The First Regular Session of the 97th Missouri General Assembly began this week on Wednesday as both the Senate and House of Representatives convened for the 2013 legislative session.  Both chambers saw the usual large number of newly elected members due to Missouri’s law limiting legislators to no more than eight years in either body.  In the Senate twelve new Senators took the oath of office while in the House fifty-five new Representatives were sworn in.  This means the learning curve is very steep and each member will be expected to contribute right away.

   Unlike the House of Representatives in which all members are up for election every two years, in the Senate only seventeen of the thirty four members are up for election every two years and serve a four year term.  It is a tradition in the Missouri Senate for the newly elected or reelected members to be escorted into the Senate chamber by a Senator who is in the middle of their term.  This year I had the honor of escorting Senator Wayne Wallingford from Cape Girardeau.  Senator Wallingford brings to the Missouri Senate a long record of public service dating back several decades to his tours of duty in Vietnam and Desert Storm.  As a military veteran myself, I was honored and humbled to be able to escort someone who has flown over 300 combat missions and has been awarded 47 medals for his military service.

    Senator Tom Dempsey from St. Charles was elected President Pro Tem of the Senate.  Senator Dempsey has held the position of Majority Floor Leader for the past two sessions.  He is someone I have admired and with whom I have become good friends.  I am looking forward to working with him in his new leadership role.

   Most of the first two days of session were taken up by general housekeeping duties relevant to the Senate convening.  Once committee assignments are made, the business of the Senate will get underway.  The departure of so many veteran Senators means there will be several committees with new Chairs and Vice Chairs.  That is what I still find so incredible about the foresight of our Founding Fathers.  Individual members come and go from the various branches of government, but the government itself continues on.  It is a reminder we may not have a perfect form of government, but we have the best in the world.

   We were pleased to have visitors from the district in the office this week.  Jay and Sheila Knight of Appleton City and Mike Smith of Buffalo were among those who stopped by.

‘Nothing is Politically Right Which is Morally Wrong’