Neth: "Somewhat Dysfunctional" Week In Jeff City

As in all organizations there is, at times, dysfunction. This week probably qualified as a somewhat dysfunctional week in the General Assembly. The Congressional redistricting map is being held up in the Senate, who is refusing to work with the House to reach some sort of compromise. In response to the lack of cooperation by the Senate, the House of Representatives is refusing to pass any Senate bills currently in the House. We are facing somewhat of a stalemate. This climaxed with the House having to come back into session on Friday(in which I had to drive back to Jeff City from home) to hopefully vote on a compromise map. However, this was not to be. We had no compromise from the Senate, thus we voted on our revised map [SB68] and left- with no conclusion in sight. At this point, there is a high likelihood that the redistricting decision will go to the courts. Not a good option in my opinion.

In addition, the Governor has thrown a monkey wrench in the mix on the Proposition B issue. After the House and Senate passed SB 113 (which I voted against) and sent it to the Governor, he has now decided to weigh in and try to broker a compromise between many of the animal welfare groups and agriculture groups. I appreciate his trying to work something out, but I ask the question, "where was he before this?".

On the House Floor, we are working though existing house bills, but the reality of the situation is that very few will have a chance to navigate through the entire legislative process due to the limited time left in this years session. If we are going to make positive changes for the people of Missouri, we must end the stalemate with the senate. As soon as a compromise is reached on the congressional redistricting map, I expect legislation to start moving very quickly.

Have a great Easter!

Myron

Congratulations!

At a surprise all-school assembly held at Manor Hill Elementary, it was announced that Essential Skills Paraprofessional Debby Ross has been selected as the FIRST Liberty Public Schools Support Employee of the Year for 2011-2012! Ms. Ross has been a tremendous asset to LPS for nearly 11 years and provides exceptional service to our students each and every day. Congratulations to her commitment to excellence and serving our kids

Survey Results

As those of you in District 34 know, I sent out a survey in January. I wrote an article that appears in the Liberty Tribune this week regarding those results. Click here to see the article

Visitors to the Capitol

On Monday, my good friends, Craig and Nicole Swanson and their son Brett, came by the Capitol on their way back from St. Louis. It was great having the time to visit and take them on a personal tour.

Kansas City mayor-elect, Sly James, came by the Capitol to introduce himself and have lunch with the newly formed Kansas City Caucus. I think he is going to be a positive force for the Kansas City region as we work to compete for jobs and business.


I had the privilege of having the St. James School 4th Graders from Liberty in the capitol this week. They took the capitol tour and we had the opportunity for the kids to ask questions about their state government.

Community Calendar

May 7 - Liberty Historic Walking Tour: Three Downtown Churches

May 7 - Farmers Market: Opening Day!

Visit the Jesse James Bank Museum Monday - Saturday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

It is an honor and privilege to serve the people of the 34th District and the State of Missouri. Let me know how I can better represent you.

For a better Missouri,
Myron