Commencement of the First Regular Session of the 96th General Assembly
On Wednesday, January 5, 2011, legislators from across Missouri returned to Jefferson City to convene the First Regular Session of the 96th General Assembly.
The General Assembly begins each year at noon on the first Wednesday after the first Monday in January at the State Capitol in Jefferson City. Here, legislation is introduced and debated on both the Senate and the House floors. The General Assembly meets until the first Friday following the second Monday in May.
Swearing-in: A Personal Note
Following our swearing in January 5th, our office prepared for the evening’s events, the party, and the Legislative Ball. Since I was eight days post-op from my arthroscopic knee surgery, I was very concerned about walking down, and not falling down, the Grand Staircase with my husband Mike. I am happy to report that our entry was problem-free.
Numerous friends and residents of the 92nd district stopped by my office, including some new acquaintances. I am thankful of the support I have received and look forward to continuing my service to the 92nd!
“Show Me Solutions” Initiative
One of the first orders of business on the first day of session was the election of the Speaker of the House. I am proud to announce that the House elected Representative Steven Tilley (R-Perryville) to the post.
In his Opening Session Address, Speaker Tilley set forth a bold agenda for the Missouri House, the “Show Me Solutions Initiative.” This encompasses five key areas: Job Creation, Taxes and Spending, Government Accountability, Education, and Healthcare.
Our first priority is to help put Missourians back to work. If we do our job, we can take steps to improve employers’ ability to hire and retain employees, and secure certainty in the take-home pay of every family in Missouri. Government is not the solution to our bad economy, but we need to assure that our state government is not making it worse. TAX REFORM, TORT REFORM, and REGULATORY REFORM will help make our state more attractive to business investors who will put folks back to work. Some of the specific legislative areas we will focus on are:
Reducing Small Business Regulation & Taxes. The Missouri House will review and reduce job killing regulations on small businesses and will work to phase in full deductibility of federal income taxes from state taxes.
Hold The Line on Taxes & Live Within Our Means. Simply put, we will oppose unnecessary tax increases, balance our budget and keep spending under control so Missouri doesn’t become like Washington DC, or some of our other states, that have accumulated outrageous debt.
Immigration. We will seek to protect Missouri workers by adopting an immigration bill similar to the law passed in Arizona, but expand it to include human trafficking and cross referencing the sexual predator list.
Small Business Tort Reform. This legislation will significantly improve the workplace environment in Missouri by strengthening the legal requirements to file a suit and capping damage awards that have gotten out of hand from a handful of poorly decided court decisions that are wreaking havoc on Missouri businesses as a whole.
Healthcare Cost Transparency. Require hospitals and healthcare providers to disclose their costs to the state and their patients.
In his address, Speaker Tilley also spoke about the need to root out waste, fraud, and abuse. To do this, among other things, he will give the Budget Committee subpoena power. As a member of the Budget Committee, I am looking forward to having this power at our disposal.
NEW OFFICE LOCATION
With the start of the new session, we have moved offices from our second floor office of the last two years. We are now located on the third floor in Room #310 just across the hall from Speaker Tilley's office. As always, I encourage you to stop by for a visit if you are in Jefferson City. Contact Matt Schumann at the office if there is anything we can do to help make your visit better.
HCR 6
Last week, I officially introduced HCR 6. HCR 6 requests that the U.S. Department of the Interior add Grant’s Farm in St. Louis County as a unit of the National Park Service by joining with the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site.
Grant’s Farm is an extraordinary treasure to the state and is a premiere attraction for visitors to St. Louis County. More than 20 political subdivisions and local organizations have passed similar measures, including the City of Manchester and the St. Louis County Council.
House Calls on the Attorney General to Join Healthcare Law Suite
In just the fourth day of the legislative session, the Missouri House of Representatives has already sent a resolution through committee and adopted it on the House floor. House Resolution 39, echoes the sentiments of more than 70% of Missouri voters last August when they overwhelmingly endorsed a plan to stop the implementation of the Federal Healthcare Mandate. HR 39 encourages Missouri’s Attorney General to join 20 other Attorneys General around the country contesting the bill. One of the amendments added to the resolution also encouraged Governor Jay Nixon, who was the former Missouri Attorney General, to also take action on behalf of his constituents. Six months have passed since the passage of Proposition C in the August Primary election and neither Koster nor Nixon has taken action on behalf of their statewide constituencies. In addition, over 80% of the House Democrat Caucus voted against the resolution - preferring to support President Obama’s healthcare bill. I was very happy to support with the people of Missouri with a “Yes” vote on HB 39.
“Thank You” to Dan Amsden
Dan Amsden, resident of Town & Country, came to the Capitol on Monday to meet with a few representatives and senators to discuss how we can make Missouri more efficient. Dan is a constituent in the 92nd district and has become very politically active during the past year. He is one of the founders and President of Automation Alliance Group LLC (AAG). AAG partners with large industrial companies cut waste and inefficiencies by automating processes and introducing new technologies. The discussion was very fruitful and it was enlightening to get private sector input on government processes.
I look forward to working more with Dan in the future and appreciate him taking time out of his day to travel to Jefferson City and meet with us.
MU Extension
The University of Missouri Extension is opening a new facility in the St. Louis Area located at 121 S. Meramec Ave Suite 501, St. Louis, MO 63105.
The MU Extension is your one-stop source for practical information on almost anything. Want to know how to do your own taxes? Need to boost your metabolism? Trying to talk to your teen? Thinking about growing fruit trees? Extension can answer these questions and millions more like them! For programs and publications on hundreds of topics, you can visit their website at: extension.missouri.edu or call them at 314-615-2911.
Welcome Laura Heck
Laura Heck will be our legislative intern for this upcoming session. She is currently a student at The University of Missouri in Columbia and is earning a degree in Journalism. She is also a graduate of our district’s very own Parkway South High School. This is going to be an exciting year in the House and hopefully a good learning experience for Laura as well. I look forward to getting to know her and working with her throughout the session.
Congratulations to “Napoli 2”
I am always pleased when residents of the 92nd District receive national recognition, so I am proud to announce that one of our newest local restaurants, Napoli 2 - 1054 Town & Country Crossing - was named by OpenTable Inc. as one of fifty national winners of its 2010 Diners' choice Awards for Best Italian Cuisine. Napoli 2 made the list along with Charlie Gitto's On The Hill as the only St. Louis winners. Congratulations to Ande Pietoso and his staff on this award.
If anyone is aware of other 92nd District businesses winning awards, let us know.
Legislative Survey
Residents of the 92nd District should have received my Legislative Survey this past week. Please take some time to complete it and mail it back. We have already gotten a few hundred back and are starting to tabulate the results. Your thoughts and views are much appreciated. And I look forward to reading your comments and knowing your opinions on these important matters.
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