Helping Our Communities Stay Compliant
During the past week in the Missouri Senate, I was honored and humbled to watch my colleagues approve one of my legislative priorities. Senate Bill 138 would require the state auditor to offer suggestions or recommendations to any group or municipality that requests them, following the issuance of an audit in which the auditor found the practices of the group in question to be inadequate.
Too often, the state auditor will conduct an audit and issue a report criticizing the auditee for a practice the office deems as inadequate, while not providing any suggestions on how to fix the issue. This can be extremely frustrating for public entities that wish to resolve issues and maintain compliance. Several of these damaging audits can happen to the same entity over the course of several years, without the state auditor providing a solution or recommendation on how to fix the perceived problem. No public servant wants to be constantly reprimanded by our state auditor for a practice that they don’t know how to fix. If we are going to continue to empower the auditor to be our state’s top investigator, the auditor must also be equipped to provide guidance and advice on how to fix the mistakes they uncover during their work. As once said, “With great power comes great responsibility.” The state auditor should be responsible for providing advice and help for those who wish to maintain compliance. This legislation has been a priority of mine for several years, and as it moves to the Missouri House of Representatives, I am optimistic that this is the year it will reach the governor’s desk.
I was honored this past week to present a Senate resolution to an outstanding member of our community. Bob Jones, the strength and conditioning coach at William Woods University, was recognized as the 2019 College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. This is a tremendous honor for an incredible person. I have known Bob and his wife, Eva, for several years, and I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this prestigious award. Currently, Bob oversees the strength and conditioning programs for each of William Woods’ intercollegiate sports programs. Prior to coming to William Woods, Bob served as the strength and conditioning coach for the University of Missouri men’s basketball team from 1988 to 2001. While at Mizzou, Bob worked under legendary coach Norm Stewart and helped train some of the school’s most famous athletes, such as Doug Smith and Anthony Peeler. If you happen to run into Bob and his family, please feel free to congratulate him on this impressive and well-deserved accomplishment.
It is an honor to be your state senator and my door is always open to your concerns, questions or comments. Please feel free to contact me at (573) 751-2757 or visit my web page at www.senate.mo.gov/riddle.