JEFFERSON CITY — This week marked the beginning of the First Regular Session of the 97th General Assembly. On Wednesday, I was honored to be administered the oath of office as state senator for Missouri’s 29th District. It is a privilege to work for the great people of Barry, Lawrence, McDonald, Stone, and Taney counties, and I am grateful to be their voice in the Missouri Senate on the important issues of our day. Many of you may know me from my service to Barry County in the Missouri House of Representatives. For those of you who do not, I look forward to working on your behalf, and I encourage you to contact my office if you have an opinion or concern about a particular issue or piece of legislation. One of the most important responsibilities of my office will be assisting constituents with whatever problems they are experiencing with state departments. If you are experiencing any problems or have questions, please contact my office and we will do everything we can to assist you.   

This session, the Legislature will, again, tackle some difficult challenges. Among the most important are passing a balanced state budget, addressing education funding, and promoting job creation.

The Legislature’s main priority will, once more, be the passage of a balanced budget with no tax increases. With another year of potentially stagnant revenue growth, our job will be challenging. While Missouri is in a better position than many other states, we will have some difficult decisions to make this year. We are bound by Missouri’s constitution to balance the state’s budget each year. We look to accomplish this task with specific goals in mind. Most importantly, there should be no new taxes and no tax increases. We must stand firm against any proposal to raise job-killing taxes on hard-working Missouri families to compensate for less-than-projected state revenues. Missouri’s taxpayers are already doing their part and should not be required to give more when savings and efficiency measures can be found. Through this process, we need to evaluate existing state programs to determine if they are a necessary and sensible expenditure of the hard-earned tax dollars of our citizens.

Funding for education is always an important issue when discussing our state budget. It has always been my firm belief that we should be committed to bringing every Missouri child to his or her greatest potential. I believe a quality education, well-prepared students, and motivated teachers is the way to accomplish this goal, and this will be a top priority for me as a steward of taxpayer dollars and maker of public policy. I will advocate for adequate funding for our rural school districts so every student in the 29th District is prepared to enter a competitive workforce and the state has access to a well-educated, well-trained workforce.

The lingering effects of the economic recession continue to be felt all over Missouri. Many people, who worked faithfully for years, never anticipated that their jobs would simply disappear. This reality means the Legislature should continue its focus on job creation and foster a positive business environment; one where companies can maximize their resources to expand, create jobs, and hire more employees.

The first day of session is an opportunity to take a fresh look at the potential that lies within our great state. I look forward to sharing with you the news of our progress and highlights of our session as the Legislature works together for the people of Missouri. I am confident the General Assembly can come together and work diligently to strengthen our state and further improve the quality of life for Missourians in 2013.