JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – As the Missouri Senate continues debate over legislation to urge Boeing to land its new 777x commercial aircraft production line in St. Louis, many members in the state House have gone home.

House Majority Floor Leader John Diehl, R-St. Charles, sent a memo to members of the House on Wednesday informing them that the earliest they would likely need to be in Jefferson City for votes would be Saturday, or, probably more likely, on Monday.

“Assuming the Senate perfects the bill today and does not waive any of its Rules, it will third read the bill tomorrow and send it over to the House,” wrote Diehl. “If this is the case we would not be able to go to the bill until Saturday or Monday at the earliest.”

Diehl said members of the House Economic Development and House Rules Committees should remain on call, as they may be needed sooner.

Much of the action has been in the Senate thus far this week. Senate Bill 1, sponsored by Sen. Eric Schimitt, R-Glendale, will likely be the legislative vehicle that hits Nixon’s desk, if all goes well for the bill’s supporters.

Legislation backed by Gov. Jay Nixon would expand four existing tax credit programs specifically for aerospace projects by as much as $150 million annually. Over 23 years, that could cost the state as much as $1.7 billion in tax credits.

On Wednesday, House Speaker Tim Jones was among the members out of town traveling to Mt. Vernon for a campaign event where he was set to meet with local supporters to preview the upcoming legislative session.