push back on either proposal during the hearing.
Sen. Barbara Washington, D-Kansas City, suggested adding an amendment to the legislation creating a memorial section of road for Kansas City native Harry S. Truman. A section of U.S. Highway 24 and Interstate 70 in Jackson County are already dedicated to him.
Memorial naming bills generally face limited pushback, but have been struck down in the past.
Republicans backed off a plan to create Rush Limbaugh day in 2021 amid Democratic consternation.
Coleman's legislation is Senate Bill 321; Schroer's is Senate Bill 500.
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