This week marked the third week of our legislative session. Though the week was shorter than usual, the schedule was very full.

State offices were closed on Monday in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. I hope you and your families had an opportunity to celebrate and reflect on the importance of the day.

Senators and representatives returned the Capitol Tuesday. That afternoon marked the first meeting of the Senate Seniors, Families & Pensions Committee for which I serve as chair. The committee heard testimony on SB 518, a bill that extends the MO HealthNet Managed Care program statewide by Jan. 2015.  

Senate Bill 518 is legialstion that my interns this session have studied in depth. As such, they had an opportunity to sit in on the committee hearing, their first of the session, to see how the process works. Last week I had the opportunity to introduce you to Carey Kebodeaux. This week I’d like to introduce you to Jessica Hobbs.  Jessica is from Charlotte, N.C. She received her B.A. in social work from the University of Pittsburgh, Pa., and is currently a student at the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. She is pursuing a Master of Social Work degree, with a concentration in social and economic development and a specialization in policy.  

Following the committee hearing, senators and representatives gathered in the House chamber to hear the 2014 "State of the State" address given by the governor. This year’s address focused on several major topics, including increased funding for education, the expansion of Medicaid, and serving those with mental disabilities and illness. Though the governor outlined his proposed budget for the upcoming year, this year marks the first time in a decade that the Legislature and governor do not have a consensus on Missouri’s revenue projections. As a result, there will be much discussion regarding how much money the Legislature actually has with which to craft the budget.   

Following the governor’s address, House Speaker Tim Jones, R-Eureka, delivered a response that focused on downsizing government. The response included a call to pass tax reform, a focus on medical malpractice reform, improvement of the education system by increasing transparency and accountability in regard to education funding, and a call to make energy more affordable for Missourians, among other priorities.

Both the "State of the State" and the response show that the legislative and executive branches have different priorities. I am hopeful that we can work together to find some common ground that will allow for the passage of legislation to improve the lives of Missourians.

Wednesday morning started with another meeting of the Gubernatorial Appointments Committee. Following that meeting, the House and Senate gathered to hear the "State of the Judiciary" address given by Mary Rhodes Russell, Chief Justice of the Missouri Supreme Court. Judge Russell’s speech focused on support for changes to the criminal code, a topic that will be a major focus of the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee this session.   

Wednesday afternoon, I presented Senate Bill 545 to the Senate Education Committee. The bill is identical to a bill filed by four other St. Louis-area senators to address the school transfer issue. All five versions of the bill were presented to the committee in a hearing that lasted two and a half hours. The number in attendance and time allotted show the importance of the bill to members of the Senate. Additional bills have been filed on the topic and will be heard in the coming weeks.

On Thursday morning, the Senate Ways and Means Committee met to hear several pieces of legislation. Thereafter, senators returned to the Senate floor where new bills were introduced and others were referred to committee.  

Now that more legislation is moving through the committee process we will soon have the opportunity to begin debating legislation on the Senate floor. As a result, I hope to have a positive update to share with you next week.  Until then, best wishes for a warm and relaxing weekend.