House Speaker Diehl Outlines Legislative Priorities for 2015
Following the governor’s address, House Speaker John J. Diehl, Jr. provided his own vision for the direction our state should take in the months ahead. In his speech, the Speaker talked about the legislature working to keep government out of the way and out of the lives of Missourians so that they can achieve success and prosperity through their own hard work. As the Speaker said, “Each decision we make will emphasize the fact we believe government is at its best when it levels the playing field and then stays out of the way so individuals and businesses can grow and prosper through hard work and initiative.”
In regard to specific policy items, the Speaker laid out a few issue areas he wants us to focus on this year. These include:
• Passing legislation to provide immediate options to the 62,000 Missouri children trapped in failing school districts. The Speaker said, “We must further expand their educational opportunities by providing more choice in the form of additional charter schools and we must take advantage of the technologies of the 21st century by providing virtual schools that will give our young people another vital option to obtain a quality education.”
• Approving reforms to our system of welfare so that it works as intended to keep people out of permanent poverty by putting them on the path toward stable employment in a job with family-supporting wages and benefits. Missouri currently ranks dead last among states when it comes to the number of welfare recipients who are on the path to stable employment. The Speaker wants us to work this year to change that disappointing number.
• Focusing our efforts on the things we can do as a legislature to support and encourage entrepreneurship and investment in our small businesses so that they can grow and prosper. As Diehl said, “I'm a firm believer that government's role isn't to produce economic development but it is our duty to create the kind of level playing field that will allow employers and workers to succeed if they work hard enough”
• Taking steps as a state to strike that balance that protect the rights of the individual without creating an environment that forces job creators and professionals to flee the state for a friendlier environment. Diehl noted that, “Missouri has labor policies, which more closely resemble the failed and antiquated economic models of the rustbelt. We must reform our systems to allow more freedom for workers and provide a more favorable environment for new, high-tech manufacturing.” He also pointed out that, “many of our neighboring states have fewer and more streamlined regulations. Moving forward, we must go down a path that keeps government out of the way of innovators and entrepreneurs and stresses the importance of allowing businesses to do what they do best, create jobs and produce economic prosperity.”
Legislature Listens to Governor’s Budget Proposal
In recent years the governor has used his State of the State address to outline proposed spending plans that were simply unrealistic, if not impossible. Time and time again he has asked for spending that far exceeds our revenues, and each time the legislature has done the fiscally responsible thing by scaling back his proposals to craft a realistic, balanced budget.
The members of the House and Senate expected more of the same this year as the governor delivered his speech Wednesday night. Instead, we were pleasantly surprised as the governor outlined what many are calling a “modest” budget. I say modest because it contains only a handful of spending increases to the state budget that already exceeds $26 billion. It is a proposal that will give the legislature something to work with as we prepare the Fiscal Year 2016 spending plan in the months to come.
Some of the funding increases proposed by the governor include:
• An additional $50 million in funding for our public K-12 schools throughout the state;
• Another $5 million for the state’s Early Childhood Special Education program;
• A $2 million increase for Project Lead the Way, which will be used to promote science, technology, engineering and math learning in an additional 350 elementary schools:
• An increase of $12 million in performance-based funding for Missouri’s public colleges and universities;
• A bump of $2 million for the Access Missouri Scholarship program and the A+ Scholarship program;
• An increase of $2.4 million for blind pension payments
As you can see, he has prioritized education and aid to some of our state’s most vulnerable citizens. These are priorities that are shared by those of us in the legislature, which signals what I hope will be a more cooperative budget process going forward. I will do my best to keep you updated as the budget moves through the legislative process in the months ahead.
Announcements for the 151st District:
Duck Creek Conservation Department Offers Lady’s Rabbit Hunting Clinic
On February 14th, the Department is hosting its annual women’s rabbit hunting clinic at the Duck Creek Conservation Area. The workshop will begin at 8:00 a.m. For more information and to sign up for the 2015 Women’s Rabbit Hunting Clinic, call the MDC’s Southeast Regional Office at (573) 290-5730. For more information about rabbit hunting in Missouri, go online to mdc.mo.gov.
Heartland Ag & Natural Resource Expo
Heartland Ag and Natural Resource Expo will be held in Poplar Bluff January 30th 1pm – 8pm and 31st 9am – 3pm.
Have a great weekend and stay safe!
Until next week…
Your State Representative,
Tila Hubrecht
Please contact me at:
201 West Capitol Avenue, Room 407C
Jefferson City, MO 65101-6806
Phone: 573-751-1494
Email: Tila.Hubrecht@house.mo.gov
Tila is currently serving on the Regular Standing Committee on Energy and the Environment, Regular Standing Committee on Ways and Means, Regular Standing Committee on Elementary and Secondary Education, and Regular Standing Committee on Health and Mental Health Policy.
