Lant: Citizen Participation Shapes Legislation

The past week was a busy one for citizen involvement in our Legislative process. As the speakers office assigns bills to the various committees, hearings are held to take testimony for and against the various bills as well as information pertaining to the bills. The hallways were full of citizens from the four corners of our state who were wishing to have their opinions heard. The committee work will become more and more demanding as time goes on, as there are now close to 400 bills filed.

We engaged in a spirited debate on Wednesday where philosophical differences were presented on requiring adult welfare recipients to take a drug test if they are suspected of using a controlled substance. I was pleased to see the bill [HB73] get an overwhelming bi-partisan approval. We cannot continue to subsidize drug use with taxpayer dollars.

On Thursday the rules for the House Ethics Committee [HR274] were submitted and received unanimous support from every single Democrat and Republican present. The House Leadership team has pledged to maintain the decorum and ethics that our constituents demand of us and fully deserve.

A little known fact for most Missourians is that our Capitol Building is considered the most beautiful in the United States. The building we are currently in is actually our third Capitol building. The first was only temporary while the location for the Capitol of our brand new state in 1821 was pondered. When our present site was selected there was only a river, and rolling hills where Jefferson City is now located. The site was selected and work begun on a capitol building and shortly thereafter, the Supreme Court Building. In 1911, during a particularly strong thunderstorm, the Capitol Dome was struck by lightning and set afire. While there was time to save most of the records, the entire Capitol was destroyed. There is a wonderful collection of pictures on the walls of the Capitol basement showing the fire, the ruins and the reconstruction of the building which was completed in 1918. The 100th.anniversary of the Capitol fire is next month and I plan to use a few lines of my Capitol Report from now on telling you some of the more interesting history of our Capitol.

You can reach me at bill{dot}lant{at}house{dot}mo{dot}gov or by phone at (573) 751-9801. Until my next report, I am and remain in your service.