Chairing the Senate Education Committee
As the third week of second regular session of the 98th General Assembly rolls to a close, I find myself impressed at how quickly things have moved at the Capitol. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a fast-paced start. Not only am I personally busy with the 10 pieces of legislation I’ve filed so far, I’m also busy studying my fellow lawmakers’ bills and listening to public testimonies during committee hearings.
I am honored to resume my role as the chairman for the Senate Committee on Education for my last term as your state senator. The committee is also composed of five of my fellow Republican senators (Senators, Romine, Brown, Emery, Libla and Onder), and two Democrats (Senators Chappelle-Nadal and Holsman). Improving Missouri’s education system is always a top priority for the Senate, which is why our committee meets at 3 p.m. every Wednesday during Session. I’d like to use this week’s column to detail the legislative committee system and its importance to the lawmaking process.
Committees act as a trial ground for whether a proposed bill should move forward in the legislative process. In the Senate, there are a number of different committees, including Administration, Appropriations, and Seniors, Families and Children. I am honored to serve on Education, Agriculture and Appropriations.
Each committee conducts hearings so the public and lawmakers can discuss proposed legislation. For example, Wednesday, Jan. 20 was the Education Committee’s first public hearing of this Session, and Senators Munzlinger, Romine, Brown and I all brought forward new bills. During the hearing, members of the public were invited to testify for or against each bill, and my fellow committee members and I asked questions and deliberated on each piece of legislation.
As chairman, my roles include setting the agenda of the committee and deciding when and which legislation will be brought up for consideration, directing the flow of the hearings and public testimonies and working with my fellow members. With over 30 pieces of legislation assigned to the Education Committee so far, this is an important job, and one that I take very seriously. Through my position as chairman I look forward to helping pass legislation that betters the future of Missouri’s education system and the students within it.
Committees offer the public, media and lawmakers an opportunity to collaborate on studying legislation. They are an important part of the legislative process and help to keep the relationship between the government and Missouri citizens as transparent as possible. I’m looking forward to serving as the chairman for the Senate Education Committee during my last session as a senator, and will continue to fight for an improved state education system and increased opportunity for our Missouri students everywhere.
As always, please feel free to contact me or my staff with any questions or concerns at any time. We look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions and trying to answer any questions you may have. You can reach us by phone at 866-277-0882 (toll-free) or (573) 751-2272, or by fax at (573) 526-7381.
Senator David Pearce serves Caldwell, Carroll, Howard, Johnson, Lafayette, Livingston, Ray and Saline counties in the 21st State Senatorial District.