As the legislative session has begun, committee assignments have been made by Speaker of the House Elijah Haahr. Speaker Haahr has placed me on the Budget Committee; Subcommittee on Appropriations: Public Safety, Corrections, Transportation, and Revenue; Consent and House Procedure; Special Committee on Career Readiness, and the Joint Committee on Legislative Research.
These are all important committees, but none is more important than the Budget Committee. Passing a balanced budget is something that the General Assembly must do each legislative session. No expenditure can be made from the state treasury without an appropriation having been made by the legislature. I am committed to working with House Budget Chairman Cody Smith (R-Carthage) to make sure we craft a fiscally responsible budget that is reflective of Missourians’ priorities.
The first step in the budget process involves holding hearings with each department and statewide office holder. Each department and office holder appears before the committee and together we go page by page, line by line through their budget book.
This is a long and arduous process with daily hearings beginning in the morning and lasting well into the evening. Nevertheless, this is a necessary and critical endeavor as every request to spend tax dollars should be thoroughly scrutinized. I will make sure to keep you updated as we move through the budget process.
We also spent time debating, and ultimately passed HB 397, which was sponsored by Mary Elizabeth-Coleman (R-Arnold). HB 397 is the first bill to have been passed out of the House this year and it adds protections for victims of human trafficking.
You may have seen the disturbing news out of out of New York and Virginia about abortion on demand and even infanticide.
I can assure you the vast majority of my colleagues in the Missouri House and Senate value the dignity of every human being, including the unborn.
We will continue to fight this session to uphold the intrinsic worth all people and protect the unborn. To that end, the Speaker referred eight pro-life bills this week to the Children and Families Committee. It is my hope we will pass meaningful pro-life legislation this session.
Finally, Governor Parson is coming to Joplin today and I look forward to joining him for two of his stops. The first stop will include a roundtable that will cover workforce development, one of his top priorities for this year. I look forward to hearing more about his proposals regarding the future of our workforce.
The Governor will also be making a stop at a bridge in Jasper County that MoDOT maintains is in need of being replaced. There are several hundred small bridges across the state that Governor Parson would like to see replaced over the next several years, and he like to see the funds secured in order to do so. I have no doubt Transportation will continue to be a topic that receives attention going forward.
Keep your eye on the prize Representative Dirks
ReplyDeleteHarvey Hutchinson 303-522-6622 voice&text
When are we going to start protecting the lives of the children that are born. We need to protect the children who are victims of porn, abuse, neglect and even death. It’s in the news everyday. What are you doing about those kids?
ReplyDeleteWhat are you doing for them? First and most importantly, allowing them to be born. Secondly, we constantly read about the arrests made in child porn and other cases. It is a huge problem. However, if arrests are being made doesn't that say that something is being done? The answer to helping victims isn't to kill them.
DeleteThe short answer is nothing. You see, after a child is born, it ceases to be a Republican political point and, therefore, is of no concern to them.
ReplyDelete5:32, brilliant! Care to explain your thinking or lack thereof?
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