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Each year, the Missouri General Assembly has one constitutionally mandated task, which is to pass a balanced budget. On the surface, this may sound like a simple task. In reality, it is anything but easy. Fortunately, this year, Missouri’s conservative values have proven to be a blessing for everyone in our state. A lot has…

Lawmakers have given final approval to a state spending plan that allocates record levels of funding to the state’s system of education, as well as to vital infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, ports, water systems, and broadband. The budget plan also provides funding for programs that assist the state’s most vulnerable citizens, increases support…

The Missouri House has approved and sent two proposals to the Senate that would create a new fine against individuals convicted of human trafficking offenses. The new fine would be used to fund efforts to fight trafficking in Missouri and provide treatment and support to its victims. The House previously approved HB 2307 to create…

It feels like all too often lately that I am attempting to write pieces to honor fine community members we have lost. Well, we recently lost another one, a man who profoundly impacted the educational community in Northwest Missouri, Mr. Gabe Shineman. I knew who Mr. Shineman was decades ago: he was the superintendent at…

The Missouri General Assembly has only one constitutional obligation, which is to pass a balanced budget each year. On the surface, this may seem like a simple goal. But, think about your own family budget. You have to factor in rent or a mortgage payment, car payment, utilities, food and anything else with a regular…

Missouri’s legislature enters its final days of the 2022 legislative session facing an unusually large pile of partisan and ideological divisive issues. In an election year, it is not unusual that some legislators seek to highlight issues that will inspire their partys’ loyalists to vote. This year’s partisan issues include requiring a photo ID to…

Jobs are a thankless business. When was the last time any of us thanked the mailman for wading drifts to deliver our ads or the hardy employees who pick up the trash? Who thanks the workers who fill the potholes or keep the parks mowed? I confess I haven’t done that as I should, so…

Missourians who pay income tax are one step closer to receiving substantive relief from their income tax burden. The Missouri House of Representatives this week approved legislation to create a one-time economic recovery tax credit for Missouri residents who paid personal income tax in the state for 2021. The chairman of the House Budget Committee,…

I was a teenager when the internet really began to gain steam. By the time I graduated, our high school was connected, and this new form of interconnectivity between humans was up and running. If you had asked me then, in the mid-1990s, the most consequential negative consequence the internet would have upon our lives,…

Over the past decade, we have seen several examples of extreme weather in our part of the state. Most of the time, it is possible to know when adverse weather is coming, and then prepare for it. Other times, it can be the aftermath of the weather itself that is worse than whatever flooding or…