Dear 151st District Constituents,
It is August already! I cannot believe how quickly the year is passing! Parade season is here with all the wonderful fun of the fairs! I am looking forward to all the fairs and all the wonderful events of the fall, especially some less humid temperatures!! Schools are starting so please remember to be on the lookout for children walking to school, especially as they are crossing roads.
As I said at the beginning of this letter, I have been attending quite a lot meetings during this latter part of summer. I have learned a great deal and will share some of what I have learned with you. The summer caucus meeting was focused on the pitfalls of politics. There was much discussion on personal behavior and responsibility as well as ethical issues for elected officials. I really enjoyed the presenters and the following discussion, it has given me quite a few things to think on and decide how I want my office to be directed as well as how my and my staff’s conduct should be.
I have attended several meetings with legislators from around that nation discussing various policy programs during this latter part of the summer. There have been many issues discussed, everything from taxes to state budgets to education to healthcare to transportation and many others that I haven’t listed. It has been interesting to hear what other states are doing, what is working and what is not working. The meetings have provided great opportunities to discuss why a particular action worked and why it didn’t as well as any possible contributing issues or factors. One particular meeting really stood out to me, it was discussing using the Best Evidence Strategy in Legislative Policy Making. This strategy calls for looking at each policy and asking a specified list of questions including “what is the return on investment”. Will the money spent on a particular project or line item in the budget actually provide the taxpayer with the most return for every dollar? With having been appointed to the Interim Committee for State GovernmentAccountability and Oversight, this information will be particularly helpful in guiding me as I work to learn the various State Departments and if this particular Department is truly meeting the needs of Missourians.
The House will begin our investigation into Planned Parenthood, I will be serving on this committee and am anxious to begin this process. I am hopeful for a better process than what is currently being experienced by the Senate. I attended their hearing and was astonished when the Director of Health and Senior Services refused to answer a particular question and refuse to release certain documents that had been subpoenaed by the Senate. As I said earlier, I am hopeful that we will not have the same response, if we do, I am confident we will respond appropriately.
As I conclude this portion of this newsletter, please let me remind you of the importance of our Senior Citizen Centers and the Meals on Wheels Program. The Senior Citizen Centers are in desperate need of people eating lunches at their centers. The funding for the Meals on Wheels Programs and the Centers are decided based on the number of meals served at the actual centers. You do not have to be over the age of 65 to eat there (you may be required to pay a little more than a Senior Citizen), anyone can and it is a great meal!! Please support our Senior Citizen Centers through eating a meal there or volunteering whenever you can. Our Seniors have worked hard to provide for us so let’s help them out now!!
Please call my office if we can be of service to you! I will be in and out of the district each week until Session resumes in January. I am going to be spending at least a day each week in Jefferson City on committee and constituent work. If you would like to meet with me, please call my office at (573) 751-1494, Louie will schedule a time that we can sit down together over a cup of coffee to discuss any issues that you are needing assistance with!!
Until next week,
Tila
