Session reaches midway point
Dan Hegeman
As of last Thursday, March 19, the Legislature reached the halfway mark of session, which leaves just seven weeks to accomplish our many goals once we return from spring recess.
We dedicated much of our time and energy during the first half of session to extensive committee work and held floor debate on a wide variety of legislation, paying extra attention to measures affecting welfare reform, tort reform and challenges facing our education system.
While progress has been slow at times, it is essential that we have remained thoughtful and deliberate throughout the legislative process.
Though there are still a number of important bills for the Senate to send the House over the coming weeks, our focus will rapidly shift to working on the bills that have passed the opposite chambers.
Most importantly, the House has completed its version of the budget and it was just received in the Senate this past week.
The budget will first be revised in the Senate Appropriations Committee and then come to the floor for consideration by the whole of the Senate.
The budget is certainly the single-largest issue we will address in the remaining weeks of session.
Unlike the federal government, Missouri has a constitutional requirement to pass a balanced budget. This means we will be working diligently to establish reasonable and responsible priorities for our state’s needs and work to meet the funding demands of our education system to the best of our ability.
I know my colleagues and I are all looking forward to traveling back home to our districts to spend some time with our families and constituents. The spring recess will give the members of the General Assembly a short refresh as the last seven weeks will see a flurry of activity.
It’s been a very productive first half of session, and I’m looking forward to the challenges and opportunities that always occur at the end of the session. As we work over these last few weeks, I will continue to advocate for the needs and values of northwest Missouri.
Please feel free to call, email, or write with your ideas or concerns. My Capitol office number is (573) 751-1415, my email is [email protected] and my mailing address is Room 332, State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.
