Staff Changes

Recently, a few changes have been made to our District 8 Capitol staff. First of all, I want to thank Mark Siettmann, my Chief of Staff since 2010, for his dedication and hard work over the past four years. I have had the pleasure of knowing Mark for 12 years. He will be greatly missed as a valuable member of our team. Mark is taking a position in Jackson County in order to spend more time with his family, and I wish him luck in all his future endeavors.

I would also like to congratulate Chris Sutherland, who has been working as our legislative aide since 2013, on his promotion to Chief of Staff. Andrea Westhoff, a soon-to-be Mizzou grad, will be my new legislative aide. I look forward to working with this new team as the session continues.

Sponsored Legislation

Several of the bills I have sponsored are making significant progress through the Legislature. Many of these bills focus on preserving the integrity of elections and taxpayer protection, ensuring that hardworking citizens are not paying inflated taxes to an overreaching government. Currently, eight of my bills have passed through the Senate and are receiving consideration in the House.

Action was taken this week on the following bills I sponsored:

• Senate Bill 104, which will save taxpayers money by reducing unnecessary ballot reprinting, was heard by the House Elections Committee.
• Senate Bill 20, which eliminates double taxation for commercial laundries, was reported to the Senate floor for final approval.
• Senate Bill 115, which creates fairness in amended tax returns by allowing taxpayers to be refunded as opposed to merely owing taxes past the statute of limitations, was heard in the House Ways and Means Committee.

Budget

The Senate began considering the Fiscal Year 2016 state budget this week. Establishing a fiscally responsible and balanced budget is the Legislature’s most important constitutional requirement. This year we will be working with a $26.1 billion budget, in which we are tasked to allocate Missouri’s general revenue. The House has drafted its version of the budget, and this week the Senate debated into the early morning hours, passing our own version of the budget. Missouri’s spending plan will now return to the House for consideration of the Senate’s recommendations. If not passed in the House, it will be sent to a conference committee.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns at any time. We look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions, and trying to answer any questions you may have. You can reach us by phone at 573-751-1464, or e-mail at will.kraus@senate.mo.gov.