Voters went to the polls earlier this month and sent a strong message about the kind of government they want both nationally and here in Missouri. The message was overwhelmingly one of smaller government, personal and fiscal responsibility, and economic opportunity. At the same time, it was a rejection of the president and policies of government intrusion in our lives, runaway government spending, and disregard of the rule of law.

In Missouri, voters returned even larger majorities in the Senate and House. Going into election night, Republicans held 23 of the 34 seats in the Missouri Senate. After the dust settled, that majority rose to 25 seats - a supermajority that, if unified, can overturn vetoes by the governor. The results in the House were even more surprising. Most predicted between 110-113 seats for Republicans. Instead, 117 seats went to Republicans and one elected Democrat flipped parties the day after the election to bring the Republican majority to 118. This is also well above the number of votes needed to override a gubernatorial veto. Voters also approved a Constitutional Amendment that will give the legislature a sensible check on the budget authority of the governor. He will no longer be able to withhold funding from education and other important budget items for political purposes without the possibility that the legislature could vote to ensure we fulfill our budget commitments to Missourians.

While these election results send a resounding message, it is now important that all of us roll up our sleeves and get to work solving the problems of our great state. My commitment will continue to be to lower the tax burden on hard-working Missourians, protect our Constitutional rights like the Second Amendment, and to push for job creation and new economic opportunities for our state. This what the people of the 29th District elected me to do and I will be working hard to accomplish these goals.

In other news, Missouri’s constitutional amendment on marriage is under attack in the court system. Recently, a U.S. District judge and circuit judges in St. Louis and Kansas City issued opinions striking down Missouri’s ban on gay marriage. Consequently, officials in St. Louis and Kansas City began issuing gay marriage licenses, but officials in the rest of Missouri’s 112 counties have declined to do so because they do not believe the decisions are binding. The 6th U.S. Court of Appeals in Cincinnati also recently upheld bans on gay marriage in four other states, setting the stage for possible review by the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 2004, over 70 percent of Missouri voters approved a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman. The will of the people of Missouri should not be ignored because of unilateral executive action or the opinions of unelected judges whose jurisdictions don’t extend beyond St. Louis and Kansas City. If opponents of Missouri’s constitutional amendment on marriage want it changed, they should do it the same way we adopted the amendment: by letting the people of Missouri decide. Any other action is inconsistent with our state Constitution and ignores the will of Missouri voters.  

Also, our attorney general should be vigorously defending our constitutional amendment. As the state's chief legal officer, the attorney general must prosecute or defend all appeals necessary to protect the state's rights, interests or claims. The attorney general does not have the authority to pick and choose what state laws he wants to defend. Our president and U.S. Attorney General routinely ignore the rule of law because they don’t personally agree with it or because it isn’t politically advantageous. I fear this is emboldening other elected officials to ignore the law and their duty to uphold and defend our state and U.S. constitutions.

As always, I welcome your ideas, questions and concerns about Missouri government. You may contact me at the State Capitol as follows: (573) 751-1480, david.sater@senate.mo.gov or by writing to Sen. David Sater, Missouri State Capitol, Room 433, Jefferson City, MO 65101.