The Frontlines of a Flood
May 19, 2017
 
On Saturday, April 29, waters began rising in southeast and south central Missouri. As quickly as the waters rose, first responders and volunteers sprang into action.
 
Ozark County was in one of the hardest hit areas. Their Emergency Management Director told me they realized how bad it was getting Saturday night around midnight. About this time, the James Bridge over the White River disappeared. With the bridge washed out, the Tecumseh Volunteer Fire Department had to split their territory in half and deploy two teams of firefighters. Even as some of their own homes filled with water, between Saturday night and Sunday morning, the teams conducted ten swift water rescues. When it was time for search and rescue, volunteer fire departments from across Ozark County pitched in to check house by house for people who may be stranded or hurt and help man the emergency operations center.
 
In Thomasville, one man had to rescue his elderly relatives by boat. Before the rain started, he moved his relatives to a house where he thought they would be safe. After all, the ground floor of the home was six feet higher than the 100-year flood stage. But as the night wore on, water was rising quickly in the home. The man’s family was trapped in the second floor of the house. So, he tried to reach the house by tractor, but the water was too deep. Then he tried to reach the house by road grader, but the water was still too deep. Finally, the man’s nephew arrived with his bass boat and they pulled their family to safety just in the nick of time.
 
For every story of heroism and selflessness over the past few weeks, there have been a hundred more just like it. Everyone I’ve talked with has told me that the way the water came up was simply unbelievable. What’s more unbelievable is how even with homes destroyed, businesses flooded, farms that lost fence lines, fields that were washed out and livestock scattered everywhere, first responders and volunteers took care of their communities before they took care of themselves. Two firefighters from Ozark County lost their houses, but they were still out on the frontlines of the flood, helping everyone else.
 
In Reynolds County, Town & Country is the only grocery store. The flood put the store under three feet of water. When local members of the community heard that the Town & Country manager could use help clearing mud off the shelves and emptying the store of water-soaked food, they got right to work. With their help, the store would be up and running again sooner rather than later. Today, I got the good news that their hard work paid off. As of this morning, Town & Country has re-opened!
 
These are just some of the many stories I’ve heard in the aftermath of flooding I hope we will never see the likes of again in our lifetimes. Whether it was the nurses from the VA hospital in Poplar Bluff who helped out at their local shelter or the students from Malden Beta Club collecting donations for folks down in Doniphan, I am grateful to every Missourian who helped their neighbors. As I’ve said, we are Missouri Strong and we will work together to come back from this disaster even stronger than we were before.

Dexter, Missouri - MO State Representative Tila Rowland-Hubrecht is resigning from the legislature, effective June 2.  Her resignation was planned prior to the special session being called this week. 

The following letter was sent via email to her supporters.

Dear Friend,

I want to write you to share with you a decision I have made and to thank you for all your support and encouragement you have given me the past three years.  This week I am resigning as State Representative for the 151st District.  My resignation will be effective June 2nd, that should give enough time for the work at the Special Session to be complete but yet enough time that the Governor can call a Special Election for the district.  Please know that until that time, June 2nd, I will continue to work hard for the people of this district!

It has been a privilege to serve the people of the 151st District and the great state of Missouri.  Working in our State's Capitol has been a true privilege and honor, it has forever changed the way I will look at issues and how I see government.  I heard someone say once that everyone should run for office and should serve in some capacity, I agree, I have learned more than I ever knew I needed to learn.    I have been blessed to meet many people and make many friends and I hope we will all stay in contact!

I am returning to my nursing field and have submitted my resume with a nurse placement company so I am not able to tell you yet where I will be working.  I will remain very active in the healthcare field and will remain very vocal about healthcare reforms.

Again, I cannot thank you enough for all the kindness, support and encouragement you have shown me.  I will be putting out an official press release about my resignation later today but wanted to let you know before I did this as you have been such a great support to me!

Sincerely,

Tila

Dexter, Missouri - Governor Eric Greitens to be in Dexter on Saturday, May 20, 2017 at 2:30 p.m. at the Fire Dept located at 301 Cooper St.  He will also be in New Madrid, Poplar Bluff, and Sikeston on Saturday.

Governor Eric Greitens will gather hundreds of supporters of the Steel Mill Bill in Southeast Missouri to urge the legislature to take quick action. Governor Greitens has called a special session, starting on Monday, to fight for a steel mill and hundreds of jobs for the region.

Governor Greitens released the following statement, “The people want action, and they want results. We’re headed to southeast Missouri to fight for these jobs with the people. Together, we’re sending a message to the politicians in Jefferson City: No more excuses. We demand results. We’re encouraging everyone to come out and join us so that we can win these jobs.”

"I'm calling the legislature back to Jeff City to pass the steel mill bill to help create hundreds of jobs in Southeast Missouri. Tomorrow, I will be traveling across the region to rally support for our effort."

Times and Locations of Governor Greitens' Stops:

New Madrid - 10am
Noranda Plant
391 St Jude Industrial Park Hwy
New Madrid, MO

Poplar Bluff - 12:30pm
Black River Coliseum
301 S 5th St.
Poplar Bluff, MO

Dexter - 2:30pm
Dexter Fire Department
301 Cooper St.
Dexter, MO  

Sikeston - 4:30pm
Three Rivers Community College
1400 S. Main St.
Sikeston, MO

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), chairman of the Senate appropriations subcommittee that funds the Department of Education, today announced that the omnibus appropriations bill restores eligibility for year-round Pell Grants. This measure would provide an estimated 20,000 students at Missouri colleges and universities who take classes year-round an additional $1,650 per year, on average, to help pay for college.

“Restoring year-round Pell Grants is a bipartisan, common-sense approach to making college more affordable for hardworking students in Missouri and across the nation,” Blunt said. “By allowing full and part-time students to receive an additional Pell Grant during the year, often for a summer session, we’re helping them stay on track for graduation, enter or re-enter the workforce sooner, and graduate with less debt.”

Currently, many full-time students and some part-time students exhaust their full benefit after two semesters. Restoring year-round Pell will help an estimated one million students stay enrolled in classes throughout the year, which will lower their tuition costs and accelerate completion of their degree program.

Blunt, a former history teacher and president of Southwest Baptist University, has led efforts in Congress to restore year-round Pell Grants. As chairman of the Labor/HHS subcommittee, Blunt first secured this year-round Pell provision in the bipartisan, committee-passed FY 2017 appropriations bill, paving the way for its inclusion in the omnibus bill.

Blunt also visited colleges and universities across Missouri where he met with educators, students, and faculty as a part of his Pell Grant Tour.

Blunt continued, “I’ve been incredibly encouraged by the support we’ve received in our effort to help more people get the education they need to get ahead. I encourage all of my colleagues to support this measure when it comes before the Senate.”

The omnibus appropriations bill, which funds the government for the remainder of the fiscal year, was introduced today and is expected to be considered by the Senate later this week.

Congressman Smith Capitol Report
Fighting for What’s Yours
April 28, 2017
 
Our tax code is a mess, and that’s putting it lightly. Multiple brackets. High rates. Special interest breaks everywhere. Rules and regulations that are too complicated to understand. It costs more and more each year just to do your taxes, let alone pay them.
 
All of this drags people down and leaves them buried in paperwork and compliance problems. Instead of bringing jobs to America, our tax code is pushing jobs overseas. Even worse, the agency charged with overseeing all of this—the IRS—has repeatedly violated the trust of the American taxpayer.
 
This week, President Trump laid out his plan to seriously overhaul our tax code and make the IRS as we know it today cease to exist. Like me, he knows that it is time to get Washington out of people’s paychecks and savings and fix our broken tax code.
 
First, we must create a tax system that brings jobs to America. Hard-working Americans deserve a tax system that creates jobs here at home, not drives them overseas.
 
Second, we are going to make taxes simple! Since 2001, the U.S. tax code has been changed nearly 6,000 times. That’s more than once a day. Right now, it costs Americans over four hundred and nine BILLION dollars to comply with our tax laws. It is ridiculous to have a tax code so complicated that people must PAY to find out how much they owe the federal government.
 
We are going to cut out loopholes that increase confusion and keep rates artificially high. This will make the tax code dramatically simpler and fairer while also taking less money from families and job creators. On top of this, we will make it easier and more rewarding for families to save, invest, and plan for the future. Bottom line, the government should be taking the least amount of money from people as possible.

Third, we are going to bust up the IRS. The IRS is an overgrown bureaucratic mess. I sent President Trump a letter asking him to fire the untrustworthy IRS Commissioner, John Koskinen. Koskinen refuses to be held accountable. He has lied to Congress, destroyed evidence we requested and worst of all, has completely ignored customer service. Less than half of all taxpayers who call the IRS for help are able to reach a live person and the wait time if you can reach someone is over 30 minutes. It’s unacceptable. We must give the IRS a single mission – taxpayer service. People who are employed by the IRS need to understand who they work for and that is you, the hard-working taxpayer.
 
I know taxes have been a major burden in your life, and we must change that. Missourians work too hard every day for taxes to keep them from getting ahead and providing for their families. I am fighting for a simpler, fairer and flatter tax code that will bring jobs back to America and keep more money in your pocket!