The governor gave his "State of the State" address this week.  It is during this annual speech that the governor presents his version of the state budget.  In recent years the governor, House of Representatives, and Senate all crafted their budgets from the same estimated revenue numbers.  That way, even though spending priorities may differ, all sides were working from the same amount of total spending.  This year the governor is basing his budget on more income than what the House and Senate expect the state to receive.  As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I believe we need to design our budget based on cautionary numbers.  The Senate Appropriations Committee began meeting this week and will continue doing so through much of the Legislative Session.  The budget process is a lengthy and time consuming part of each session.  The final version must be agreed to by the House of Representatives, Senate, and the governor.  Here in Missouri we have a good record of being able to work together to produce a balanced budget on time as required by our state constitution.  I am confident we will be able to do so again this Session.

     In the coming months I will be holding meetings throughout our area advocating for the Right to Farm constitutional amendment that will be on the ballot this November.  This is legislation I handled and passed in the Senate during the 2013 legislative session.  If passed by the voters this fall, it would put into our state constitution the right of farmers to operate their farms in a safe and responsible manner without fear of being regulated out of business by outside interests.  Already, opposition from those who would like to end production agriculture in our state is beginning to form.  Just as we did during the Proposition B campaign, we need to take an early active role in presenting the case and educating voters of why the Right to Farm amendment is important not only to the citizens of our area but also the citizens of the entire state.  If you know of an opportunity where a presentation on the issue would be helpful, I encourage you to contact my office.  Together we can work to make a difference for generations to come.

Visitors from the district to my office this week included Robert W. Albright, Kristen & Jason Waterman, Christy Franks, Bud Balke, John Shelton, Chris Heard, and Jeff Porter, all of Lebanon.  Also visiting were Linda Viebrock and Tammy Lawler of Benton County, JoAnn Martin of Pettis County, and Sandy Jones, of Bolivar.