Ridgeway: Legislative Session Began January 5

With the 2011 legislative session convening last week, state lawmakers in the Missouri General Assembly, myself included, are gearing up for another year in the State Capitol. We convened at noon, Wednesday, Jan. 5, for what will certainly be a difficult, yet promising, legislative session.

The first week of session is always a whirlwind. We assemble on the first day to vote on who will serve in Senate leadership positions. Shortly after that, members are assigned to serve on a number of legislative committees. The Senate is in session Monday through Thursday in the State Capitol from early January to mid-May. Fridays, most lawmakers are in their districts, taking care of constituent issues at home.

This year is going to be very challenging for us to achieve a balanced budget in the midst of our current economic situation. That’s why the Missouri Senate is continuing its effort to “Reboot Government.” You can submit your ideas through the Rebooting Government link on the Missouri Senate website (www.senate.mo.gov/RebootMO). This site will be available through the 2011 legislative session.

Any ideas that you have on how to cut waste, fraud and abuse are welcome, along with any other ideas to improve Missouri government.

I have already been named to serve on one of the seven Rebooting Government panels in charge of compiling Missourians’ ideas on how to make this task possible. I will sit on the General Government and Office of Administration work group. The other panels for this initiative are: Courts and Public Safety; Education; Retirement and Employee Structure; Social Programs; Tax Structure and Economic Development; and Agriculture, Outdoors, Department of Natural Resources, and Transportation.

If you would like to learn more about the upcoming legislative session, see a list of Senate bills, or have ideas for the Rebooting Government program, please visit the Senate website at www.senate.mo.gov. The newly redesigned website is full of information beneficial to all Missourians, and it’s easy to use.

As always, please feel free to contact me or my staff with any questions or concerns at any time. We look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions and trying to answer any questions you may have. You can reach us by phone at 866-875-8348 (toll-free) or 573-751-2547.