JEFFERSON CITY — Last week, the Missouri Senate and House wrapped up work on the 2013 legislative session. A number of bills passed the Senate and the House and were sent to the governor’s desk for his signature, or veto pen. Both chambers worked together on important bills that will affect the lives of the people of our great state. All together, the session was a success for those seeking smaller government, less taxes, and protection for our Second Amendment rights.

This session, the Legislature passed the biggest tax overhaul the state has seen since 1921. House Bill 253 is an across the board tax cut for all Missouri families and businesses beginning in 2014. Under the bill, personal state income tax will be cut by .5 percent over a 10-year span and corporate state income tax would go down by 3 percent. It also creates a small business deduction for pass-through income by 50 percent over five years and creates a $2,000 deduction for those making less than $20,000 per year adjusted gross income. Some expressed concern over the impact on state revenues, so we included language that requires $100 million in increased revenue in order for the tax cuts to take effect. This guarantees that revenues won’t fall and vital services, like public education, will not be affected. With these tax cuts, Missourians will see more money in their paychecks and will have more money to spend at Missouri businesses. I firmly believe leaving money in the pockets of hard-working Missourians is the best way to grow our economy, create jobs, and generate revenue.

The Legislature also approved Senate Bill 28, which tightens the definition of “misconduct” for unemployment benefits. Over the last few years, Missouri courts have liberally construed the definition and application of “misconduct” when it came to deciding unemployment benefits. This has led to cases when employees fired for valid reasons of misconduct STILL received unemployment benefits. Some examples when individuals continued to receive benefits include employees repeatedly falling asleep on the job, urinating off the roof of a school building while school was in session, using profane language in front of school children, and stealing caught on camera. Senate Bill 28 was modeled after Florida’s current law which has reduced their Unemployment Insurance Fund debt from around $1 billion to almost nothing. The Missouri Chamber of Commerce estimates that SB 28 will reduce Missouri’s debt by over $500 million. This is a common sense measure that will not only protect employers, but Missouri’s taxpayers as well.

Agriculture is Missouri’s number one industry and southwest Missouri is responsible for a significant amount of the agricultural production of the state. Missouri farmers perform an invaluable service to our state and nation by feeding our citizens and producing the country’s chief export. To protect this vital industry, the General Assembly approved House Joint Resolutions 11 & 7, or the “Right to Farm” amendments. If voters pass the measure in November 2014, a section will be added to the state constitution stating: “the right of farmers and ranchers to engage in farming and ranching practices shall be forever guaranteed in this state.” This constitutional change is needed to protect Missouri farmers from out-of-state animal rights groups and environmental extremists. Other states have taken this step to protect their agriculture interests, and now Missouri voters will have the opportunity to take this step as well.

House Bill 436 or the “Second Amendment Preservation Act” also passed prior to the close of session. The bill specifies that any federal acts that infringe on the people's right to keep and bear arms as guaranteed by the Second Amendment are invalid and will not be recognized in Missouri. Our state has a vested interest in protecting the Constitutional rights of our citizens and certain federal actions being discussed would seriously undermine Missourians’ Second Amendment rights. Some cite the supremacy clause to the U.S. Constitution as a reason we should not have passed this bill. The supremacy clause does not prevent states from seeking redress or from challenging the constitutionality of a federal law, especially if that federal law runs completely afoul of the Constitution. The Second Amendment Preservation Act is a clear statement to our federal congress and the executive branch that the state of Missouri is adamantly opposed to any federal action to restrict Second Amendment rights.

These measures, as well as many others, have been sent to the governor and are awaiting his signature. In the coming weeks, I will highlight a few of the bills I sponsored that passed this session. For a complete list of bills that were passed, you may visit www.senate.mo.gov, go to the “Legislation” tab, and click on the “Truly Agreed” link.