Politically Speaking: Missouri Rep. Jim Murphy Pushes Media Literacy

St. Louis Public Radio | By Jason Rosenbaum,

Julie O'Donoghue

Published January 2, 2020 at 1:10 PM CST

State Rep. Jim Murphy, R-St. Louis County, poses for a portrait in the St. Louis Public Radio studios.

State Rep. Jim Murphy is the latest guest on Politically Speaking. The south St. Louis County Republican joined St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Julie O’Donoghue to talk about what to expect in the 2020 legislative session.

Murphy represents Missouri’s 94th House District, which includes places like Mehlville and Green Park. It is one of the most competitive House seats in the state, as it famously flipped between Democrat Vicki Englund and Republican Cloria Brown for roughly a decade.

Here’s what Murphy talked about on the show:

Murphy expects the GOP-controlled Legislature to present a ballot item to Missourians to change the state legislative redistricting system. Missourians backed a multifaceted constitutional amendment in 2018 that gives much of the power to draw House and Senate districts over to a demographer, as opposed to a bipartisan commission.
He expects debate over guns, especially after Missouri’s larger cities experienced a violent 2019. “There’s going to be some push from the left to push gun control or red flag laws or things like that — which will probably get pushback from the right,” he said.
Murphy’s biggest priority in 2020 will be legislation encouraging media literacy.He’s partnered with Webster University professor Julie Smith to develop a bill that could incorporate media literacy into school curriculums.
For the second year in a row, Murphy filed legislation allowing law enforcement officials to forward a case to the attorney general’s office for review if a prosecutor declines to prosecute it. Murphy said it would provide another set of eyes to look at cases.

Murphy was first elected to the House in 2018, defeating Democrat Jean Pretto by less than 300 votes. The seat became open when Brown decided against running for another term after she was diagnosed with cancer. She died in March 2018.

While 2018 was the first time Murphy was on the ballot, he’s been active behind the scenes in GOP politics for many years. In addition to assisting Brown with her campaigns, Murphy also helped with U.S. Sen. Jim Talent’s electoral efforts.