It is hard to believe we are more than halfway through the 2011 legislative session. While changing Missouri’s economic climate dominated the first half of this session, addressing Missouri’s fiscal challenges will be one of the top priorities for the latter half. Whether it is making the difficult decisions necessary to balance our budget or casting the votes necessary to better our economic climate, our overarching priority is to reorient our state towards a path of job creation and economic growth.
If we are going to foster job creation, we must remain focused on the overall economic climate of our state. We must have fair litigation, reasonable regulation and limited taxation. We have passed legislation to restore fairness in our legal system by bringing Missouri’s employment law back into alignment with the federal law. This ensures both Missouri’s employers and employees are on an equal playing field with neighboring states. We have fought to bring balance and common sense to our regulatory environment so that we have reasonable regulations that do not get in the way of responsible economic progress. And finally, we voted to phase out Missouri’s franchise tax, one of the most job-killing taxes our state levies.
As we enter the final weeks of this legislative session, there are a lot of important decisions yet to be made. This reason is why I spent last week, the legislative spring break, traveling the district meeting with real people right here at home. While many of my legislative colleagues spent the week on vacation, I used this opportunity to gather thoughts and insight first hand from the people who have to pay for the decisions made in Jefferson City. Your thoughts, concerns and insight help shape my goals at the Capitol, and your input is invaluable as I work to represent our region of the state in the Legislature.
Although there is a lot of work to be done over the next several weeks, I am energized and ready to fight against the tax and spend mentality that is killing our economy. This is a crucial time for state and our nation, and I promise that the goals, objectives and concerns of northwest Missouri will be clearly heard in Jefferson City. I remain committed to dramatically improving our state government by removing the roadblocks it has created. With reasonable reform and a common sense approach to our fiscal policy, our state government can become a contributing partner in job creation, thereby helping to foster better economic opportunities for all Missourians.
As always, please feel free to call, email, or write with your ideas or concerns. The Capitol number is (573) 751-1415, my email is brad.lager@senate.mo.gov and my mailing address is Room 422, State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.
No comments:
Post a Comment