As expected, it was a busy week as the 2013 Legislative Session comes to a close.  Senate Bill 23 was passed by both chambers and sent to the governor’s desk.  I filed this bill to fix an issue with the Pettis County hotel/motel tax.  It began as a simple one page piece of legislation and soon ballooned to almost 200 pages as legislators added amendments during the process.  Working with other legislators and the governor’s staff, we came up with a workable bill that contained several common sense provisions.  All that remains for it to become law is for Governor Nixon to sign.

The Right to Farm legislation I have been working on all Session was also passed this week.  This will now go to a (statewide vote) of the people either at the next General Election or on a date called by Governor Nixon.  If passed, the right to operate a farm or ranch in Missouri would be placed in the State Constitution.  Due to out of state special interest groups working to disrupt our state’s number one industry, as well as a way of life and our heritage, this protection has become necessary.  This issue has been worked on for several years so it was gratifying to see it through the process.  Now all that remains is for it to pass the statewide vote.

One of the enjoyable benefits of my job is that schools will often involve the senate office as a part of their job shadowing programs.  This final week of session I was honored to have Deacon Banner as my job shadow for a day.  Deacon is a seventh grader at Bolivar and is the son of Dwayne and Trina Banner.      

House Bill 184 was the companion legislation from the House that contained the language for the Pettis County hotel/motel tax.  When it came to the Senate I agreed to add a provision that will aid in attracting new businesses to Missouri as well as keeping existing businesses here.  It will streamline the process by which the Missouri Department of Economic Development can recruit these businesses.  By streamlining the operation, not only will these companies realize Missouri is a good place to call home, taxpayer dollars will also be saved as duplicate processes are eliminated or consolidated.    

Overall I would have to say it was a successful session.  Not every bill that gets filed becomes law, but many of my priorities that I set as goals for the year made it to the governor’s desk.  No legislator can control the legislative process, and that is why I make it a point every year to build relationships across the political and urban/rural aisles.  Without these relationships legislation such as Right to Farm would be very difficult to accomplish.  During the process it was important to explain to my urban colleagues why this bill was not only needed by outstate citizens, but was also important to them.  In the coming weeks I will continue to review with you what did and did not pass this session and what the effect will be if it becomes law. 

Although the 2013 Regular Legislative Session has ended, my office remains open all year to assist you with state related issues.  My staff and I will be happy to help you in any way we can.