Senator Michael Gibbons was elected unanimously by his colleagues to serve as President Pro Tem of the Missouri Senate for the 93rd General Assembly. A Republican from Kirkwood, he represents the 15th Senatorial District which includes the area along I-44 from the St. Louis City limits to just west of Fenton.

Senator Gibbons was elected to his second term in 2004. He was first elected to the Senate in 2000, after serving eight years as a state representative. He served as Chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee his first two years, then as Majority Floor Leader for two years.

His legislative accomplishments include creating the Safe Places for Newborns Act that lets young, vulnerable parents leave their newborn at a hospital or with an emergency worker without facing prosecution. Gibbons also reformed the property tax re-assessment process by outlawing drive-by inspections. In 2004, he created the Comprehensive Children's Mental Health System that keeps families together while providing children with much needed mental health services.

2005 was a historic session. From schools, to work, to a day in court - Missourians are seeing changes that make their lives better. More Missourians are at work, businesses are choosing Missouri as a place to grow and invest in over other states, even over other countries. Children have a better chance at a great education, and Missouri families are safer. For example, the Senate made it more difficult for meth producers to get the ingredients they need cutting meth production in half. Gibbons also sponsored legislation creating new tools to combat underage drinking.

The Senate's efforts this year include reforms to begin to make healthcare available and affordable to all Missourians; to protect the rights in people's homes, farms, and businesses; to safeguard children; and to establish an energy action plan. Together with the foundational work from last year, Gibbons said these changes will put Missouri on a strong footing for decades to come.

Besides his duties at the capitol, Sen. Gibbons practices law at Stinson, Morrison Hecker LLP in St. Louis. He lives in Kirkwood with his wife, Liz, and daughter, Meredith. Their son Danny graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2005 and works in Baltimore.

Sen. Gibbons was born and raised in Kirkwood, Missouri. He graduated from Kirkwood High School in 1977. He then graduated from Westminster College in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and later earned his Juris Doctorate from St. Louis University School of Law in 1984. When he returned to Kirkwood he began his career in public service when he was elected to the Kirkwood City Council in 1986.