PERSPECTIVE: Heroes welcomed home

On Friday, Jan. 29, I had the good fortune, and great privilege, to welcome home four members of the Missouri National Guard from their deployment to Afghanistan.

Their service to our nation, on my behalf and yours, is a tremendous comfort to me, and to see them run to the waiting arms of loved ones moved me beyond measure.

To all in the 6th Senatorial District who now wear, or have worn, our country's uniform, I extend my great thanks.

To those of you who have supported a husband or wife, mother or father, son or daughter who have served, I applaud your loving sacrifice and extend my grateful thanks to you as well.

I have seen, shoveled, plowed, and driven through enough snow this winter to make me ready for spring ... I sure am glad that the groundhog saw his shadow.

This "snow storm of the century," as I have heard it referred to, accomplished a feat that few have been able to do ... it shut down the Missouri Senate.

In the face of this winter storm, the Senate adjourned Tuesday and will reconvene on Monday, Feb. 7.

Before adjourning, we did take up and discuss Senate Bill 11, which would make texting and driving illegal for all drivers, regardless of their age. Senate Bill 11 was given first-round approval on Tuesday, and will, at the discretion of the floor leader, be brought back up for final passage, then sent over to the House for its consideration.

I would also like to provide a brief update on Senate Bill 50. I continue to reach out to senators and organizations that are opposing this bill and a second nuclear plant to try to find areas of mutually acceptable compromise, and I remain hopeful for progress.

However, with the calendar rolling to February, it is of the utmost importance to get this bill heard in the Senate. A second nuclear plant is important to you, and a second nuclear plant is important to me. More than that though, a second nuclear plant is important to the whole state.

It is for this reason that electric cooperatives, municipal electric providers, and an array of investor-owned utilities are equity partners in this new plant. I, and all the partners in this endeavor, will continue to have discussions in the spirit of compromise and will continue to request: 1) a committee hearing; and 2) discussion on the floor by the entire Senate.

I have added a "SB 50: Frequently Asked Questions' link to my website (www.senate. mo.gov/kehoe) to help citizens in the 6th District, and all across the state, better understand SB 50.

My in-district coffee stops are going great and I am really enjoying discussions throughout the district and hearing your ideas. My next coffee stop will be Feb. 18, at the McDonalds in Eldon from 7-8 a.m. I will be in Versailles on March 11, and we will announce the location of the Versailles coffee-stop next week in the newsletter.

I am in this office to serve the constituents of the 6th Senatorial District. Please contact us at (573) 751-2076 if my office or I can be of any assistance to you or if you have questions.

Sen. Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City, serves Central Missouri's 6th state senatorial district.