Roorda: State of the Judiciary, Free Tax File, Liberty Memorial Resolution

Chief Justice William Ray Price, Jr. delivered the State of the Judiciary Address to a joint session of the Missouri legislature this week. State Supreme Court Chief Justice Ray Price told state lawmakers that the Missouri court system cannot absorb any more budget cuts, that they must rethink criminal law and that politics must not become part of the process of choosing judges.

To read the Chief Justice's State of Judiciary Address click here.

IRS Free File Program

As tax season approaches I wanted to make you aware of a service offered by the IRS. The service is called the IRS free file program. This service is available to all taxpayers who make less than 57,000 dollars annually. The IRS offers free use of the industry's top tax preparation software. Users have free access to step-by-step directions on how to file federal tax returns online. Since the start of this program in 2003 more than 25 million tax returns have been filed using this service. To access the free file program you can visit www.IRS.gov or for more information on the program visit www.freefilealliance.org.

National Recognition for Liberty Museum

Missouri House Democrats have proposed a resolution asking the United States Congress to declare the Liberty Memorial as the National World War I Memorial. All 72 House Democrats have signed on as co-sponsors of the resolution. In 1919 Kansas City residents raised over 2.5 million dollars in ten days to create a memorial for veterans of "The Great War." In 2004 Congress designated the Liberty Memorial as the National World War I Museum while it was undergoing a 102 million dollar renovation. The resolution is simply a recommendation to Congress, which is presently considering establishing a National World War I memorial. Both of Missouri's U.S. senators have sponsored legislation ask that Liberty Memorial be designated the national memorial. I am proud to say that I co-sponsored this resolution.
For a link to the resolution click here: http://www.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills101/biltxt/intro/HCR0041I.htm

Help on Daily Expenses

Funding has recently become available to the Missouri Association for Community Action Inc. (MACA). There are a number of programs available to help citizens pay for essentials such as power and shelter. The Energy Assistance program (EA) helps people pay their energy bills by making payments on the primary bill. The Energy Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP) helps citizens defray the cost of heating by paying on primary and secondary heating bills. The dollar more program is sponsored by Ameren UE and the United Way and helps people pay their electric bills. The Summer ECIP Cooling Program helps needy individuals pay their electric bills. Air conditioners are made available to people demonstrating medical need, or who are over the age of 65. For more information on how to apply you can contact MACA in Jefferson City at 573-634-2969, or on the web at www.communityaction.org. Additionally, you can contact Jefferson Franklin Community Action Corporation the branch of MACA working in Jefferson County at 636-789-2686 or online at www.jfcac.org.