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WASHINGTON – The Biden administration denounced a bill being advanced by Florida Republicans that would ban the discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in K-12 schools. The bill orders that schools “may not encourage classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity” in K-12 schools “or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.” The bill does not offer definitions on what would be appropriate.

JEFFERSON CITY — The path to an approved congressional redistricting map was still unclear Tuesday morning as the Missouri Senate continued more than 16 hours of debate. h A filibuster that began just after 5 p.m. Monday ran overnight and was still going early Tuesday, as senators continued to work to find a map agreeable to a sharply divided Republican majority. h Members of the Senate Conservative Caucus backed an amendment that would have shifted the map passed by the House — which would likely retain the current partisan alignment of six Republicans and two Democrats — into one that would produce seven Republican-leaning seats. h A vote on that “7-1” map failed 8-24 on Monday evening, with Republicans outside the Conservative Caucus joining Democrats in rejecting the proposal. h Majority Floor Leader Caleb Rowden, a Columbia Republican, proposed an altered “6-2” map Tuesday morning that would slightly strengthen the suburban 2nd district in the St. Louis area, which the Conservative Caucus sees as vulnerable to flip to Democrats. He called the amendment an attempt to “bridge the gap.” See FILIBUSTER, Page 8A