Senator Jason Holsman Named Chair of Joint Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Awareness
JEFFERSON CITY — State Sen. Jason Holsman, D-Kansas City, was elected as Chair of the Joint Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Awareness. The committee is tasked with studying Missouri’s response to natural and man-made disasters and ways to improve upon that response. The committee was proposed by Sen. Holsman during the 2018 legislative session and later signed into law through House Bill 1355.
“It is an honor to be elected as the chair of this joint committee,” said Sen. Holsman. “I firmly believe the work this committee does is some of the most important work we will do all session. The only certainty when it comes to disaster planning is that a disaster will happen. By being forward-thinking and proactive before a disaster strikes, we can help save lives.”
The joint committee plans on investigating a range of issues including, but not limited to, the state’s current emergency response plans, financial and budgetary elements to that response, as well as food, cyber and energy security. The committee will later release a comprehensive report of its findings.
“We have a lot of ground to cover, but I believe we have a strong and capable team to investigate the state’s emergency response plans,” said Sen. Holsman. “I’m looking forward to working with members of the committee, our state departments and other stakeholders to develop bold ideas that we can turn into real solutions that will help better prepare our state for the next disaster that comes our way.”
Senator Holsman will serve as chair of the committee for a year, before the committee’s leadership is turned over to a member of the Missouri House of representatives serving on the committee.