Denison: House Begins 2012 Session, Budget Deficit Looms Large

“Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value in your life.” –Christiane Northrup

House Begins 2012 Legislative Session

My colleagues and I returned to Jefferson City Wednesday January 5^th for the start of the 2012 legislative session. It’s hard to believe the interim has moved by so quickly, but we’re ready to have a productive session that will address some of the key issues currently faced by our state. Many of those issues were addressed by House Speaker Tilley in his opening address. During the speech he outlined what he calls his Blueprint for Missouri. I have briefly mentioned the blueprint in a previous Capitol Report and will do my best to flesh out more of the details in future reports. In general, the Speaker’s blueprint is focused on crafting a balanced budget without increasing taxes, improving the state’s business climate, creating a better system of education and protecting the values important to Missouri families. We know the people of Missouri expect and deserve a government that stays out of their pockets, lives within its means and respects and protects the values shared by families all across the state. The people also deserve a government that does all it can to create a climate that will allow our economy to flourish and that works to make our schools some of the best in the country. This session we will follow the Speaker’s blueprint in an effort to achieve these goals.

Budget Deficit Looms Large as Session Opens

While the new session brings with it the hope for accomplishing many of the policy objectives we believe will benefit the people of Missouri, it also brings with it the reality of yet another tough budget year. As we look for ways to fund critical programs and to keep our schools funded at a level that allows our young people to excel, we realize it will be a real challenge as budget forecasts call for a budget deficit of anywhere from $425 million to $500 million. That deficit is largely a product of federal stimulus dollars no longer being available to help balance the budget. It will make for a challenging budget process this year, but one thing you can be assured of is that we will not raise your taxes in order to balance the budget. We have been firmly against increasing the tax burden on Missouri families and that no-tax-hike approach will continue this year. Instead, we will tighten our belts and live within our means just as Missourians do when times are tough. Yes, it will be difficult, but we will work together to fund our priorities and eliminate any spending that is not absolutely necessary. We will learn more about the budget situation in a few weeks when the governor delivers his state of the state address to outline his budget proposal for the next fiscal year.

In the District

On Saturday, December 31, 2011, I presented a House resolution to Walt Huber. Walt retired from Don Wessel Honda after thirty six years of service. At the time Walt joined Don Wessel sales staff, the business was known as Don Wessel Oldsmobile and was located on Saint Louis Street in Springfield.

I look forward to hearing from you, and if you will be in Jefferson City, please stop by my office. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact my office. Best wishes.

Lampe: Budget, Interim Project, Every Child Counts

Greetings!

It has been thrilling to serve the 138th District and the entire state throughout the past seven years. Because of term limits, this is my final session as your representative, but I hope it is one of the most productive and beneficial years Missouri has seen.

Legislators returned to Jefferson City this week to begin the 2012 Regular Session. My House committee assignments remain the same as last year. I look forward to serving on the Utilities, Elementary and Secondary Education and Downsizing Government Committees. I am also humbled to continue serving as the ranking Democrat on the Budget Committee.

Please feel free to contact my capitol office if you have any questions or concerns about legislation that is considered by the House during session. Knowing how you feel about certain issues helps me to serve you better.

Budget

When budgets are tight, our values come forward. This year, the budget is just about as tight as it can get. Current projections show that the legislature will have to find a way to face a nearly $600 million budget shortfall. Many proposals have been made to increase economic prosperity in the state. However, few address the issues associated with such a large budget shortfall.

I value the education of our children and will continue to be the voice for public education for Missouri's children. The current education foundation formula has become inadequate and inequitable and will require attention from both chambers. Clearly, with little revenues, schools will suffer with or without a rewritten formula. I'm so proud of Springfield Public Schools for being the largest accredited school district in Missouri. When school districts struggle, looking to successful Missouri schools for best practices can be beneficial.

I also value our veterans and seniors. Often, we see veteran and senior issues pitted against our children. Programs that assist those who have served our country bravely, and those who have worked hard to build a great state and community should be valued as our children are. The legislature is constitutionally bound to present a balanced budget. Balance is the key as we continue to consider the finances of our state.

Interim Honors

During the interim, I had the opportunity to serve Missourians in a broader way. I participated in a variety of conferences and panels.I was appointed to the Council of State Governments Executive Committee to represent Missouri at the executive meeting in June. The Council of State Governments (CSG) is the nation's only organization that serves all three branches of state government. It serves to facilitate the exchange of ideas and understanding among state leaders, and to promote collaborative problem-solving. As a member of the Executive Committee, I help develop the policy and programs of CSG. I also serve on the CSG Education Policy Task Force. In October, I attended the CSG National Summit. As the Education Policy Task Force Co-chair, I led meetings that focused on encouraging children to seek higher education, on how to improve education standards, and on how to move beyond standardized testing as a way to check student learning.

In August, I attended the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) Summit. NCSL provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues. NCSL is an effective and respected advocate for the interests of state governments before Congress and federal agencies. I serve on the NCSL Committee on Education, and I was able to discuss education legislation with nearly 5,000 elected officials, staffers and others involved in public policy.

I was also humbled by the recognition of several organizations. The Foreign Language Association of Missouri (FLAM) honored me with the Friend of Foreign Language Award. The Southwest Independent Living also honored me with their Legislator of the Year award. I cannot begin to describe how surprised and grateful I am to be recognized by these fine organizations.

Every Child Project

The Every Child Project is a public-service journalism initiative by the Springfield News-Leader. This project aims to focus on problems facing children in the Springfield area, to encourage discussion and debate on how to help solve these issues and to lead the community to take action.

The News-Leader established a community advisory board to assist with this project. This advisory board includes members of community and state government, local business leaders as well as local community and religious leaders. I am honored to participate in such a great cause.

The statistics about child abuse and need in the community are astounding. The Greene County foster care system includes more than 1,000 children and youth. Greene County has the most child abuse cases out of any county in Missouri, and demand for homelessness services is growing at a rapid rate.

Every day during the month of January, the News-Leader will publish notes and observations from investigators of child abuse in the community. Please take the time to read these quotes and consider the implication that these facts have on our children, community and future. Please read some of the comments here.

Newman: 2012 Legislative Session Begins

The 96th Missouri General Assembly convened its second regular session yesterday with us lawmakers bracing for yet another round of deep budget cuts. GOP leaders are offering additional modest legislative agendas in the wake of two unproductive legislative sessions in 2011 that were derailed by disagreements between the GOP majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives.

Personally, I am preparing legislation and working closely with the new group, ProgressMO as the House Progressive Caucus gears up. My fight against voter ID efforts continues. I feel confident that our Democratic House Caucus of 57 members will stand solidly in opposition of ALL attempts at voter suppression as we successfully did in 2011.

It is my task as chair of the House Progressive Caucus to again lead this charge and support Governor Nixon in vetoing any voter ID bill that reaches his desk. You may count on me to protect YOUR right to vote.

With an estimated $550 million general revenue shortfall expected in the state operating budget for the 2013 fiscal year, which begins July 1, we must again contemplate ways to reduce spending. However, after a decade of significant cuts most, if not all, of the easy-to-eliminate items are long gone from the state budget, leaving only core state services remaining.

Any talk of increasing revenue is missing –unlike discussions many of us are having in our own homes with tight budgets. Many viable options exist, including raising the state cigarette tax from the lowest in the nation and/or collecting internet sales tax revenues which many states are considering.

Although lawmakers again identified job creation as a top priority, the ambitious and wide-ranging proposals that sparked disagreements between House and Senate Republicans last year have largely been set aside.

Instead, GOP leaders said they would focus on bills sought by business groups that have little direct bearing on job creation, such as making it more difficult to prove employment discrimination, limiting the financial liability of lawsuit defendants and requiring losing parties to pay the winner’s legal fees.

NIXON TO DELIVER STATE OF THE STATE SPEECH - TUESDAY, JANUARY 17

Gov. Jay Nixon will deliver his 2012 State of the State address to a joint session of the General Assembly at 7 p.m. on Jan. 17. In the speech, Nixon will offer his proposed state operating budget for the 2013 fiscal year and outline his legislative agenda for the year, which is expected to focus on job creation. The speech will be streamed live at www.mo.gov.

GOVERNOR PICKS NEW ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

I applaud Gov. Jay Nixon’s recent nomination of Jason Hall as director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development. Hall, an attorney, currently is director of the Missouri Technology Corporation, a state-sponsored group that promotes the growth and science and technology companies in Missouri. If confirmed by the Senate, Hall would replace David Kerr, who recently resigned as economic development director. I know Jason Hall well and look forward to working closely with him once his confirmation is final.

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Please feel free to come to the State Capitol in Jefferson City and visit us in action. We normally go into session at 4pm on Mondays and adjourn for the week Thursday afternoons. Let me know if you are coming so I can be sure to meet with you - either via scheduled appointment or by me stepping briefly off the floor.

I will be back home in my district in St. Louis on Fridays so please contact Carla Luebbert, my assistant if I can be of any assistance to you then.

I would love to hear from you so please don't be shy!

Mayer: Video on Senate's Session Priorites

Jefferson City — Senate Leader Robert N. Mayer, R-Dexter, recently added new video links to his multimedia page, which is located on his Missouri Senate website. This page features audio and video links (both streaming and broadcast quality — when available) for visitors to listen to and watch Sen. Mayer address issues that are important to him and the citizens of the 25^th Senatorial District.

The new links include a video news release of Sen. Mayer discussing some of the priority issues he hopes will be addressed this year.

Senator Mayer will continue to add audio and video clips throughout the year. You can download the video and watch by going to Sen. Mayer’s multimedia page: http://www.senate.mo.gov/media/12info/mayer/Multimedia.html.

Neth: Brief Week, Brief Report

Happy New Year! I am officially back in session- the 96th Session of the Missouri General Assembly to be exact. We started on Wednesday, so a short week. Then next week we are back at it weekly on a regular basis.

It is much different this year than last. Whereas last year I was new to the whole thing and took a while to get up to speed, this year it seems like we never left in some regards. I'm deep into several issues already and look to have some challenges on my hands.

As many of you know, I will be very consistent on sending out a report weekly on the activities and happenings in Jefferson City. I enjoy giving everyone a more complete look into what goes on in their government- the good, the bad and everything in between.

This report will be brief, but next week I will review some of the major pieces of legislation I am working on.

Myron

Kraus: Opening Session

Back in Session

I am excited to return to work in the Capitol as the 2012 legislative session opened on Jan. 4. I look forward to a busy legislative season, knowing that we face many challenges in making decisions governing the state and continuing to make Missouri a great place for people to live and work.

As usual, Senate Leader Robert N. Mayer, R-Dexter, set out our legislative priorities for the session in his opening speech to the Senate. As with last year, passing a balanced budget without a tax increase and putting Missourians back to work are top priorities. With a possible $500 million budget shortfall for Fiscal Year 2013, once again the budget will be difficult, but I know that we will accomplish our goal, as we did last year. Education issues present another challenge, both in keeping funding adequate for our schools and facing the difficulties that occur when two major school districts in the state have lost accreditation.

Throughout December and into January, I was able to file several pieces of legislation, the most recent of which are summarized below. If you wish to read the entire text of any bills I have sponsored, please go to my Senate web page, Senator Will Kraus, and go to the “Legislation” link.

New Legislation

Since our last newsletter, I have filed several more pieces of legislation. Some were bills that did not move through the legislature last year for various reasons. Others are new ideas brought to me by constituents or ideas I have been pursuing to make government work better.

Senate Bill 589 requires local jurisdictions that use red light cameras to direct proceeds to the local school district where the offense occurs. This allows red light cameras, but removes the incentive for local governments to use them purely for profit. If safety is truly the main concern, then the profits can go to help build up education.

Senate Bill 590 tightens Missouri’s immigration laws. Based on parts of the recent Alabama law, this legislation does three different things. First, it allows law enforcement officers to check immigration status on all stops when they have reasonable cause for suspicion. Currently, they can only check when an arrest is made. Second, the bill requires school districts to keep track of undocumented students so the state has a more clear understanding of the cost of illegal immigration. Third, the bill creates a state misdemeanor for not carrying proper documentation that mirrors a federal misdemeanor. This allows Missouri to enforce laws the federal government does not always enforce.

Senate Joint Resolution 40 would make two changes to the constitution to allow easier prosecution and monitoring of sex offenders. The first part removes the phrase “retrospective in operations” from the Missouri Constitution. Because of that phrase, any changes the legislature makes to sex offender registry rules does not apply to people already on the registry. The second change allows prosecutors to use propensity evidence in sex abuse cases when that evidence shows a pattern of behavior and does not prejudice the case.

Grain Valley Town Hall

On Thursday, Jan. 19, Grain Valley Mayor Mike Todd and I will be hosting a town hall meeting in Grain Valley from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Grain Valley Community Center, 713 Main Street.

I will open with a short talk on the upcoming 2012 legislative session and then open the floor for questions and answers. Mayor Todd will also be there to discuss local issues and answer any questions you may have.

These town hall meetings are important to me because they give me the opportunity to interact on a personal level with the constituents of the 8^th Senatorial District. It is a vital way to keep members of the local community up-to-date on activities within the Capitol and upcoming issues and events. I look forward to speaking with concerned citizens and addressing any questions they might have.

I hope to see you there!

Kelley: Beginning The New Session

Op. note: the session number is incorrect in this missive. The current session is the 96^th.

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Yesterday, we began the 2^nd Regular Session of the 97^th General Assembly of the State of Missouri. We completed the procedural requirements necessary to begin the legislative term and we read the Preamble and Article I of the Missouri Constitution on the House Floor to remind us all of the rights, duties and responsibilities that that important document describes.

Every week during the Legislative Session, I will once again be sending out brief updates of the anticipated and/or primary Floor Action for the coming week. As we enter the New Year, I will share with you the priorities on which the House will be focusing.

There are several issues the House will debate during the 2012 Legislative Session. The principle agenda will be focused on the “Blueprint for Missouri”, formulated by Speaker Tilley and the House Majority Caucus. The four planks of the Blueprint consist of advancing legislation in support of: 1) Missouri Jobs, 2) Missouri Taxpayers, 3) Missouri Schools and 4) Missouri Values.

With the Missouri unemployment rate hovering around 9%, the House will debate how we can create the right climate for job creation in our State and what tools employers need to retain workers and add new employees to their payrolls. We will discuss Workers Compensation Reform (Co-employee liability, Occupational Disease, Second Injury Fund Reform), Prevailing Wage Reform, the Missouri Entrepreneur Virtual Resource Network, and a tort reform measures that will include Employment Discrimination Law Reform, Loser Pays proposals, and Joint and Several Liability Reform.

To protect Missouri Taxpayers, we will be focused on advancing the Taxpayer Protection Act and will once again adhere to our “No New Taxes” pledge together with a Balanced Budget as well as requiring County Debt Disclosure. Criminal Justice Reform (which can dramatically reduce excessive economic drags on the State Budget) will also be on our docket and will consist of recommendations from working groups and interim committees.

With attention being drawn to the now unaccredited Kansas City School District (joining the decades long unaccredited City of St. Louis School District), there will be many discussions on what the best fixes are to improve Missouri Schools. Since the school climate from Southwest Missouri and the large inner city schools seem to be about as different as night and day I will be doing all that I can to protect the interest of the rural school districts of Southwest Missouri while helping fix the broken systems that we see in the inner city schools of St. Louis and Kansas City.

Last but not least, value based issues will also come to the fore. These include Veterans Home Funding, Pharmacist & Health Care Provider Conscience Bills, Mandatory Reporter reform, Expanded College Savings plans and Voter Photo ID-enabling legislation.

Throughout Session, I will continue to send reports to my constituents, colleagues and friends across the state. If you ever have any questions or concerns or if we can be of any service, please do not hesitate to contact our office at (573) 751-2165.

Tim Jones: Session Commences, Foci on Education and Business

At right: Opening Dat of the 2012 Legislative Session

As we ring in the New Year with unseasonably warm weather (coupled with the fear that intrepid Old Man Winter is about to come knocking!), our minds are filled with fading yet pleasantly warm memories from this holiday season, as the focus of the members of the House and Senate and Missourians all across our great State returns to the issues at the Capitol up on the hill…

“The dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you're willing to pay the price.” -Vince Lombardi

Commencement of the Second Regular Session of the 96^th General Assembly

On Wednesday, January 4, 2012, legislators from the four corners of Missouri, and everywhere in between, returned to Jefferson City to convene the Second Regular Session of the 96^th General Assembly.

The General Assembly begins each year at noon on the first Wednesday after the first Monday in January at the State Capitol in Jefferson City. Here, legislation will be introduced and debated on both the Senate and the House Floors. The General Assembly meets until the first Friday following the second Monday in May. This year, the Legislative Session will run from January 4^th to May 18^th, one of the longest possible Sessions we can have, thanks to the Constitution and the calendar.

The Missouri General Assembly is made up of 34 members of the Senate, who are elected for four-year terms and 163 members of the House of Representatives, elected for two-year terms. This is an election year and we continue to face severe financial and economic challenges across the Nation. It is against this backdrop that the Session has commenced.

Beginning the Year with Prayer

This year, as in all years past, the first two days of the Legislative Session were marked by a prayer service, on each day I attended with many of my colleagues. Yesterday I participated in the Annual Dedication Service at Concord Baptist Church in Jefferson City, and today I attended and participated in the Annual Governor’s Prayer Breakfast (a tradition going on 50 years now) at the Capitol Plaza Hotel. The highlight of the Governor’s Prayer Breakfast was hearing the incredibly inspiring and moving words of Pastor Randy Gariss of Joplin, Missouri. Pastor Gariss recounted the horrible aftermath of the Joplin tornado and then lifted us all up in a stirring and passionate testament to the incredible generosity and assistance that poured into Joplin from across the State. Missouri had its share of natural disasters last year that affected nearly every citizen in our State to some extent. Pastor Gariss helped us focus on the priorities of life and profoundly stated, “What do I want the folks who live, work and serve in Jefferson City and in government to know? I want them to know God.”

Focus on Education

One of the major factors to discuss in this General Assembly is education and much needed education reform. Billions of dollars of your hard earned tax dollars go to fund public education in this State, comprising over ONE THIRD of the entire State’s Budget. As long as taxpayer dollars continue to fund this system, every legislator owes a duty to every taxpayer to insure that those tax dollars are being spent wisely, that parents ultimately control the public education choices relevant to their children and that everyone in the public school system is accountable and held to the highest standards. With both the Kansas City and St. Louis school districts now in full unaccredited status, bold solutions must be sought through courageous leadership. The Senate General Laws Committee passed legislation in March, 2011 termed the “Turner Fix.” This legislation ultimately did not pass the entire General Assembly but will be debated again. The “Turner Fix” from 2011 would have allowed students in a failing district to transfer to a charter school, virtual school, or an accredited school district, at the cost of the unaccredited district that the student is leaving. Neighboring districts say that this could cause issues due to the fact that their schools “could be” or “might be” at capacity. Other options for reform include a state takeover of the district, mayoral control, having other school districts administration take over, or getting rid of the districts all together. Whatever we decide to do, the status quo has not been acceptable to the taxpayers of this State for a long time so it is time for innovation, creativity and bold solutions. I will be committed to helping lead significant reform in this area.

Focus on Business & Creating a Stable Climate for Job Creation

A cloud is looming over small business and their ability and willingness to hire and retain employees as a result of serious concerns regarding workers compensation problems (caused by several recent court decisions), which include co-employee liability, occupational disease liability and the insolvency of the state’s second injury fund. The second injury fund can help an injured worker when a current work-related injury combines with a prior disability to create an increased combined disability. This fund helps business hire without discrimination, while keeping the business safe in case a different injury should occur. Unfortunately the fund is completely insolvent. Additionally, the co-employee and occupational disease liability issues have created uncertainty amongst our businesses, large and small, like never before in our State’s history. Uncertainty causes businesses to hunker down and protect their bottom lines instead of focusing on retaining and hiring more employees and growing business here in Missouri. Solutions will be pivotal to an improved economy and job creation in this State. Businesses must be able to move forward confidently knowing that these issues are priority for both Houses and I am dedicated to helping achieve solutions.

Fine Arts Grant Available

The Missouri Arts Council Annual Grant Applications can now be accessed online at http://www.missouriartscouncil.org/ under the “Get Funding” tab. This is a one-year grant for dance, established institutions, fold arts, mid-sized arts organizations, minority arts, visual arts and theater. There are separate applications available for art education as well as community arts.

Visiting the Capitol

I always enjoy it when constituents visit the Capitol and want to thank all who make the journey. If you ever find yourself in or around Jefferson City at any time during the year, please feel free to visit us! Stop by the Majority Leader’s Office in Room 302 and we will be happy to meet and greet you!

Personal News & Notes

If you know anyone who would be interested in receiving this Capitol Report, they can click the “Capitol Report Signup” button on my member home page at www.house.mo.gov and enter the appropriate information to receive the Capitol Report.

Nance: Session Begins, Social Services Implements Proposed Bill

“Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each New Year find you a better man”. –Benjamin Franklin

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and I wish you a Happy New Year. The weather and the season have given us the opportunity to share with friends and family. Gifts are exchanged, but the best part of the season for me is spending more time with family.

Session

Missouri’s 2012 legislative session begins on January 4^th. We will be in session through the second week of May. We face many of the same challenges for the coming year.

More people for Senate District 12

Redistricting lines will not take effect until the election of 2012. I will be your 36^th District Representative for twelve more months. The judges split the 36^th into the 8^th, 38^th, and 39^th districts.

State Senate: New Senate Districts
State House: New House Districts

Our Appellate Court Judges in charge of redistricting have added the Smithville area of Clay County to the 12^th Senatorial District. The district now includes over 183,000 people and all of Ray, Caldwell, Clinton, Andrew, Holt, Atchison, DeKalb, Nodaway, Gentry, Harrison, Worth, and Davies Counties. The Clay County portion goes up Raines Road to the 33-69 highway intersection and much of the population North of Cookingham Drive. Excelsior Springs and Kearney will be in District 12.

Social Services adopts ideas

I received a call that even though my SCHIP bill didn’t pass, DSS has implemented the bill. HB793 required the Department of Social Services to establish an administrative renewal process for a child eligible for MO HealthNet or State Children's Health Insurance Program benefits.

Local Schools Cash In on Buckling Up

Local schools took the challenge to buckle up and made it click with students. One hundred and fifty-five (155) schools, including 23 in Kansas City participated in this year's Battle of the Belt Challenge, a competition to raise seat belt use among teens.

Participating schools launched two surprise seat belt checks at each school to measure student seat belt use before and after an educational campaign. In addition, schools had the opportunity to submit a 30-second video spot to encourage their peers to buckle up.

Midway High School in Cass County won the Kansas City award for the Highest Overall Seat Belt Use achieving 100% seat belt use. Valley View High School in Jackson County won the Kansas City award for the Most Improved Seat Belt Use increasing their seat belt use from 53% to 100%. Both schools will receive $500 donated by American Family Insurance to be used for future seat belt educational programs at the schools.

Ten schools in the Kansas City area will receive statewide recognition for seat belt use that reached gold (99-100%), silver (95-98%) or bronze (91-94%) levels of seat belt use and will receive banners to display at the schools donated by the Missouri College of Emergency Physicians. Those schools include:

Midway High School, Cleveland/Freeman/West Line	Gold
Valley View High School, Blue Springs	Gold
Raymore-Peculiar Senior High, Raymore/Peculiar	Silver
Sherwood High School, Creighton/Garden City Silver
Pleasant Hill High School, Pleasant Hill	Silver
Lawson High School, Lawson	Silver
Park Hill South High School, Riverside	Silver
Belton High School, Belton	Bronze
North Platte High School, Dearborn	Bronze
Sweet Springs High School, Sweet Springs	Bronze

Tim Jones: Majority Minute: Blueprint for Missouri

Op. note: the session number is incorrect in this missive. The current session is the 96^th.

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Today, we began the 2^nd Regular Session of the 97^th General Assembly of the State of Missouri. We completed the procedural requirements necessary to begin the legislative term and we read the Preamble and Article I of the Missouri Constitution on the House Floor to remind us all of the rights, duties and responsibilities that that important document describes.

Every Monday afternoon during the Legislative Session, I will once again disseminate a brief update (“The Majority Minute”) of the anticipated and/or primary Floor Action for the coming week. As we enter the New Year, I will share with you the priorities on which the House will be focusing.

There are several issues the House will debate during the 2012 Legislative Session. The principle agenda will be focused on the “Blueprint for Missouri”, formulated by Speaker Tilley, myself and the House Majority Caucus. The four planks of the Blueprint consist of advancing legislation in support of: 1) Missouri Jobs, 2) Missouri Taxpayers, 3) Missouri Schools and 4) Missouri Values.

With the Missouri unemployment rate hovering around 9%, the House will debate how we can create the right climate for job creation in our State and what tools employers need to retain workers and add new employees to their payrolls. We will discuss Workers Compensation Reform (Co-employee liability, Occupational Disease, Second Injury Fund Reform), Prevailing Wage Reform, the Missouri Entrepreneur Virtual Resource Network, and a tort reform measures that will include Employment Discrimination Law Reform, Loser Pays proposals, and Joint and Several Liability Reform.

To protect Missouri Taxpayers, we will be focused on advancing the Taxpayer Protection Act and will once again adhere to our “No New Taxes” pledge together with a Balanced Budget as well as requiring County Debt Disclosure. Criminal Justice Reform (which can dramatically reduce excessive economic drags on the State Budget) will also be on our docket and will consist of recommendations from working groups and interim committees.

With attention being drawn to the now unaccredited Kansas City School District (joining the decades long unaccredited City of St. Louis School District), there will be free market legislation advanced regarding tuition tax credits in unaccredited districts and expanding charter schools. Other topics regarding improving Missouri’s public schools, which are funded by your tax dollars and should be accountable to every taxpayer in the State, will include the Turner Fix, the Teacher Quality Act and a Foundation Formula Fix. My goal is to make control of school districts as local as possible and the only way to accomplish that is to truly give parents the power and choice to control the tax dollars that fund the education of their children in Missouri’s public schools.

Last but not least, value based issues will also come to the fore. These include Veterans Home Funding, Pharmacist & Health Care Provider Conscience Bills, Mandatory Reporter reform, Expanded College Savings plans and Voter Photo ID-enabling legislation.

Throughout Session, I will continue to send The Majority Minute to my constituents, colleagues and friends across the state. If you ever have any questions or concerns or if we can be of any service, please do not hesitate to contact our office at (573) 751-0562.

Until our next update, I am, and remain, in your service.

Mayer: Audio On Session Priorities

Jefferson City — Senate Leader Robert N. Mayer, R-Dexter, recently added new audio links to his multimedia page, which is located on his Missouri Senate website. This page features audio and video links (both streaming and broadcast quality — when available) for visitors to listen to and watch Sen. Mayer address issues that are important to him and the citizens of the 25^th Senatorial District.

The new audio links include Sen. Mayer discussing some of the priority items he hopes will be passed and signed into law this year. The Second regular Session of the 96^th General Assembly began today (1.4.12).

Senator Mayer will continue to add audio and video clips throughout the year. You can download his podcast and listen to it by going to Sen. Mayer’s multimedia page: http://www.senate.mo.gov/media/12info/mayer/Multimedia.html.

Lant: New Year Brings New Challenges, Tours of the Capitol

Well, here we go! We have a new year, a new session, new challenges, and new opportunities. We are looking forward to making a lot of new friends in McDonald County as my District was enlarged to include the entire county. Along with campaigning for re-election, we will also be building a cabin on Elk River this year and looking for a home as well. I'm not too sure what I'll do with my spare time but I'm betting that Jane will find something to keep me busy. I mentioned in an earlier Capitol Report that our major Legislative priority was to balance the budget without raising taxes. We are looking at a shortage of around 600 million dollars that we will have to adjust for. This shortage is not due to wasteful spending in last year's budget. It is a combination of fewer tax dollars coming in and new Federal mandates that cut Medicaid dollars to the States but refuse to let us adjust our expenditures. The answer the Feds give is to raise our State Tax to make up the shortfall. Not hardly! We said we would not raise taxes and that is what we meant. There are still things that we will be able to do without endangering any much needed programs. I was at a Tourism meeting last week and their topic of discussion was how much we can enhance revenues for our local businesses by increasing tourism. Due to the disaster in our area last year, we are known nationwide. There is a great opportunity to market tourism in our part of the world because everyone knows where we are. The various Chambers of Commerce are working together to bring people here and keep them for a few days. There is also an opportunity to market an affordable vacation. Vacationers can come here to tour the National Hatchery, spend an enjoyable day at George Washington Carver Park, Visit the various Historical Museums in Newton and McDonald County and finish off with a fun time at one of the campgrounds with a float or Smallmouth Bass fishing trip. We are extremely blessed to live in and about such abundant beauty and natural wonders that sometimes we take for granted what we have. For someone who has never seen the hanging cliffs at Noel or the view of the valleys from Stangs' at Anderson, or stood in three states at Southwest City, the experience can be awesome.

While I'm on the subject of being blessed, I was in church Sunday and the Pastor was talking about how wonderful it was that our congregation donated to the needy so well last year. In fact, he was pointing out that we had broken records for giving during 2011. I don't usually bet (unless it's on a sure thing) but I'll wager that churches all over the four states had the same experience last year. Even though the disastrous tornado created a need that we all hurried to fill, there were a lot of other needs in our area. Unemployment has created a lot of tight budgets for some folks and I am constantly hearing about some organization or another that is contributing to help out. The wonderful thing about this is that's just who we are. Southwest Missouri has a "can do" attitude that is not present in all the areas in this Country or even in the whole state for that matter. While next year may hold some surprises for us, I am confident that there won't be anything we can't handle.

I hope this coming year also brings a bunch of you to the Capitol. We do have the most beautiful Capitol Building in country and I can arrange tours for any size groups. The best time to come is on a Tuesday or Wednesday as that's when most of the committee hearings and floor debate is conducted. If I have a little notice, I can arrange for trips up to the "Whisper Gallery" above the Rotunda, or for the truly athletic, we can climb the stairs inside the Dome to the very top. The view from outside on top of the Dome is really spectacular. There are also tours available for the Supreme Court, The Governor's Mansion, and the Old Prison. I can help make arrangements for Motel rooms at reasonable rates and there are a multitude of great restaurants nearby.

The coming year also brings us the opportunity to choose who we want to lead us and the direction we want to go in. There will be an endless stream of information about the candidates and their chosen platforms. The media will do their best to form our opinions for us by revealing mistakes and long forgotten statements by the front runners. I really can't imagine why someone would want to expose their families and friends to all the microscopic examinations of their lives that running for President or for that matter the U.S. Senate or House entails. One thing is for certain, we will choose a path in this election that will affect millions of people for many, many years. It is the job of each of us to become informed of the issues, the REAL issues, not whether or not a candidate has a great hairdo or impresses Iowa farmers with their ability to call hogs, and make a decision about who can best lead our Country into the future. Each generation there is a pivotal point where the American citizens decide the direction they want our country to go in. That time is upon us now and with good old common sense and God's help, we'll end up doing the right thing.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve as your State Representative and please don't hesitate to call me if you feel there is anything I can do for you. I'm sure I will see many of you soon as campaigning for me is also just around the corner. Meanwhile, I am, and remain, in your service.