JEFFERSON CITY — The Second Regular Session of the 97th General Assembly convened on Wednesday, Jan. 8. Senate leadership discussed some of the important topics for the legislature in the upcoming weeks, including one of my priorities, addressing our state’s school transfer law, which is an issue currently affecting unaccredited school districts. I look forward to an important debate among my colleagues on this subject as we work toward creating positive legislation for Missouri’s students.

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the job of drafting Missouri’s budget will soon begin now that session has convened. The budget process begins with the governor’s State of the State address, scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 21, during which he will outline his ideas for Fiscal Year 2015. It will take a lot of discussion and fact-finding to make the FY 2015 state budget a reality. This is the most important job of the legislature and one in which I’m proud to take part. I will keep you informed as the budget moves through the legislative process and we work to produce a fiscally responsible state spending plan.

I will continue to serve as chairman of the Senate Education Committee for the 2014 session. Those hearings will be getting underway shortly, and I anticipate discussion on many bills relating to elementary, secondary and higher education, including the student transfer issue.

As we begin another session, I would like to take the opportunity to point out some features and benefits on my Senate website. Visit www.senate.mo.gov/pearce to stay up to date with what’s going on in the 21st District. Under the photo on the left side of the page, there are links to sign up to receive e-news from the 21st District, as well as a button that will bring up a video welcoming visitors to the page. All my current and past legislation is available for review under the “Legislation” tab. Under “Constituent Services” are links to request a courtesy resolution, apply to be an intern in the 21st Senatorial District office and search the Unclaimed Property database.

Also available on my Senate website, under the “Media” tab, are current and past Capitol Reports, news releases and various publications. Under the “Multimedia” link, there are podcasts and videos regarding various topics. Please feel free to listen to or view any item you might find informational.

I am very excited about the prospects and possibilities of the next few months. The contact information of the Capitol office of the 21st Senatorial District is listed below.