JEFFERSON CITY — As your state senator, one of the key responsibilities is to serve the constituents of the 8th District. Recently, my office received a call from a local citizen who wanted me to know how much she appreciated the assistance, hard work and dedication my office provided her in a time of need.  It reminded me that many of you may not know that we regularly provide those services.

Let me give you two examples of how we have assisted 8th District residents with state government issues.

Occasionally, governmental red tape can be difficult to navigate without some help. In one case, a woman was having problem after problem trying to help her family through a difficult time, and started the process of receiving food stamps. When her requests fell on deaf ears and she was at her wit’s end, she decided to contact our Capitol office in an attempt to finally get some answers to her questions. As it turns out, her application had been held up for review and she needed to complete an in-person interview, but no one from the local office had contacted her to schedule an appointment. The Department of Social Services answers many inquiries on a daily basis and the woman was having a very difficult time reaching her case worker. My office spoke with the constituent and made a few phone calls to state offices. Finally, we were able to reach someone who knew the facts regarding the case, and managed to secure an appointment for the woman. As it turned out, the woman's husband had been ill for a long while, having to take unpaid medical leave from his job. With two children in school, the situation in the home was becoming more and more desperate. This woman was merely looking for someone to listen to her and help her find answers to aid her family. With one phone call and a few hours work from our office, our staff was able to offer her a solution and the assistance she so desperately needed.

In another situation earlier this year, we had a constituent reach out to my office with concerns they had been having with the Department of Revenue (DoR). The motorist was in the process of trying to get his Historic License plates changed and wasn’t able to receive the plates due to a holdup with paperwork. The constituent had informed us that he had been trying to contact DoR for over six weeks on his own. After contacting the constituent and asking some clarifying questions, we were able to utilize our resources to assist this citizen. Not long after, we had a positive resolution and had this Missourian back on the road.

I want to encourage anyone that needs assistance untangling the web of government issues to call our Capitol office or email me. I will make sure that my office team helps you in any way we can.