Andrews honored for work on higher education

Anthony Brown
Rep. Allen Andrews

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — State Rep. Allen Andrews, R-Grant City, whose 1st District includes Nodaway County, has been named Freshman Legislator of the Year for his role in shaping legislative proposals related to Higher Education during the 2016 session.

Andrews recently accepted the award from Rep. Todd Richardson, speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives.

He received a similar honor last year for his work in connection with bills affecting Missouri agriculture.

“I firmly believe actions speak louder than words, and as an elected official those actions are crucial to the well-being of our constituents,” Richardson said in bestowing the award. “I commend Rep. Andrews on his actions in higher education, showing firsthand that his actions demonstrate leadership for the people of his district.”

As a member of the House Committee on Higher Education, Andrews helped move several bills affecting the state’s public colleges and universities through the legislative process.

In addition, he served, at Richardson’s request, as chairman of the Midwestern Higher Education Compact, a policy panel that works with public universities in 12 states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Andrews’ other committee assignments include Civil and Criminal Proceedings, Corrections, Consumer Affairs; and Conservation and Natural Resources.

“I am grateful for this acknowledgement, and realize our many accomplishments were the result of the hard work of many great leaders here in Jefferson City and at home,” Andrews said.

“Even though much has been accomplished, both in the committee and in the House of Representatives, we will continue to work hard to strengthen Missouri’s public institutions and strive to provide more than 450,000 students with a high-quality, postsecondary education that is second to none.”

Elected to the house for the first time in 2014, Andrews is running unopposed for a second two-year House term this November.

A resident of Grant City, the Worth County seat, Andrews is a businessman and part-owner of the Wool Shop, which markets lambswool cleaning and specialty products to a variety of hardware, housewares, janitorial, and specialty retailers nationwide.

Andrews graduated from Worth County R-III High School in 1985 and earned a degree in marketing/business management from Northwest Missouri State University in 1990.