Improving Missouri's economy and creating more jobs top state Sen. Tom Dempsey's 2013 legislative priority list.
State senators on Wednesday elected Dempsey, R-St. Charles, as the Senate's new president pro tem.
"During the 2013 legislative session, we must focus on solutions that will promote greater economic vitality, spur employment, and grow personal incomes," Dempsey told colleagues during his 15-minute "opening address," after taking his oath as the Senate's top leader.
"Our job, our vision, our challenge, is to create B.I.G. solutions - the acronym (B-I-G) to Build our infrastructure, to Invest in education, and to Grow our economy."