Bonding Legislation & Agriculture

This week, I filed two pieces of legislation aimed at protecting some of our state’s greatest assets – our public buildings. Last year, the General Assembly authorized the issuance of approximately $600 million in revenue bonds to pay for maintenance and repairs to state buildings that were quickly deteriorating to the point of danger. Fulton State Hospital is an example of this problem.

On Tuesday, I filed Senate Concurrent Resolutions 8 & 9, legislation dealing with projects to be repaired with money from revenue bonds. With interest rates being low and Missouri having an excellent bond rating, investors are quickly to purchase our state’s bonds when they are offered. We have an obligation to preserve public buildings of historic significance and provide a safe workplace for essential functions of government. I presented these concurrent resolutions to the Senate Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions and Ethics Committee today and expect a good discussion this year on these projects.

The Senate Agriculture, Food Production and Outdoor Resources Committee met this week to hear testimony on Senate Bill 12, an omnibus agriculture bill similar to legislation passed last year. The bill was vetoed by the governor and failed to gain the necessary votes for a veto override in the House. This year’s version of the bill is similar, but without a provision relating to captive deer. The goal of the committee is to make sure Missouri’s No. 1 industry is protected and we balance the needs and concerns of farmers and all Missouri citizens as consumers when considering legislation.

My colleagues in the Senate joined members of the House for the governor’s annual State of the State address on Wednesday night. The governor presented his FY 2016 spending plan. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, we will be hearing testimony from state departments over the proposed budget.