Love note from Jeff City

Greetings, My Fellow Missourians

Proud to call Missouri’s 57th governor one of our own:

Michael L. Parson was sworn in as Missouri’s 57th Governor last Friday. June 1.  With more than 30 years of experience in public service, Governor Parson was previously elected Lieutenant Governor in 2016 with the most votes of any Lieutenant Governor in Missouri history. He has previously served as District 28 Senator from 2011-2017, in the MO House of Representatives from 2005-2011, as Sheriff of Polk County from 1993-2005, and has six years of service to our country in the Army.

Governor Parson and his family have lived in Bolivar for many years; however, he was raised on a farm in Hickory County and graduated from Wheatland High School!

Agriculture bill signed into law – (SB627):

My “hats off” to Senator Brian Munzlinger and Representative Jay Houghton for working with the General Assembly this year to pass sweeping Agriculture reform that will be very beneficial to our state’s number one industry moving forward. SB 627 has several provisions, including language to designate urban and community gardens as agriculture and horticultural property for the purpose of property tax assessment. Additionally, this bill changes the definitions of “meat” and “meat product” to include captive cervids, and changes the definition of a “commercial plant” and “unwholesome” to accommodate for the classification of cervids as meat. The bill also prohibits the misrepresentation of products as “meat” and states that products can only be advertised or represented as “meat” if they are derived from livestock or poultry. This section will prevent “fake meat” or products grown in a lab from being labeled and advertised as meat. Additionally, SB 627 prohibits local municipalities or political subdivisions from adopting or enforcing ordinances, rules, or regulations relating to the labeling, cultivation, or use of seeds or fertilizers, and changes the fuel standards law to allow for greater access to fuel in cases of natural disaster or fuel shortage. The bill also repeals the state’s yield tax on forest croplands, and changes the definition of “livestock” to include buffalo and bison rather than just buffalo.   Because I serve on the Agriculture Policy Committee and the Conservation and Natural Resources Committee, I have had the opportunity to be involved in the hearings, testimony, fiscal review and floor debate on all the provisions in this bill.  It will be great to have this legislation go into effect on Aug. 28, 2018.

Flag day is June 14:

Did you know that Flag Day was celebrated for several decades in many communities before President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation on May 30, 1916, to establish Flag Day, but it was not until Aug. 3, 1949, that our very own President Harry S. Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14 as National Flag Day?

Unclaimed property listings:

It is the state treasurer’s responsibility to return as much of Missouri’s nearly $1 billion of Unclaimed Property as possible. With over 5 million accounts, some of those funds belong to individuals, businesses, and local governments of District 125.  I encourage everyone to search for and claim possible property free of charge at www.ShowMeMoney.com.  Account owners can file a claim online or request a paper claim be mailed to them at any time by visiting this website.  By law, specific dollar amounts that exceed $50 are not public record.