Looking Forward to a New Year
As 2018 comes to a close, the Missouri General Assembly is already gearing up for next year’s legislative session, which officially begins at noon on Wednesday, Jan. 9. State senators and representatives are busy compiling bills full of new ideas to make Missouri law more efficient and fiscally responsible. Next month, they will have the chance to shepherd those bills through the legislative process in the hopes they will eventually become law.
The legislative process is a crucial part of our system of representative democracy; it’s the way the people have chosen to discuss and debate what our laws should be and how they should work. Though the process is often contentious, deliberation within the two chambers of the General Assembly — the Senate and House of Representatives — has always been peaceful. Missouri lawmakers come from many different backgrounds and political ideologies, but we all hold the same respect for the rule of law and the value of a strong democracy.
When the Legislature convenes, the Senate and House will take a look at many proposed bills, discussing their merits both in committee and in each chamber. However, most bills won’t pass, and only a select few will ever be declared law. The difficulty of passing law is actually a valuable feature of our bicameral legislature. It prevents lawmakers from over-legislating or approving too many unnecessary statutes. Sometimes it’s just as important to keep bad bills from passing as it is to ensure good bills become law.
I’m looking forward to the new year and the opportunity it holds to move Missouri forward.
As always, please feel free to call, email or write with your ideas or concerns. My Capitol office number is (573) 751-1415, my email is dan.hegeman@senate.mo.gov and my mailing address is Room 332, State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.