House Approves Bill to Support and Promote Missouri Agriculture (HB 1720)

To the Citizens of the 125th District,

As we are finishing up our 4th week, the wheels are starting to turn a lot faster! I presented my bill HB 2143, this week to the committee of General Laws, pertaining to Cemetery Trust Funds. This will fix some financial issues on how they, along with the county commission, can spend their own money. Thanks to presiding commissioner from Hickory County, Keith Mertz, for coming up to testify. If you have any concerns or needs of help navigating through the state government, feel free to reach out for our help!!

House Approves Bill to Support and Promote Missouri Agriculture (HB 1720)

The members of the Missouri House have approved legislation that will renew key programs designed to support and promote agriculture in the state. With bipartisan support, the House approved HB 1720 to continue several agriculture programs that are priorities for the agriculture community in Missouri.

In explaining the importance of the bill, the sponsor of HB 1720 noted the programs created and extended by the legislation would be responsible for creating hundreds of jobs. He pointed out that, “Agriculture is the number one revenue-producing industry in the state, generating just under $94 billion in economic contributions. One in ten jobs in the state of Missouri are directly related to the agriculture industry.” The bill would extend existing credits available under the Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority. The sponsor noted these credits have supported projects in 103 counties and have generated direct and indirect benefits of more than $260 million since 2000. As one supporter of the bill said, “The question was brought up on who exactly would benefit from this bill and I have narrowed it down, and it will only benefit the people who drive or eat.”

House Approves Bill to Improve Opioid Addiction Treatment and Prevention Services (HB 2162)

The Missouri House has given initial approval to legislation that would give the General Assembly greater flexibility when appropriating funds to fight opioid addiction. The bill was created in anticipation of a settlement with opioid distributors, and is designed to allow lawmakers to allocate funds to programs in state government that provide resources to victims of addiction.

It was in July that the Missouri Attorney General announced the state had reached a settlement with Johnson & Johnson and multiple opioid distributors. If all municipalities in Missouri sign onto the proposed settlement, the state will receive just over half a billion dollars. These funds would be used for addiction treatment, recovery, and intervention programs. In 2020, 1,842 people in Missouri lost their lives to drug overdose. The majority (73 percent) of the drug overdose deaths involved opioids. Supporters say HB 2162 is important to ensure the various state departments receive the funds they need to offer life-saving treatment to those battling addiction.

Bipartisan Citizens Commission Files Final House Redistricting Plan

The House Independent Bipartisan Citizens Commission recently approved a final state redistricting plan. The final plan, which was approved unanimously by all 20 commission members, is the first plan approved by a House Commission since 1991. The final redistricting plan has an overall difference in population of 5.8 percent between its largest and smallest districts. The commission has posted the final plan for public viewing and can be accessed from the Redistricting Office’s website at https://oa.mo.gov/budget-planning/redistricting-office. The page will include an interactive map as well as the official filing documents submitted to the Secretary of State, and other supplemental maps and tables.    

The chair of the commission said, “I want to personally thank all of the commissioners for the hard work that was put in by the commissioners and, obviously, as all of you know, the supporting individuals that have been instrumental to helping get this map done on both sides – on both the Democratic and Republican sides.”

To view my 2023 House District which include Henry and St. Clair counties with parts of Hickory and Benton counties, see the link below.

New House District

State Representative Jim Kalberloh