State Rep. Dane Diehl 125th District

As a first year legislator, it was an honor to listen to the Governor’s priorities for the next year and know I will take part in various parts of this process.  Following the largest tax cut in Missouri history as a state we are sitting in a very good spot financially.  It great to hear the many priorities from the speech align with the many problems facing our district and a more detailed look is provided below.  I think the vision and priorities of Governor Parson are concurrent to the things we are looking to accomplish in the House this year.   Committee work and bill referral has begun and putting out the best legislation and thoroughly vetting bills has been a driving force starting out. 

As always don’t hesitate to contact my office if you have any questions or concerns I thank you for your support and am honored to be your representative in Jefferson City.

Governor Parson Outlines Legislative Priorities during Annual State of the State Address

Members of the Missouri House and Senate gathered in the House Chamber this week to listen to Gov. Mike Parson outline his priorities for the 2023 legislative session. Parson used his annual State of the State Address to convey a theme of “We are not done yet” as he called on legislators to make key investments in infrastructure improvements, public safety, workforce development and education, and health and mental health care.

Parson began the speech by thanking the legislature for the work they’ve done together to enact the state’s largest income tax cut and provide support for agriculture. His speech also focused on the progress state government has made in infrastructure, workforce and education, mental health and health, government reform, and public safety.

“Together, we’ve moved billions of dollars in investments across this state. Whether you live in Kansas City or St. Louis, call Kennett or Rockport home, grow corn or cotton, vote left, right, or center, we’ve left no community behind,” said Parson. “Missouri is stronger today, and we’re going to continue what we’ve started because this Governor isn’t done yet. WE ARE NOT DONE YET.”

During his speech, Parson asked legislators to focus their efforts on the following areas:

Infrastructure

Parson prioritized major investments in infrastructure, including $250 million to continue broadband expansion efforts and $35 million to update railway crossings all across the state to modern day safety standards.

He also called on the General Assembly to make a generational investment to widen and rebuild the I-70 corridor.

Education

Parson asked the legislature to add $117 million to fully fund the foundation formula, $233 million for school transportation needs, $32 million to expand the Career Ladder Program, and continue the Teacher Baseline Salary Program that raised teacher pay from $25,000 to $38,000 per year.

Parson also requested $56 million to expand pre-kindergarten options to all four-year-old children eligible for free and reduced priced lunch at no cost. To further strengthen the child care network, he includes $78 million to increase child care subsidy rates and establish three new child care tax credit programs.

Parson told legislators, “Missouri businesses consistently rank the lack of child care options as a barrier to recruiting and retaining employees, and we have an opportunity to assist. Together these supports will help serve more Missouri families by enabling more child care providers to remain in business, start their business, or expand their business.”

Workforce Development and Higher Education

Governor Parson also recommended several key investments in workforce development and higher education, which includes:

• $275 million for transformational capital improvement projects at Missouri’s public higher education institutions;

• Seven percent ($71 million) increase in core funding to Missouri’s public higher education institutions – the largest increase in 25 years;

• $38 million for MoExcels workforce development projects on college campuses;

• $3 million for Apprenticeship Missouri;

• $2.2 million to modernize Missouri’s 27 job centers;

• $800,000 for Governor Parson’s Fast Track program; and

• $500,000 for Jobs for America’s Graduates.

Government Reform

Parson called for $22 million for the Missouri Department of Social Services’ Children’s Division. The Division remains critically understaffed and under-resourced. Parson’s plan makes strategic investments to hire more support staff and extend critical support to struggling families and children.

Health and Mental Health Care

During his speech, Parson requested $3.5 million to expand the state’s successful youth behavioral health liaison program and add 27 additional liaisons across the state. Additionally, Parson’s budget includes $4 million for Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training programs to increase the number of individuals receiving CNA training.

Missouri currently ranks 44th in the United States maternal mortality. Parson asked the General Assembly to allocate $4.3 million to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to implement its new maternal mortality plan.

“Frankly, it is embarrassing and absolutely unacceptable for us to be failing in this area,” said Parson. “We must do better. If we can’t get it right for our mothers and children across our state, we might as well pack our bags and let someone else occupy these seats. Let’s support mothers, let’s support our children, and let’s support the future of Missouri.”

Public Safety

Parson also used the State of the State Address to express his continued support for Missouri’s law enforcement officers. He also highlighted the success of the Missouri Blue Scholarship, which has awarded scholarships to 147 individuals to attend law enforcement training academies in Missouri.

Parson also proposed $50 million for school safety grants for Missouri schools to make physical security investments on their campuses, develop safety plans, establish school resource officer programs, and increase active threat trainings.

The governor’s speech in its entirety is available online at: https://governor.mo.gov/

House Leaders Voice Support for Gov. Parson’s Legislative Priorities

Republican leaders in the House voiced their support for many of the top legislative priorities outlined by Gov. Mike Parson during his annual State of the State Address.

House Speaker Dean Plocher, Majority Floor Leader Jon Patterson, and Speaker Pro Tem Mike Henderson said the House stands ready to work with the governor to advance policy measures and support funding to improve public safety and support law enforcement, invest in the state’s infrastructure, train the state’s workforce, increase educational opportunities for young people, and expand child care opportunities.

In a joint statement, Plocher, Henderson, and Patterson said, “Governor Parson provided a clear vision for the areas we need to address and invest in to ensure a bright, prosperous future for our state. We are committed to working with the governor to find commonsense, fiscally responsible solutions that create safer communities, give our children the educational opportunities they need to become successful, productive adults, and invest in critical infrastructure improvements that will position our state for sustained growth.”

WLM Caucus to Hold Annual Scholarship Competition for Graduating Seniors

Young women hoping to continue their academic career by attending college have the opportunity to obtain financial assistance from the Women Legislators of Missouri Caucus. The caucus is once again sponsoring 16 $1,000 college scholarships available to graduating seniors across Missouri.

“We’re proud to be able to help open that door of opportunity for some of the outstanding young women in our state prepared to do great things in college and beyond,” said the WLM caucus co-chair state Rep. Maggie Nurrenbern. “We recognize many of these women still need some assistance to overcome the financial barrier to higher education, and we’re happy to help them realize their academic goals.”

“I encourage every eligible young woman in Missouri to apply for the scholarships,” said WLM caucus co-chair state Rep. Sherri Gallick. “As a woman, it is a priority for me to encourage and help young women strive to make a difference. It was not uncommon for me to be the only woman in sales management during my career. Times have changed and the world has evolved, but we still need to encourage young women to use their talents and skills to achieve in college and beyond.”

The Women Legislators of Missouri Caucus created the senior scholarship program to provide financial assistance to students on the basis of leadership, academics and community service. Candidates must fill out an application and are required to submit a 500-word essay answering the question, “If you were a state legislator, what is one specific goal you would hope to achieve and why?” A link to download the scholarship is located at http://bit.ly/molegwomen.

For more information, contact Rep. Gallick’s office at 573-751-1344 or Rep. Nurrenbern’s office at 573-751-4787.

State Representative

Please contact me at:

201 West Capitol Avenue, Room 114B

Jefferson City, MO 65101-6806

Phone: 573-751-4065

Email: Dane.Diehl@house.mo.gov