Engler: Winter Weather Shuts Down Activity at the Capitol

This week, legislative work came to a halt with the arrival of a historic blizzard throughout Missouri. Even with the snow bringing an early end to the week, we were able to move several pieces of legislation through the process.

Senate Joint Resolution 9 was approved by the Committee on Financial and Governmental Organizations and Elections on Monday. I sponsored the resolution which, upon voter approval, would require voters to show valid, government-issued photo identification in order to cast their ballot. The committee also approved Senate Bill 3, which contains additional measures relating to the photo I.D. requirement.

On Tuesday, the Senate approved Senate Bill 11, which bans drivers of all ages from texting while driving. A bill we passed several years ago made it illegal for drivers 21 and under to text while driving. Extending the law to include all drivers makes sense, because it is just as dangerous whether you are 20 or 50.

According to a University of Utah study, using a cell phone while driving delays a driver’s reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. These statistics illustrate the danger of texting while driving, and this is why the Senate moved to put this legislation banning it for all drivers into law. This legislation makes everyone “feel good” that we took action and it does make a good point about the importance of safety, but in reality, we already had laws on the books that would have allowed law enforcement to deal with this.

By the time we had voted on SB 11, the blizzard had arrived in Jefferson City. About 100 people spent the night in the Capitol rather than risking their lives on the roads. Many legislators used the time to get work done without interruption, and spent more time actually working in their offices than they have their entire legislative career. Personally, the 18 inches of snow did not cause too much of an issue for me, other than being snow bound in Jefferson City until Wednesday afternoon. Winston, however, had a difficult time treading through snow over his head and learning how to pee upwards.

We will return to our normal schedule on Monday. Senator Kevin Engler, signing off from Antarctica…

Photos of the Big Snow in Jefferson City

My intern this year from Missouri State University, Keaton Ashlock, is an impressive photographer. He found himself among the group of people stranded at the Capitol during the snow storm, but he managed to make the best of it and snapped some photos.

Click on the photo to view a larger image.






South Steps of Capitol – this turned out to be good sledding for the staffers stranded in the Capitol.


Looking east on Capitol Avenue. The Governor’s Gardens and Mansion is to the left, but are totally hidden by the snow.