When the House and the Senate cannot agree on versions of bills to pass, each body asks for a committee to be formed to work out the differences. Each committee is comprised of five House members and five Senators. Of the five, there are three from the Majority party and two from the Minority party. They have to determine what parts of each bill are acceptable to each chamber in a common agreement and then sign a report stating they agree. It does not have to be unanimous for a Conference Committee Report (CCR) to be presented to the Assembly.
The week has been a flurry of activity with bills passing left and right. I have decided not to include any legislation in detail in this week's report. Next week we will have a report dedicated to specific legislation that was passed and signed into law by the Governor as well as legislation still waiting for the Governor to sign.
The week has been very long with an additional day of work on Friday. I am ready to head home and work with the citizens of our district on a more regular basis for the rest of the year. It will take a few weeks to decompress, evaluate what was accomplished (or not accomplished) and determine some priorities for next year.
Have a great weekend!
Myron
SAVE THE DATE!!!
Town Hall Meeting - Legislative Wrap UpJune 2, 7:30-8:45 pm
Liberty Community Center - Red Room
I will be hosting a Town Hall Meeting where I will discuss the 2011 legislative session. You will have the opportunity to give me feedback, ask questions, and voice your concerns. I hope you will be able to make it and look forward to seeing you there.
End of Session Thoughts
The First Regular Session of the 96th General Assembly has come to a close. It has been a interesting, educational, and taxing five months of working to pass good public policy for the people of Missouri. Through the course of this legislative year, I have relied on your input, my personal principles and beliefs, and the knowledge and experience of the many individuals who have helped guide me through my first year as a State Representative.
The ride began with the election of 2010. The political tide of the nation swayed like a pendulum from left in 2008, to right in 2010. In the Missouri House of Represetatives, republicans gained an historic 106 seat majority, 57 were freshman legislators with little or no experience. I was one of those fresh faces who first entered the majestic chamber and swore my oath of office in early January. With the mandate of the people in the hands of a large and slightly inexperienced majority, we figured it was going to be an interesting ride and we hoped it would be productive.
Your State Government passed a total of 60 new laws this year. We were forced to make many tough decisions this year. At this point, I feel confident in my votes and would no doubt vote the same way again if I had to. Looking back, this experience and knowledge of the system was developed on the steepest of learning curves.
When I realized that there was no way I could possibly know all the information necessary to votes right on EVERY issue, the first thing I wanted to do was reach out to the citizens of the 34th district to get their opinion through our district wide survey. I made phone calls to school boards and community leaders to build my knowledge base so I could make the effective decisions we would be facing in the upcoming year.
I looked to my personal beliefs and principles to build my knowledge base and, at many times, had to reconcile my personal beliefs with the beliefs of the district. Nearly every time we faced an issue where you, the citizens, spoke up and made it clear how you wanted me to vote on an issue, I came through, working with my personal beliefs to forge a compromise. At times I was even forced to forgo my personal beliefs for the wishes of the passionate citizens in our community.
When either of those two information streams did not yield adequate results, I listened to those who had been here longer than me and used the collective insight from both sides of the aisle to make the best vote possible on the issue.
When we took our oath of office in January, I was like most of you; I had little detailed knowledge of the legislative process, bill filing, voting, and legislative procedure - drafting, filing and promoting legislation is a sport that is foreign to most. It is easy to be passionate on issues like education, job creation, and supporting our local communities, but this job required the melding of passions with the knowledge of the issues to create the best public policy for our community and our state. This year was filled with great speeches, tough votes, and the creation lifelong relationships. I promise that I will continue to work on issues that make our community and our state a better place to live for years to come.
Community Calendar
June 2 - Town Hall Meeting With Myron Neth at the Liberty Community Center - Red Room at 7:30 pm.
June 4 - Liberty Arts Squared Art Festival
June 9 - Mid-Continent Library Stable T. Farms Petting Zoo (virtual)
June 10 - Mid-Continent Library Pet Training: Paws, Claws, Feathers and Fins
June 4 - Downtown Liberty Arts Festival
Survey Results
As those of you in District 34 know, I sent out a survey in January. I wrote an article that appeared in the Liberty Tribune a few weeks ago regarding those results. Click here to see the article.
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.
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