Both the House and Senate, under the new leadership of Speaker Todd Richardson and President Pro Tem Ron Richard, are beginning the session quickly. To date, the Senate has referred approximately 300 bills to committee and already has bills on the calendar for discussion on the floor of the Senate beginning next week.
This is a quick start that has some in the building asking why, but the answer is simple: leadership in both the House and the Senate believe that if the Legislature is here, we need to be working. Working ensures the issues important to Missourians are being addressed, and work is what Missourians rightfully expect from their elected officials.
As was mentioned last week, discussions relating to ethics will be a focus for both the House and the Senate. This week, Rep. Jay Barnes moved several ethics bills out of his committee and onto the House floor. On Thursday, the House passed four bills that will now come to the Senate for consideration.
This week, the first bill heard in the Rules Committee was Senator Onder's SB643. SB643 is a comprehensive Senate bill that addresses multiple topics relating to ethics and elected officials. As these discussions progress, the single subject House bills and the multiple subject Senate bill relating to ethics provide several conduits for discussing and passing substantive ethics legislation this session.
Missourians should be confident that elected officials in Jefferson City hold to and live out the values of honesty and integrity of Missourians. The commitment to move ethics legislation quickly proves the Legislature has the ability to start producing results and is moving in the right direction.
Thursday I had the opportunity to sit down with the Mack Rhoades, athletic director at the University of Missouri, to speak candidly about MU, its future, and the future of the athletic program. I appreciate Mack's willingness to come to the Capitol to visit with legislators, answer questions and address some of the concerns that surround the University of Missouri after the events of this fall.
I was pleased to hear Rhoades has met with all varsity athletes and made clear to them that not playing is not an option. Rhoades is implementing a plan to ensure student athletes are meeting their responsibilities as both students and athletes. I do, though, have apprehensions concerning the decision-making skills of the University of Missouri Curators. I am concerned of their ability to make the right decisions regarding the termination of university employees, specifically the employees who treated students, the public, and others with total disregard to their role as mentors. The University of Missouri has me and many others angry and concerned; however, my discussions with Rhoades have restored my confidence in the athletic department.
As odd as it may seem given the recent flooding, water supply is a significant public policy concern. For years, states up river on the Missouri River have planned and schemed to divert water from the Missouri river, water that we depend on and too often take for granted. As populations grow, as industry expands, and as the state's number one industry - agriculture - works to feed the world, additional water resources are needed in the Northwest, West Central and Southwest parts of the state.
This week, Sens. Richard, Pearce, Hegeman and I met with a number of stakeholders to discuss water quantity across the state. This is a Missouri problem that we need to address here in the heartland, and I am grateful for efforts to do so at the local level. We need to do better addressing this problem at the state level by helping to solve regional water quantity issues and through ensuring state regulatory agencies are working on behalf of these projects, not beholden to federal agencies run afoul with bureaucrats and never-ending regulations.
Projects need timely permits in order to proceed, and too often state regulatory agencies mirror the federal government in being decidedly unfriendly, untimely and inflexible. DNR Director Pauley and her staff understand this need, and I am confident they will tell the bureaucrats here in Missouri and in Washington, D.C., that Missourians know how to put safe and reliable plans in place without over-burdensome regulations.
Between now and the end of February, Reps. Hurst, Wood and I will be holding a series of three town hall meetings to discuss the Rock Island Trail. The Rock Island Trail is a private project that does not require legislation or currently use state funding. This project has caught the interest of many and regularly receives attention and discussion at the Capitol.
This meeting is an opportunity for David, Tom and I to update you on what we are hearing from the owners of the trail, and projected timelines over the next decade(s) on what could - or could not - take place. We will also endeavor to answer questions about how the project could progress in the near future. The meetings are: Thursday, Jan. 21, in the Owensville VFW Hall; Thursday, Feb. 11, in the Freeburg American Legion Hall; and Thursday, Feb. 25, in the Eldon High School Cafeteria. All meeting times are 6:30-7:30 p.m.
On Saturday, I attended the Cattlemen's Association Convention where I had the opportunity to hear Holly Enowski, from the Eldon FFA, speak. Holly absolutely stole the show at the meeting and possessed a depth and breadth of knowledge, as well as fantastic style of delivery, that greatly impressed a crowd of rough and tough cattle farmers. Holly's knowledge of how Missouri cattlemen can best market their product to the end consumer who is neither in, nor familiar with the cattle production business, along with her ability to articulate this knowledge was incredible - all the more so for someone who is a senior in high school! It is no wonder that Holly was the winner of the Missouri Cattle Industry Speaking Contest. Great work Holly, and congratulations.
My purpose and my intent is to serve the constituents of the 6th Senatorial District. If you are in the State Capitol during the coming weeks and months, please stop by your office in Room 321.
State Sen. Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City, represents the 6th District.