Building Castles in the Sky

Last week Governor Jay Nixon delivered the annual State of the State address to the Missouri General Assembly, the Missouri Supreme Court, Missouri Cabinet heads, and to the people of our great state.

This annual address has become the vehicle for a governor to outline his vision for Missouri and present the executive branch’s budget recommendations for the next fiscal year. It is also the event that adds definition to the agenda boundaries of each body in the legislature and the governor’s office for the current session of the General Assembly.

This year’s State of the State address did none of that. In fact, Governor Nixon dodged revealing the actual state of the state and it is now painfully obvious why after he has revealed his proposed budget to the General Assembly.

As I mentioned in a previous column, the Governor, House, and Senate budget leaders have agreed upon the revised consensus revenue estimate for the remainder of this fiscal year which ends on June 30, 2010 predicting that revenues will be 6.4% less than expected at $6.97 billion in general revenue. The fiscal year 2010 budget was passed based upon an overly optimistic revenue estimate of $7.76 billion.

They also agreed upon the consensus revenue estimate for the next budget year which begins on July 1, 2010 suggesting a growth in state general revenue collections of 3.5% resulting in $7.223 billion of general revenue.

It was revealed this week that January revenues are 22.36% less than they were in January of last year with year to date revenue collections now falling to a negative 12.55% down from 10.5% last month year to date. As a result, Governor Nixon announced another round of withholds from the current budget of $74 million.

Unlike Congress, we must have a balanced budget. The state of Missouri can’t print money to satisfy unrestrained and politically motivated spending habits – even in an election year. To have a balanced budget, the General Assembly and the governor’s office must build a state budget at or, preferably, below that target.

Governor Nixon’s budget proposal would spend $8.317 billion of general revenue, a number that exceeds the agreed upon CRE by $1.09 billion, or 15% - this is not a balanced budget proposal. The governor would pay for these excessive increases with federal “stimulus” money, which I contend is federal “dependence” money, which Missouri is expected to receive which is about $900 million dollars plus a phantom $300 million that might come from the federal government even though the legislation has not been passed by Congress yet.

After years of fiscal discipline, a budget is now being proposed that relies on significant one-time monies that may or may not materialize. Our budget difficulties earlier this decade stemmed from uncontrolled spending that relied on one-time monies. This can’t be done, but politicians are often afraid of making the difficult decisions that require discipline, because they fear unpopularity, especially in an election year like this one.

The disciplined decisions of the past few years have put Missouri in better financial position to weather this economic downturn than most states. Missouri remains one of only seven states that still have a triple-A bond ratings from the three major bond rating agencies.

The proposed budget suggests that $900 million of one-time monies be used to pay for ongoing operating costs of government and its programs. This money will not be available next year. It may be considered good politics by some, but it is lousy fiscal policy. We can’t allow the federal “stimulus” to lead us down the path to ever more federal dependency and greater threats to the pocketbooks of Missourians.

Data released this week claim that unemployment may drop to 9.8% this year, down from the current 10% unemployment rate. The data also suggests that with 5% growth in GDP throughout the year, unemployment would only drop to 9%.

How out of touch with our existing economic situation can we be to accept a budget that requires a 15% more general revenue knowing that we are currently experiencing 9.6% unemployment in Missouri? It just won’t happen – even the 3.5% CRE is too high and is setting us up for even bigger budget problems next year and years after.

This is a time for restraint, a time to prioritize, and a time to drive efficiencies into the state bureaucracy. It is a time to shed the hindrances that hold back innovation and invention, a time to empower Missourians to build dreams, not sustain them where they are.

People are outraged with the unparalleled and unabated spending spree in Washington, DC that denies the economic realities that we live in. Missouri cannot, and must not, follow in those footsteps.

This is a time when doing what is right is far more important than doing what is popular and hiding our actual state of the state. We can’t spend time building castles in the sky and hoping for a miracle. Lest we forget, hope is not a plan.

State of the State

This week Governor Jay Nixon delivered the annual State of the State address to a joint session of the General Assembly. This was different than the seven previous State of the State addresses that I have attended during my time in the Missouri House. Unlike previous addresses, this year’s address was a 45 minute speech without enthusiasm, without passion, without substance, and without leadership.

In the midst of 9.6% unemployment and sagging state revenues, Governor Nixon failed to cast a vision for Missouri’s future. The speech was more notable for it didn’t address than what it did.

There was no mention of the current state of the state. It lacked any serious conversation of the challenges we face in crafting the next state budget. It lacked any serious discussion of his priorities in his budget. No mention of serious tax reform, economic incentive reform, or health care reform. The Governor even failed to take a stand on the health care proposals in Congress.

This was a “safe” speech. It did not address anything controversial, nor did Governor Nixon stick his neck out backing any significant issue. He gave his office and the General Assembly all of the elbow room necessary to do anything and claim a victory – after all it is an election year.

While I did expect more from Governor Nixon’s address, he did state that:

We must keep the jobs we have, and create thousands more.

We must build a granite foundation for Missouri’s future growth.

And we must balance the budget without raising taxes.

This simple statement is a great place to start and deserves bipartisan cooperation to move Missouri forward in the coming year and decade. His economic proposals deserve our attention, we must build a budget that lives within our means without raising taxes, and we must position Missouri by simplifying our regulatory environment.

Even though the State of the State lacked substance and leadership, it did open the door for Governor, the House, and the Senate to work together this session.

In contrast to Governor Nixon’s silence on the health care proposals in Washington, DC, the Missouri House passed a concurrent resolution this week by a vote of 111 to 46 that sends a message to our congressional delegation, Speaker Pelosi, and the President opposing these measures on the grounds that they are too expensive, too big, to corrupt, and hand out too many special deals. The cost to the state of Missouri is enormous and will do nothing bend the cost curve making health insurance more affordable.

According to a Rasmussen Reports poll released recently, 55% of the American people oppose these proposals and only 40% support the federal healthcare takeover and mandate being thrust upon us by President Obama, Senator Majority Leader Reid and Speaker Pelosi. Other polls in Missouri suggest opposition among Missourians is closer to 60 - 65%.

These proposals contain provisions that obligate the states to substantially increase the amount of money that each state will be required to pay for Medicaid with the exception of special backroom deals like Senator Nelson’s Cornhusker Kickback for Nebraska that exempts Nebraska from this provision shifting their costs on the rest of the states.

The Missouri Department of Social Services estimates that the total cost to Missouri could range from $2.18 billion to $2.45 billion. This is on top of the $100 million plus per year in new funding for natural caseload growth. Our budget, along with Missouri taxpayers can not bear this new shift of costs without increasing taxes or cutting expenditures on education or other vital state services.

The weeks ahead will pose many challenges for lawmakers. Short-term fiscal policies will fail to promote long-term growth. The Missouri House of Representatives will pursue policies that will allow people keep more of their own money, allow them to make decisions for themselves and their families, and give individuals more liberty in their consumption, savings, and debt retirement.

House and Senate Priorities

The second week of the session has concluded and business in the Missouri House is taking shape. As bills begin to be referred to committees and committees begin public hearings, the legislative agenda takes shape.

The most notable event of the week occurred on Wednesday when visitors from across the state crowded into the Capitol Rotunda to hold the first ever Missouri State Sovereignty Rally. The purpose of this year’s rally was prompted by the massive opposition by Americans to the federal health care proposals and encroachment of the federal government into our private lives.

Those in attendance are concerned that the federal health care proposals would create an unfair tax on individuals who do not purchase health insurance and penalize businesses that do not offer it to their employees. They oppose the massive expansion of welfare at the expense of the states and lack of fiscal restraint. Their opposition is well founded after Democrat negotiators in Washington caved and exempted union health care plans from their proposed 40% tax creating yet another special class of Americans at the expense of the rest of us.

The week was also the scene of a joint press conference by House and Senate leaders outlining a joint set of priorities for this session. First, and foremost, fiscal responsibility and passing a balanced budget will be front and center. Missouri’s revenue collections continue to lag projections and difficult choices will be in store. The fiscal priorities include:

• Urging Governor Nixon to issue prompt income tax refunds;
• Require legislative oversight for the spending of federal stimulus dollars;
• Reduce fraud and abuse in the Medicaid system
• That the state of Missouri will live within its means; and
• Pledge that there will be absolutely no tax increases on Missourians.

In addition to passing a sound, fiscally responsible state budget so that Missouri continues to be solvent and viable for future generations, these priorities also include protecting our constitutional rights and Liberty; continuing to secure the health, safety, and welfare of all Missourians; and continuing to uphold traditional, common sense Missouri values. Specifically, the House and Senate recognize these issues as necessary to reach these goals:

• Ensure greater transparency and strengthen ethics in government;
• Oppose a bloated and expanded government, support smaller government;
• Oppose the federal government takeover of our health care system;
• Call upon Congress to oppose job destroying cap-and-trade legislation;
• Make certain that statutes pertaining to clean water are implemented to ensure public safety of our citizens; and
• Require credit agencies to withhold reporting negative information if it is caused by identity theft.

As our state continues to face budget uncertainty and Missouri’s unemployment recently inched up to 9.6%, Missouri must be wary of any proposal, state or federal, that would potentially cost Missouri financially or at the expense of our collective identify as Missourians.

These proposals are intended to allow people keep more of their own money, to allow them to make decisions for themselves and their families, to give individuals more liberty in their consumption, savings, and debt retirement. At some point, we, as Americans, will decide whether Thomas Jefferson’s maxim will prevail - will we allow Liberty to yield and government to gain ground?

Session Begins

This week the Second Regular Session of the 95th General Assembly was convened. This will be my last year to serve in the Missouri House of Representatives due to term limits and I look forward to representing the interests of our communities and our state in the coming months.

It is also with great regret that I inform you that the U.S. Congress has also convened this week to work tirelessly on their behalf, and their elections, as well.

Missouri's state budget will command the most attention from lawmakers and special interest groups this session. This is the second budget year in a row where general revenue collections are less than the previous year. At present, revenue collections are down considerably from last year with year to date collections off by 10.5%.

The Governor, House, and Senate budget leaders have agreed upon the revised consensus revenue estimate for the remainder of this fiscal year which ends on June 30, 2010 predicting that revenues will be 6.4% less than expected at $6.97 billion in general revenue. The fiscal year 2010 budget was passed based upon an overly optimistic revenue estimate of $7.76 billion.

They have also agreed upon the consensus revenue estimate for the next budget year which begins on July 1, 2010 suggesting a growth in state general revenue collections of 3.5% resulting in $7.223 billion of general revenue. This will be a difficult number to beat if unemployment remains high.

Speaking of unemployment, this year begins with a staggering 9.5% unemployment rate in Missouri and 10% unemployment nationwide. The shadow of the federal government continues to darken over the states and the federal overreach into the lives of Americans is frighteningly Orwellian.

A recent Wall Street Journal opinion piece suggested, "... a civilization becomes incompetent not only when it fails to learn the lessons of the past, but also when it becomes crippled by them." The world over is strewn with the debris of failed socialist governments, despots, and the wretched human condition of those struggling for hope and liberty at the hands of those promoting "the greater good".

Yet, in Washington, Congress continues to fritter away opportunity after opportunity to provide real leadership for America, to unleash the American mind and the entrepreneur by promoting Liberty. Instead, our elected Congress and executive branch ignore the virtue of our matchless Constitution, they ignore the inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness endowed to us by our Creator as recognized by our Founders in the Declaration of Independence, and they buy each other off with our tax dollars to ingratiate themselves, buy votes for unpopular legislation, and then turn around and lecture us about who is watching out for our best interests.

This is the year where states will play defense. We will dust off the forgotten notion of federalism and we will remind Congress and the President that the U.S. Constitution begins with "We the People".

The Republican majority in the Missouri House recognizes that the bedrock of the economy, the bedrock of every community, is you and your family.

It is time for government to quit trying pick winners and losers, to stop trying to tell us what is good for us, to stop trying to be God. Instead, government should recognize that, as Frederic Bastiat observed in 1850:

God has given to men all that is necessary for them to accomplish their destinies... And now that the legislators and do-gooders have so futilely inflicted so many systems upon society, may they finally end where they should have begun: May they reject all systems, and try liberty; for liberty is an acknowledgement of faith in God and His works.

Where our federal government has failed to act, the Missouri House will remain committed to seeking solutions to the problems faced by Missourians from all walks of life.

House Budget Action

The Missouri House sent its budget the Senate this week granting approval to a $22.8 billion budget, a 1.8% increase in total appropriations over the existing state budget. This budget once again reflects the top priorities of the Missouri House, by increasing investments in Missouri’s schools, working families, and senior citizens as well as a continued commitment to provide health care to the most vulnerable Missouri citizens.

States across the country continue to face budget shortfalls on an unprecedented scale. Due to our past decisions Missouri has one of the lowest shortfalls in the country. Many states are seeing double-digit general revenue shortfalls which are leading to deep cuts in education funding, massive spending reductions in public safety operations and correctional facilities and, according to the Wall Street Journal, over half of the states are cutting Medicaid eligibility.

Missouri taxpayers should be relieved to know that this budget does not use federal dependency monies to create or expand programs that will undoubtedly be unsustainable in the future. Much like working families today, tough decisions had to be made in order to balance decreasing revenues and spending priorities. These priorities include:

• Increased funding for elementary and secondary education by fully funding the fourth year of the foundation formula phase-in, an increase of $63 million.
• Over $410 million in federally directed funding for Title I, the Individuals with Disabilities Act and school based technology.
• Kept higher education institutions at their FY 2009 funding levels, guaranteeing no tuition increases for college students and working families.
• An increase of over $235 million for the MO Healthnet program. This money will continue to fund access to healthcare for the neediest Missourians.

In these uncertain economic times we must stick to our fiscally responsible philosophy and do the right thing for the people of the State of Missouri.

In an unbelievable display of contempt for our First and Second Amendment rights, a shocking report from the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC) was made public last week. The report is a clear alarm that our Liberty and basic rights are now being bullied by our state government through the Department of Public Safety.

As part of the Department of Public Safety's intelligence gathering and dissemination of their analysis to law enforcement agencies, the MIAC released a report with instructions on how to identify members of the modern militia movement who may be considered domestic terrorists. The report, printed on state letterhead, blatantly posits that those Missouri citizens who support smaller government, Second Amendment rights, those who are pro-life, or those who voted for Ron Paul, Bob Barr, or Chuck Baldwin in the November 2008 election of being possible threats to our society. This means, if you drive down the street with a pro-life, pro-gun, or pro-third party candidate sticker on your car, you may be considered for criminal profiling by Missouri’s public safety officials and other citizens who may not believe the way you do.

We live in a Nation founded in Liberty; the freedom of speech, the freedom to have our own opinions and voice those opinions, and the freedom of religion. We should not be fearful that our beliefs regarding abortion (pro or against), the size and role of government, or other social issues should separate us into terrorist categories.

Unfortunately, the Governor outwardly defends this practice stating, “Getting information, especially public information, out of our fusion center out to local law enforcement agencies is what we do every day and what we’re going to continue to do. Any way they take that information and can analyze what the threat levels are is important to make sure the public stays safe.”

This week, Lieutenant Governor Kinder called for the Director of Public Safety, John Britt, to take administrative leave pending an investigation into this despicable political profiling done by MIAC. We can only hope Director Britt will follow his call. The Missouri House also restricted funding for the MIAC to prohibit the agency from engaging in political profiling activities.

Regardless of our economic conditions, we still live in the greatest country in the world. It is a privilege to be a U.S. citizen and to freely exercise our Liberty backed by the Bill of Rights. We are free to have different beliefs, different ideas, and different ways of life; all without fear of persecution. Others in this world are not so lucky.

We should be mindful of Benjamin Rush’s words, “[E]very citizen of a republic ... must watch for the State as if its liberties depended upon his vigilance alone.” We should never compromise the ideals that our Nation was founded upon. I can assure you, the Missouri House will not stand by and watch our constitutional rights be ignored and abused by our state government.

Budget Work Begins

This past week the House Budget Committee began meeting as a whole. Prior to this week the six House appropriations committees had been meeting to review the Governor’s recommendations, the various executive department’s requests, and to begin the process of forming the House version of the state budget. The Budget Committee will now take the recommendations from the appropriations committees and begin formal debate on the state budget. This committee will decide which programs and departments to fund, as well as, which must be cut back to balance the budget.

In these trying economic times, revenues coming into the state are lagging last year’s expected growth. The consensus revenue estimate was set at 1%, or approximately $7.7, billion in general revenue for the next fiscal year.

This year, Missouri is facing a budget shortfall of $542 million which is much less severe than many states in the Union. Fortunately, last year’s budget decisions have yielded a $281 million savings. So, unlike Iowa who is facing $750 million deficit for the next fiscal year or Kansas who is facing a $1 billion deficit or our neighbor to the east, Illinois, who is facing a $9 billion deficit, Missouri is weathering this economic climate with the need to trim our state spending by $261 million.

Although with many difficult, and sometimes controversial decisions, the House is committed to Missouri taxpayers by building a reasonable and responsible budget that will keep our state on a solid financial foundation by eliminating our reliance on hundreds of millions of dollars in one-time revenue sources from the federal dependency package that are intended to forever alter our relationship with the federal government and, once again, force our state government to live within its means without raising taxes.

The House has the following approaches to tackling Missouri’s budget problem at its disposal: tax and spend our way to a balanced budget (this was the 1990’s approach that got us where we are today), spend and then tax our way to a balanced budget (this was attempted during Governor Holden’s term), take all of the money from the federal dependency package to pay for ongoing expenditures with one-time monies setting up our state for revenue shortfalls in future years (this is Governor Nixon’s plan), or don’t spend more than the state expects to take in (this is how our families are expected manage our finances).

The education of our children is imperative to a successful future. The House will meet the phase-in payments for the foundation formula to fund our public elementary and secondary schools. This is an enormous win in the economic times that we live in. While other states are stopping Medicaid reimbursement to doctors and stopping income tax refunds from making back to those who overpaid their taxes, Missouri is keeping its promise to public education.

In order to keep our financial house in order, not every state program will remain unscathed – budget cuts will have to be made. Unlike Congress, we must have a balanced budget. The state of Missouri can’t print money to satisfy unrestrained and politically motivated spending habits.

While some budget cuts are looming, vital services will remain. Missouri is emerging nationally as a fiscal leader. It is imperative that we continue to practice restraint and an eye towards efficiency and productivity in state government. Not all of the decisions made by the House will be popular, but they will be necessary to preserve public education and caring for the most vulnerable among us.

Some wish to sell us on a “champagne budget” - one that offers little sustenance, but makes us feel much better. This plan rejects the status quo of self-denial of our present circumstances and the demands it places on future generations. Unlike Governor Nixon, the Missouri House of Representatives will not burden our children and grandchildren with greater debt simply to satisfy special interests for political gain.

Here We Go Again

This past week Governor Jay Nixon delivered the annual State of the State address to the Missouri General Assembly, the Missouri Supreme Court, Missouri Cabinet heads, and to the people of our great state.

This annual address has become the vehicle for a governor to outline his vision for Missouri and present the executive branch’s budget recommendations for the next fiscal year. It is also the event that adds definition to the agenda boundaries of each body in the legislature and the governor’s office for the current session of the General Assembly.

Last week the consensus revenue estimate (CRE) was staked out at 1% or approximately $7.7 billion. The CRE is the amount of growth in general revenue that the state expects to collect in the next fiscal year. Once that number is determined, the House and Senate use that number as the ceiling throughout the appropriations process.

Unlike Congress, we must have a balanced budget. The state of Missouri can’t print money to satisfy unrestrained and politically motivated spending habits. To have a balanced budget, the General Assembly and the governor’s office must build a state budget at or, preferably, below that target.

Governor Nixon’s budget proposal would spend $8.8 billion of general revenue, a number that exceeds the agreed upon CRE by $1.1 billion, or 14% - this is not a balanced budget proposal. The governor would pay for these excessive increases with federal “stimulus” money, which I contend is federal “dependence” money, that Missouri is expected to receive which is about $809 million dollars.

After four years of fiscal discipline, a budget is now being proposed that relies on significant one-time monies that may or may not materialize. Our budget difficulties earlier this decade stemmed from uncontrolled spending that relied on one-time monies. This can’t be done, but politicians are often afraid of making the difficult decisions that require discipline, because they fear unpopularity. The disciplined decisions of the past four years have put Missouri in better financial position to weather this economic downturn than most states.

The Missouri House has pounded its first stake in the ground. We will not balance our state budget on monies that may or may not come in the mail - we refuse to rely on a federal welfare check to meet the needs of our state. It may be considered good politics by some, but it is lousy fiscal policy. We can’t allow the federal “stimulus” to lead us down the path to ever more federal dependency.

How out of touch with our existing economic situation can we be to accept a budget that requires a 14% increase in economic growth knowing that we average 3.5% growth in Missouri in typical years?

This is a time for restraint, a time to prioritize, and a time to drive efficiencies into the state bureaucracy. It is a time to shed the hindrances that hold back innovation and invention, a time to empower Missourians to build dreams, not sustain them where they are.

This is a time when doing what is right is far more important that doing what is popular, because what is right is not always popular and what is popular is not always right.

The Miraculous Missouri Turnaround

Amidst the daily dose of bad news about gas prices and food prices along with a debate about whether we are, or are not, in a recession it is easy to overlook just how far we have come. In the past four years Missouri has improved itself and fares better than at least 40 other states in the Union.

This month I would like to share with you some of the advances made in our state that you probably won’t hear from the mainstream media.

Cutting Taxes: The Senior Tax Justice Act
Tax cut on Social Security and public pension benefits (teachers, veterans, policemen, and firefighters). Over 300,000 Missourians will benefit from this $153.8 million tax cut.
Missouri has been able to cut taxes and still produce surplus revenue.

Helping Missouri’s Most Vulnerable Citizens
Here’s a sample of increased public assistance made to our most vulnerable citizens:
Funding for the Autism Program has increased by $7,369,240.
Funding for SCHIP has increased by $30,290,680.
Funding for the First Steps Program has increased by $1,140,000.
Funding for Utilicare has increased by $6,440,785.
Funding for Sheltered Workshops has increased by $2,600,000.
The General Assembly has been able to increase funding for these vital programs, something that was unheard of when our economy and budget situation were poor just a few years ago. These programs go far to help protect and aid some of Missouri’s most important and vulnerable citizens.

Decreasing Methamphetamine Production
Legislation limiting the sale of methamphetamine producing drugs has resulted in a dramatic drop in methamphetamine-related incidents:
2003: 2,860
2004: 2,807 -53
2005: 2,170 -637
2006: 1,288 -882
Missouri went from the number one methamphetamine producing state in the nation to a 55% drop in methamphetamine related incidents – now that is real progress!

Improving Transportation
Missouri has gone from having the 3rd worst pavement on major roads to the ninth best.
The $5.7 billion spent on transportation has resulted in $20.52 billion in economic activity creating family supporting jobs throughout the state.
Safety improvements on major highways have resulted in 161 fewer people losing their lives in 2006 compared to the previous year.
Missouri leads the nation with the largest drop in traffic fatalities.
Missouri has the 3rd lowest administrative costs per mile.
Bottom line - MODOT went from politics and broken promises to putting money towards improving roads – now let’s hold them to it.

Since 2003, we have gone from losing jobs to creating jobs, from cutting programs to cutting taxes, and for the first time in anyone’s memory the state bureaucracy is not growing, but is now shrinking.

That is what I have set out to do by representing you in Jefferson City. By making myself available to discuss the issues that are important to you, I will continue to work towards restoring trust in state government, lowering taxes, improving access and affordability in health care, fighting wasteful spending, encouraging and building up the traditional family, and removing barriers so that business can flourish so that we will be able to provide excellence in education, continue to improve our roads and bridges, help the most needy in our society, and make government accountable to the people.

The House Will Come to Order

Each new year brings new opportunities and 2008 will be no exception.

Over the last three years we have gone from a billion dollar budget shortfall to a $600 million surplus. There have been over 90,000 new jobs created since January 2005. Our funding for elementary and secondary education has increased by $452 million through a new equitable school funding formula and in that same time higher education funding has increased $74 million with $45 million in scholarships assisting more than 37,000 students attend college.

We have taken our major roads from the 47th worst in the Nation to the 9th best in the Nation. These improvements, made possible with voter approval of Amendment 3, have given Missouri drivers the Smooth Roads Initiative and the Safe and Sound bridge program. This commitment to road and bridge improvements has reduced highway fatalities by 161 in 2006 from 2005.

In addition, 300,000 Missouri seniors have had their tax burden lessened by the Senior Tax Justice Act passed just last year. Missourians also saw a new tax deduction for health insurance premiums and improved access to the Missouri Health Insurance Pool for those with chronic conditions.

Progress indeed, but challenges remain. Over the same time period of the advances noted above, and many others too numerous to account for here, illegal immigration has captured the attention of state legislatures across the country, including Missouri. Property taxes have continued to burden families throughout the state with suburban counties and seniors feeling it the most and health care continues to be on the minds of Missourians.

Each of these issues will be debated in the General Assembly this session. Each of these issues will have their proponents and opponents. Each of these issues impacts the lives each of us. I look forward to the debate and working through “the noise” to bring about meaningful change for Missouri.

It is clear that our efforts are making a difference and bringing real change to our state government. We have a budget that lives within our means and is truly balanced. We are now reaping the rewards of disciplined determination and fiscal restraint while keeping our promise of no new taxes.

Now with the new year underway we must continue to build upon the successes of yesterday to seize the opportunities of tomorrow.