JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The legislative session came to an abrupt end Thursday after both chambers adjourned earlier than scheduled.

The Senate took the lead, adjourning shortly after using a procedural move called the “Previous Question” to advance two controversial ballot proposals that deal with abortion and workers’ rights.

“It was just a complete disrespect to the institution,” said State Sen. Steven Roberts, D-St. Louis City. “(Democrats in the Senate) wanted to remove the ballot candy, this anti-trans language that they were putting in there that was really designed to mislead voters.”

In an interview Thursday, Roberts told Nexstar Missouri that the “PQ” maneuver the Republicans used will have consequences come January.

“Oh, they’re going to have a very difficult time passing anything next session,” said Roberts. “And we are going to be making that as painful as possible for them because of the respect that we have for this institution.”

Roberts continued to unload on how things ended this week and the price the GOP is going to pay for it.

“Every state legislature is structured differently and in the way ours is structured…it is designed to find compromise,” he said. “And when you abuse a measure like (the PQ), there are consequences.” “So they will not be getting their priorities accomplished as they did this year.”

Over in the House, lawmakers passed a handful of bills Thursday that will be sent to the governor. 

However, they too adjourned before the calendar end of session Friday evening.

House Budget Chairman Dirk Deaton, a Republican from McDonald County, defended his actions regarding House Bill 19, a capital spending project that passed out of the Senate but was never taken up on the House floor for a vote before last Friday’s budgetary deadline.

“I felt like for the good of the state and for the fiscal health of the state, protecting our triple-A credit rating and the sustainability of our state budget, we just couldn’t pick up that half-billion-dollar spending bill and pass it … sight unseen the last few hours of the session,” Deaton told Nexstar in an interview outside of his Capitol office.

Deaton brushed aside talk of conflict between the legislative bodies because of House Bill 19.

“I think the House and the Senate and the governor’s office,  we’ve gotten along tremendously well,” said Deaton. “As good as I’ve seen in my time in the General Assembly.”