Hello to all in the 125th,

A shortened week here in Jefferson City with the observance of Martin Luther King Day, but we were busy and got a few things accomplished!

General Assembly Convenes for Annual State of the State Address

Members of the Missouri General Assembly gathered in the House Chamber Wednesday afternoon to listen to the annual State of the State Address delivered by Gov. Mike Parson. Parson used the address to deliver the message to the people of Missouri that the state “is strong today and will be even stronger tomorrow.”

Parson’s speech focused on budget priorities and American Rescue Plan Act spending goals for 2022 including workforce and education, infrastructure, agriculture, community development, health care, and public safety. Parson said, “With a historic budget surplus and federal dollars coming to our state, we want to build on our past momentum to capture even greater opportunities for the future of Missourians.  When other states will be filling spending gaps and budget shortfalls, we will be making investments in the future, because in Missouri, we took a common sense approach to the pandemic, never shutdown businesses, and have always had a conservative and balanced budget.”

Missouri House Approves Congressional Redistricting Bill (HB 2117)

The members of the Missouri House have approved and sent legislation to the Senate that will establish new boundaries for Missouri’s eight congressional districts. The House approved the congressional redistricting plan (HB 2117) Wednesday morning by a vote of 86-67.

The chair of the House Special Committee on Redistricting, who sponsored the bill, said the map approved by his committee and the House of Representatives was created with input from legislators representing their constituents, public testimony from citizens across the state of Missouri, and 2020 census data. He stressed that the map contains compact and contiguous districts as required by the constitution while also keeping communities of interest and like-mindedness together. With the approval of the House, the bill now moves to the Senate for consideration. The sponsor reminded House members that the Senate will now go through the same process the House undertook, which could mean changes to the map.

Show Me Strong Recovery Task Force Report Unveiled

This week lawmakers received the final report of a task force charged with making recommendations to support small businesses across the state. The report issued by the Show Me Strong Recovery Task Force provides potential solutions related to workforce, supply chain, access to resources, broadband, and support for minority- and women-owned businesses.

Some of the group’s recommendations would:

• Improve childcare availability and affordability to aid working families,

• Expand and promote hospitality industry apprenticeships,

• Update and promote Missouri’s Fast Track program,

• Streamline small business interaction with state agencies by creating a “One-Stop Shop” business portal, and

• Promote and enhance existing state programs and services to support small, women-, and minority-owned businesses.

Gov. Parson said, “As our state’s economy has recovered, it’s important to continue to support our small businesses, which are the backbone of our economy. As always, if you need help with any state agency or have a problem on the state level, don’t hesitate to call and we will be more than happy to try and find a solution for you!

Best regards

State Representative Jim Kalberloh