Love note from Jeff City

Greetings, My Fellow Missourians

Easter weekend at our home is always very traditional. Our children and grandchildren come home for a big family gathering. Some of the weekend activities are fishing, planting the garden and burning a brush pile so the grandchildren can roast hot dogs and marshmallows. Then on Sunday morning we attend Hopewell Church and worship our risen Savior Jesus Christ.

One of the community activities was the annual Easter Egg Hunt at Osceola. This event is sponsored by the Osceola Optimist Club. This year was extra special because the Optimist Club had a ribbon cutting to dedicate the new playground equipment. Their club has worked hard to raise funds to purchase and install the new playground at the Osceola City Park.

After the ribbon cutting, I visited briefly with Bradly Wright and Dylan Roeder, Natural Resource specialist with the U.S. Corp of Engineers, Harry S. Truman Project Office along with Optimist President Eric Brockus. I suggested another project to enhance fishing along the steep banks of the river/lake. I would like to see constructed level cutouts along the water’s edge where people could fish without the risk of slipping and falling into the water. I offered to help write a letter of support for grants if the City of Osceola and the Optimist Club would coordinate with the Corp of Engineers in such project.

Last Thursday, it was my honor to present a resolution to Chase Ratcliff, a student at Weaubleau High School, for his first place performance in the MSHSAA Cross County Class 1 State Championship. His father Kenny, mother Renae and sister Addison accompanied him. Chase looks forward to attending the University of Central Missouri on a cross country scholarship.

Thursday morning I presented HCR 4 – National Day of the Cowboy in the Special Committee on Tourism. Ernie Brauch, the ranch manager at Lucas Cattle Company owned by Lucas Oil and Isaiah Dunn the owner of Amped Up Bull Riding Tour came to testify in support of this special day. The mission of the National Day of the Cowboy is to contribute to the preservation of America’s Cowboy heritage so that the history and culture can be shared and perpetuated for the public good, through education, the arts, literature, celebrations, gatherings, rodeos and community activities. The first National Day of the Cowboy was July 23, 2005. The National Day of the Cowboy Organization is hoping this can be passed in every state so future generations remain aware of the Cowboy’s contribution to America’s rich Western heritage. Ernie and Isaiah were a hit with the committee members and the hearing went well! Hopefully Missouri will join 14 other states in recognizing this day and we can honor Missouri’s cowboys.

Missouri General Assembly Honors Missouri’s Vietnam Veterans

The halls of the Missouri State Capitol were filled with hundreds of the state’s greatest heroes this week as the Missouri House of Representatives held a special ceremony in recognition of the 50th Anniversary Commemoration of the Vietnam War.

Governor Mike Parson and Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe participated in the event and offered words of support and appreciation for all of the veterans in attendance. The governor also presented an official proclamation in recognition of the “valiant men and women who served our country in the Armed Forces; protecting our rights, our freedoms, our ideals, and our hopes.” The governor and lawmakers participated in a special ceremony where they presented each veteran with a lapel pin. The pins were meant to serve as a symbol of the nation’s thanks for the service and sacrifice of Vietnam veterans. The pinning ceremony provided a wonderful opportunity for members to personally welcome veterans from around the state and thank them for their selfless service to the United States.

House Bills Sent to the Senate

HB 919 creates the “Save the Family Farm Act,” creating new provisions regulating the partition of property among heirs. Supporters say the bill would help keep family farms and other property within the family by establishing a process to allow an heir to assert an interest in the property and proceed through a judicial process of equitably purchasing the property.

HB 337 establishes the “Senior Services Growth and Development Program” within the Department of Health and Senior Services to provide additional funding for senior services through area agencies on aging. Supporters say this is a small step toward restoring badly needed funding for significant unmet needs of seniors.

Upcoming Events

This year the El Dorado Springs Annual Car Show will be held on May 11th.  I will be honoring VFW Post 257 for their 100th Anniversary. A vehicle from the Wounded Warrior Family Support Division will be there. Come join us for a day of patriotism and cars. For more information, visit their Facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/Route-54-Cruisers-729822893719997/.