Perspective: Primary candidates ran more positive campaigns

Congratulations to all the individuals in Cole County who voted. Thank you. The turnout was better than expected, but it still amazes me only 36 percent of the voters voted. I have encountered a lot of potential voters and constituents in my district, and I have not found anyone who has an opinion on the government and how it should be run. Yet, we still had only about a third of people show up to vote.

I want to congratulate all candidates who ran in Cole County. I know every one of them, and there is not one who I believe was running for any other reason than doing the right thing. It is great to have so many people who are willing to run for office even with the sacrifices that running for office require - time with family and friends and money.

While I did not see all of the brochures that went out, the level of campaigning did not get to the nasty level I have seen in the past and in other areas of the state this election. I thank the candidates in Cole County for running a more positive campaign this year.

For those who ran and won, I want to remind you that you made certain promises, and now it is your obligation to keep those. For those of you who lost the election, I want to remind you that we would not have a democracy if it were not for people willing to run for election. Those in office would not be guided by the people if there was not the threat of losing the next election if they did not fulfill their promises or act in a manner that is consistent with our Constitution and human decency.

There are some House and Senate races across the state that I would have hoped for a different result and also some races I am very grateful for the results, particularly for some of the other representatives who I campaigned for and supported. I know it is very important to keep a class of representatives who are conservative, open-minded and there to do the right thing. I have met most of the new Republican candidates in the general election, and I am happy to say they come from a diverse background. They bring experience with them. It amazes me how little I know about some areas of our government and its role in people's lives, and this is why I am so grateful for the diverse background of our representatives.

I want to also take this time to thank Judge Pat Joyce for her years of service, her dedication and the integrity with which she ran her courtroom. It did not matter who you were or what the issues were, she followed the law and conducted her courtroom in a fair manner. I could always tell my clients when we were going in front of her, that you might not like the results but you will understand and not be unhappy with the thought process she went through in arriving at her decisions. She set an example all judges should be guided by.

We are now in special session to address certain crime issues. The proposed bill, Senate Bill 1, is first going through the Senate and then should be in the House Judiciary Committee on Monday. I am on the Judiciary Committee and looking forward to having a hearing on the bill. I have read the proposed bill, however, there are many amendments that could be made to that in the Senate before the Senate passes it.

Before Monday hopefully, I will have the bill and have time to thoroughly review it, but certainly, I commend Gov. Mike Parson for the actions that he suggested on the bill. I believe if the bill is drafted as intended, it will pass the House without many changes.

Hopefully the special session will be kept to the narrow purpose for which it was designed by the Missouri Constitution and will not turn into a grandstanding of bills unrelated to the designated purpose of the special session.

In addition to this special session, we will have a veto session coming up. I also expect that we will have another session dealing with COVID matters. Reopening and conducting business with issues related to COVID and the exposure that different entities subject themselves to for lawsuits does need to be addressed. We have to recognize COVID is a new threat, and while businesses are to be held accountable for their actions, they cannot be afraid to reopen because of the threat of lawsuits relating to COVID. There may be some legitimate lawsuits, but there has to be criteria and standards such that businesses can open in this uncharted territory without the constant fear that what they are doing will subject them to a string of lawsuits. I am a strong believer in open access to our courts and the right to jury trials, but I also know we are in a time when no one knows exactly whether it is safe to open or if a business needs to stay closed, when schools should open or not open, what precautions we should require that our customers take, what precautions we should require of our workers, or the effects all of this will have on hospitals, health care providers, nursing homes, etc.

Certainly, if some individual does something egregious that intentionally spreads COVID, they should be held accountable. However, one should not be subjected to lawsuits just because someone else has a different opinion as to what they should have done using ordinary care. At the present time, as you are aware, even the experts do not agree on a course of conduct to guide us on what to do.

We must realize in the Legislature sometimes ideology has to be balanced by reality. We must all take the actions that we can to prevent the spread of COVID, but we also must adapt to the reality that businesses have to try to open, that hospitals, nursing homes, day cares, schools, etc. have to be able to operate without the fear of litigation, and society as a whole requires we have some interaction with other people.

As always, feel free to contact me with your questions, concerns or ideas. I cannot serve you properly if I do not know your positions. Of course, I cannot make everyone happy, but I really do listen to everyone who contacts me and really do appreciate it. Thank you.

State Rep. Rudy Veit, R-Jefferson City, represents the 59th District and shares his perspective on statehouse issues twice a month.