Allen: Voting Intent on Prop B Modifications

Parents as Teachers

Twenty-five years ago, Missouri pioneered the concept of helping parents embrace their important role as their child’s first and best teacher. Parents as Teachers continues to equip early childhood organizations and professionals with information and tools that are relevant and widely applicable to parents, families, and children today!

Funding for the Parents as Teachers program has been added into HB 2 by our House Budget Committee. We will pass the budget bills in the House the week following Spring Break. The budget bills will then go to the Senate.

As a paediatric physical therapist, I have seen the importance of early childhood development and am very hopeful of the possibility of this funding being added and and I am working to keep it in during the budget process. I would like to see, however, the program have more shared financial responsibility with parents. With
even minor parent financial contributions, the program can be much more self-sustaining and can reach more kids. I am working to see if this can be done.

Prop B Update

This week HB 131, which would edit prop B, was brought to the floor for perfection. As I have said in the past, I will not vote to edit or change prop B. However, I did vote for two amendments to HB 131 which would impose additional requirements on breeders to improve living conditions for dogs. One amendment would require fresh water for dogs every 8 hours and the other would protect dogs from extreme temperature conditions.

To again clarify, while I do believe there are some serious flaws in Prop B which should be corrected, the voters of the 92nd District spoke decisively on this proposition and, therefore, I will vote NO on the underlying bill, HB 131.

Comparative Audit Legislation

My Comparative Audit Legislation, HB 657, was passed out of the Downsizing Government Committee. It calls for the State Auditor to provide a one-time comparative audit of our largest state agencies to look for across-the board reforms to limit waste, eliminate duplicative services, and maximize every tax dollar we spend. This approach is often used with great success in the private sector. I thank the committee for their support and look forward to pushing for its final passage in the House.

This Week In Pictures

This week I had the honor of presiding over the Chamber on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was great to be up their, although it was a bit nerve-racking at first!
Working with Rep. Rick Stream, R-Kirkwood, on the House floor	I had the pleasure of meeting with constituents Ellen and Warren Hertfelder about the Second Injury Fund.