What a year it's been. And it's only May.
For the first time that I can remember, the Missouri General Assembly had to suspend proceedings for approximately a month and a half during the middle of session. After going back to work the last week of April, we had two weeks to wrestle with the reality of a vastly different financial outlook for Missouri and produce an operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
The members of the budget committees, in both the House and the Senate, worked tirelessly to effectively craft a new budget to deal with our new challenges. The budget we passed contains emergency measures to deal with the still emerging effects of COVID-19, including $20 million to assist small meat processing operations. With the threat of infection at large processors affecting the availability of meat, we took this important step to assure that folks can still get their animals processed and have meat on the table.
We also passed House Bill 1711, legislation similar to my Senate Bill 662, and which I handled in the Senate. The bill expands options for the Share the Harvest program, which allows hunters to donate deer to their local food pantries. Previously, the processors could only send the meat to the food pantries in the form of frozen cuts, which prevented it from being used by families that don't have refrigeration or a way to cook the meat. This bill makes it legal for processors to turn the meat into jerky, providing families with a shelf stable source of protein when they may need it most. That bill has been approved by both the House and the Senate, and it awaits the governor's signature.
The sudden unemployment problem in our nation is on everyone's mind, and we worked to alleviate it. I handled House Bill 2046 in the Senate, a comprehensive jobs bill intended to help create jobs. It contains the Expanded Workforce Act, which encourages federally approved apprenticeship programs. The bill also creates license reciprocity, allowing our workers more opportunity to try and jump start the economy as we recover from the damage of COVID-19. The bill was approved by the Legislature and has been sent on to the governor.
One of the bills that we had made substantial progress on before we had to recess due to the coronavirus was Senate Concurrent Resolution 32 legislation that I sponsored. The resolution calls on our federal representatives to take up and pass the "Bring Our Heroes Home" act in Congress. That legislation will declassify certain records pertaining to POW/MIA service members and help facilitate the release of information to their families. The members of our military deserve the best we can do for them and their families. The resolution will now be sent to our congressional delegation, and I sincerely hope it encourages our federal senators and representatives to pass this legislation and bring closure to the families of our lost soldiers.
The future is uncertain, and it seems more so now than it has in a long time. We may be called back for an extra legislative session to deal with the problems and challenges that continue to surface as this country begins the recovery from COVID-19. I hope you and your family are safe, and I hope things go back to normal as soon as possible. It is an honor to serve the people of the 6th District, and I will continue to fight for you as we weather this storm together.
State Sen. Mike Bernskoetter, R-Jefferson City, represents Missouri's 6th District, and shares his perspective on statehouse issues twice a month.