A Strong Finish to the First Half of Session

It was a busy week at the Capitol as House and Senate members worked hard to make as much progress on legislation as possible, before heading home for the annual spring recess.

Legislative Update

On Thursday (3-19), I sent a letter to the governor calling for the release of $3 million in Fiscal Year 2015 funding for infrastructure improvements to Missouri’s port systems. Eight of my Senate colleagues, who represent districts that include ports along the Missouri or Mississippi Rivers, also signed their names to the letter.

Missouri has access to over 1,000 miles of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, which is more than the combined length of Interstates 44, 55 and 70. Because of our unique geographic location, Missouri’s ports have huge potential for economic growth. The strategic investment of funding in our ports could bring desperately needed jobs and economic activity to our state.

At a time when our state’s transportation systems are already suffering from a severe lack of funding, it seems imprudent to withhold any of the amount they’ve been allocated. It’s my hope that seeing the signatures of so many Missouri lawmakers will remind the governor of the importance of Missouri’s ports and prompt him to act.

March of Dimes

On Wednesday (3-18), I was honored to be joined by the Torretti family, of Arnold, who were visiting the Capitol with the March of Dimes Foundation, advocating for the implementation of perinatal regionalization in Missouri. The March of Dimes does important work to help moms carry pregnancies to full-term and research the problems that threaten the health of babies.

Each year in Missouri, approximately 1,100 infants are born at very low birth (VLBW, babies under 3.5 lbs.), and about 1,500 infants are born very preterm (babies more than eight weeks premature). Unfortunately, nearly 26 percent of these babies are not born at a facility with a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), which is specially equipped for their care.

Thirty-six states have already implemented a formal system of perinatal regionalization or have at least some component of regionalization in place. Missouri is one of just 14 states that have yet to take this step.

Shown above, Sen. Wieland with Nick and Angela Torretti, of Arnold, and their children, Lola and Nico, at the Capitol on March 18.	Shown above, Lola and Nico Torretti were made honorary pages of the Senate on March 18.