Senator Bill McKenna
President Pro Tem
89th General Assembly
District 22

     State Senator Bill McKenna serves Missouri's 22nd senatorial district which includes most of Jefferson County. Bill was elected in a special election in April 1993 after being elected to the Missouri House of Representatives for six terms. On January 8, 1997, the members of the Missouri Senate elected Senator McKenna to lead the Senate as President Pro Tem during the 89th General Assembly.

      Senator McKenna serves on a number of senate committees which are responsible for a wide range of legislation and programs affecting the people of Missouri including safe roads, job growth, education, a healthy state economy, and other measures to protect citizens' health and welfare. Senator McKenna serves on the following committees: Gubernatorial Appointments-Chairman, Administration-Vice Chairman, Rules-Vice Chairman, Budget Control-Vice Chairman, Transportation-Vice Chairman, and Corrections. Senator McKenna serves as the Chairman of the Board and President of the Missouri 1st Vote Foundation--a volunteer organization dedicated to encouraging high school students to register to vote and become more involved in the election process. Bill is on the Board of Directors of the Jefferson College Foundation, Inc.

      Senator McKenna is a member of the Arts Council Trust Fund Board of Trustees. He is the past president of the Jefferson County Growth and Development Association, a not-for-profit group which strives to improve the image and quality of life in Jefferson County. Senator McKenna was a charter member of the Action Jefferson County and Jefferson County Progress--two groups that fought hard to adopt planning and zoning codes to improve the appearance, perception and job growth in Jefferson County.

      Senator McKenna took the legislative lead in the forming of another citizen action group, the Coalition for Highway Safety, established to improve the safety of Jefferson County roads. One of the accomplishments of the all-volunteer Coalition was the construction of a new four-lane divided highway to replace the deadly and dangerous stretch of Highway 21 known as "Blood Alley." Many other projects have received a higher priority due to the relentless work of the group.

      Born in St. Louis, Bill attended St. Louis University High School, has a Bachelor of Science degree and Masters degree in Public Administration from Southeast Missouri State University. Bill has two children, Lisa and Ryan, both in the teaching field.