Lembke: Job creation was job number one this year

In his latest report. Sen. Jim Lembke, R-St. Louis, notes that "job creation was job number one" this year, but he certainly provides little evidence to prove that was the case:

It has been another challenging year at the Capitol. A new year, new session and some new colleagues brought with them new frontiers for all of us in the Missouri General Assembly.


First and foremost, our job in the Legislature is to craft a balanced budget. We did so this year, one day ahead of the May 6 deadline. The $23.2 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2012 represents months of work. Fortunately, a lot of the federal money will not be available when lawmakers return and begin work on the FY 2012 budget. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I want to assure you every effort is made to fund the vital services the state provides on a daily basis.

As Chair of the Senate Governmental Accountability Committee, I have spent countless hours hearing from people about what services are and are not necessary. We have taken the responsibility of looking at every cent that is spent in Missouri, and are working toward a goal of making state government better.

Job creation was job number one this year. Our focus in the Legislature was to look at the long-term as much as the short-term. We were able to pass a bill that will end a form of double taxation. The governor has already signed the measure, which means the corporate franchise tax will be a thing of the past in Missouri in the next five years.

We have a long road ahead of us, but with your help, we will make Missouri better for decades to come. Thank you for your insight this past year, and I look forward to working with you again when the Missouri General Assembly returns to Jefferson City in January.