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JEFFERSON CITY (KTVI) – A local legislator filed a pair of bills Tuesday pushing for the City of St. Louis to secede from Missouri and effectively become the State of St. Louis.

According to a report in The Kansas City Star, Rep. Mike Colona (D-St. Louis) filed the proposals, possibly in frustration over the more rural parts of the state having greater control over local matters, such as running the police department, repealing St. Louis’ one-percent earnings tax, and the state’s passage of a bill preventing local governments from raising the minimum wage.

The first of the two bills would bring the issue to Missouri voters. The second piece of legislation is a nonbinding resolution asking Congress to consent of the division of city and state, and asks the president to sign such a law.

Fox 2 News placed a call to Colona’s office in Jefferson City, but he was unavailable for comment.