Elijah J. L. Haahr (born May 28, 1982) is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
attorney and politician who served as a member of the
Missouri House of Representatives
The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...
, for the 134th district from 2013 to 2021. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Early life and education
Haahr grew up in southwest Missouri. He attended
Ozarks Technical Community College
Ozarks Technical Community College (OTC) is a public community college in Springfield, Missouri. It was established by Springfield and thirteen surrounding public school districts on April 3, 1990. It has six locations in southern Missouri. St ...
and was a member of the National Dean's List and
Phi Theta Kappa
Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society ( or PTK) is the international honor society of students attending open-access institutions and seeking associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, or other college credentials. Its headquarters is in Jackson, Mississippi ...
. After graduating from OTC with honors in 2002, Haahr received an academic scholarship to attend
Missouri Western State University
Missouri Western State University is a public university in Saint Joseph, Missouri. As of 2019, it enrolled 5,413 students.
History
Missouri Western State University was founded in 1915 as a two-year institution called St. Joseph Junior College ...
. He graduated cum laude from MWSU in 2005. He then attended the
University of Missouri School of Law
The University of Missouri School of Law (Mizzou Law or MU Law) is the law school of the University of Missouri. It is located on the university's main campus in Columbia, forty minutes from the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City. The sc ...
on academic scholarship and graduated with honors in 2008. At MU, he served as editor in chief of the ''Environmental Law Review'' and represented MU at the regional level in mock trial and moot court competitions.
Career
Haahr is an attorney with Kutak Rock and focuses on product liability and personal injury. He is licensed to practice in Missouri and Oklahoma.
During his time in the Missouri House of Representatives, Haahr chaired the Emerging Issues Committee and served as Speaker Pro Tem. In September 2017, he was elected to serve as Speaker of House starting in January 2019. He is the only Speaker in Missouri history from
Springfield
Springfield may refer to:
* Springfield (toponym), the place name in general
Places and locations Australia
* Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast)
* Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council)
* Springfield, Queenslan ...
.
In 2019, Haahr spoke in favor of a
criminal justice reform
Criminal justice reform addresses structural issues in Criminal justice, criminal justice systems such as racial profiling, police brutality, overcriminalization, mass incarceration, and recidivism. Criminal justice reform can take place at any poi ...
measure to undo mandatory
minimum sentencing laws for nonviolent offenders and give judges the discretion to determine sentencing on the basis of the offender's character, rehabilitation prospects and threat to society.
In 2019, he spoke in favor of overturning voter-approved redistricting rules whereby a nonpartisan state demographer, with the 70% approval of a citizen commission, would re-draw legislative districts every year. The rules also included requirements that the districts be drawn to make them competitive. According to an
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
analysis, those rules would likely reduce the Republican Party's supermajorities in the
Missouri General Assembly
The Missouri General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bicameral General Assembly is composed of a 34-member Senate and a 163-member House of Representatives. Members of both houses of the General Assembly are ...
.
Electoral history
State Representative
Personal life
Elijah lives in Springfield with his four children. He is a member of the National Rifle Association.
References
External links
*
, -
1982 births
21st-century American politicians
Living people
Speakers of the Missouri House of Representatives
Republican Party members of the Missouri House of Representatives
Politicians from Springfield, Missouri
University of Missouri alumni
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