Andrew Koenig (politician)
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Andrew P. Koenig (born December 21, 1982) is an American politician who since 2017 has served in the
Missouri Senate The Missouri Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 174,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two ye ...
. Koenig is a former 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 ...
as well as a
small business Small businesses are types of corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships which have fewer employees and/or less annual revenue than a regular-sized business or corporation. Businesses are defined as "small" in terms of being able to ...
owner. He represented the 88th district from 2009 to 2012 and the 99th district, which includes
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...
, Twin Oaks, Valley Park, and parts of Fenton, from 2013 to 2017. Koenig was elected in 2017 and re-elected in 2020 to serve as the State Senator from the 15th district.


Early life and career

Koenig graduated from Marquette High School, which is in Chesterfield, in 2001. He later went to
Lindenwood University Lindenwood University is a private university in St. Charles, Missouri. Founded in 1827 by George Champlin Sibley and Mary Easton Sibley as The Lindenwood School for Girls, it is the second-oldest higher-education institution west of the Missis ...
with a scholarship in cross country. He
majored An academic major is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits. A student who successfully completes all courses required for the major qualifies for an undergraduate degree. The word ''major'' (also called ''conce ...
in Business Administration and Minored in philosophy. He has co-owned a paint company with his father since 1997. He is also the owner of a construction company which focuses on roofing and painting. In addition, he is also a licensed insurance adjuster.


Political career

In 2008, Koenig successfully ran to represent the 88th district in the Missouri House of Representatives. In the Republican primary, he defeated Shamed Dogan and Chris Howard with 44.4% of the vote. Koenig was unopposed in the general election. In his 2010 reelection campaign, he was opposed in the primary by Bryan Myer. Koenig won the primary with 88.4% of the vote and then was unopposed in the general election. He was one of 35 state representatives to sign a "no new taxes" pledge. Koenig won a third term in 2012 with 59.2% of the vote, against Democrat William Pinkston. He won a fourth term in 2014 with 63.5% of the vote, against Democrat William Pinkston. In 2016 he was elected as State Senator from the 15th District, defeating Rick Stream in the Republican primary 53.1% to 46.9%, and Democrat Stephen Eagleton 61.1% to 38.9%.


Committee assignments

*Health and Pensions (Vice-Chairman) *Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence *Seniors, Families and Children *Small Business and Industry *Ways and Means (Chairman) *Joint Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect *Joint Committee on Education *Joint Committee on Public Employee Retirement (Vice-Chairman) *Joint Committee on Tax Policy


Abortion Legislation

As a state senator, Koenig has sponsored or co-sponsored a number of bills to restrict legal abortions, 7 as of the 2019 session. Notably, Koenig is opposed to exceptions for rape or incest. Bills sponsored include 'heartbeat' legislation banning abortions after a heartbeat is detected and a blanket ban on abortions after 8 weeks, including for Down Syndrome. In the 2019 session, Koenig was responsible for handling the passage of HB 126 in the State Senate, a bill which bans abortions after 8 weeks in all cases except medical emergency with penalties of 5–15 years in prison.


Promoting Creation Science/Intelligent Design in public schools

As a representative, Koenig made several legislative attempts to inject creation science into the public school Science curricula, specifically in the fields of Biology and Chemistry. On May 15, 2015, the Koenig-sponsored House Bill No. 486 was allowed to die in committee after the Legislature adjourned. Bill No. 486, which was introduced as an Amendment to Section A. Chapter 170, RSMo in the First Regular Session of the 98th General Assembly of the Missouri State House of Representatives, proposed allowing teachers the freedom to introduce "differences of opinion about controversial issues, including biological and chemical evolution." Key to this provision was language preventing responsible educational authorities from intervening in the teaching of creationist ideals presented as scientific inquiry. According to the National Center for Science Education, Koenig was the sponsor of similar bills, namely: HB 1587 in 2014, HB 179 in 2013, HB 1276 in 2012, and HB 195 in 2011. All failed. Koenig also cosponsored House Bill 1472 in 2014, requiring equal time for "intelligent design" in Missouri's public schools, including introductory courses at colleges and universities. He cosponsored the similar HB 291 in 2013 and HB 1227 in 2012; both failed.


Electoral history


State Senate


State Representative


References


External links


Official Missouri House of Representatives profile

Interest Group Ratings

Campaign Finance Information
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koenig, Andrew 1982 births 21st-century American politicians Lindenwood University alumni Living people Republican Party Missouri state senators Republican Party members of the Missouri House of Representatives Politicians from St. Louis