At noon on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015, the Senate convened to begin the 98th General Assembly, which also marks my last two years in the Legislature. Looking back on my more than 14 years of public service, I have seen members from both sides come together in an effort to move Missouri forward in a prudent, positive manner, and move forward we have.

Last year, we enacted a historic tax cut that will keep money in taxpayers’ pockets. In 2011, we passed a corporate franchise tax cut, and in 2007 we cut taxes on Social Security and pension benefits for low and moderate-income senior citizens. We have been committed to making Missouri a place where our citizens can keep more of their take-home pay.

We have also maintained our commitment to promoting public safety by modernizing and streamlining Missouri’s criminal code. We have created a level playing field in Missouri’s regulatory environment where rules are fair and predictable. All of these efforts have made our state a place where people want to live, invest and create good-paying jobs. Missouri’s current unemployment rate is at 5.6 percent, the lowest it has been since 2008. 

But, new challenges await us this year. Farming and agriculture have long been a driving force for the state’s vitality. I hope to revisit proposals passed by the Legislature last year aimed at securing the future viability of Missouri agriculture. By removing certain controversial provisions, we can finally see this important legislation signed into law.

The urgency for reform and educational opportunity has never been greater. Every child matters, and every child deserves the opportunity to succeed. I expect members will unite once again this session in their commitment to fight for Missouri’s children and raise the standard of education in the Show-Me State. The governor has already signaled that he will work with us this year to get this key reform-focused legislation across the finish line.

We will also take a hard look at a number of measures to address the systemic failures of some of Missouri’s municipal courts. Cities across the state continue to abuse traffic enforcement and rely on fines to support their own government. This scheme of “taxation by citation” is an unsustainable trend that stifles our communities. Legislation has already been filed to take a thorough look at the problems in some of the municipal courts.

This legislative session, we will also take a look at reforming Medicaid in the state. Missourians want a system that works for them, not have a broken arrangement forced upon them by Washington, D.C. bureaucrats. We live in a society that is based on the right of the individual to participate in his or her own government. It’s not the state’s role to blindly follow the federal government’s regulations that were never vetted in committees.

On a related point, the most recent examples of federal overreach are the new standards the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to place on states. We believe the states can find ways to work to keep our environment clean without passing unnecessary costs on to ratepayers. 

We are continuing to work on measures for the 2015 legislative session that will move Missouri forward in the right direction and continue the progress we have made.

To hear my opening remarks from this week, please click on one of the following links:

• Video of the speech is available here;
• Audio of the speech is available here; and
• Text of the speech can be read here.
  

I always appreciate hearing from you. If you have any questions about the topics discussed above, or any other issues, please do not hesitate to contact my office.

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