CAPITOL REPORT

At the Capitol, the Missouri House and Senate just passed the final agreed upon version of the state’s balanced budget.  Our Governor, Mike Parson, will next review the budget and has the authority to line-item veto certain budget items as well as defer appropriation of other line-items until later in the year, but our Missouri economy looks good.  It has rebounded over the last year since the COVID shutdowns began, and experts are predicting that we will continue to see improvements in the ecomony as well as a continuing decline in COVID cases.

In next year’s budget (unless any specific item is vetoed by the Governor) we will again be fully funding the kindergarten through twelfth grade school formula as well as increasing the state’s payment percentage of local school bus transportation expenses. It’s also great to report that we were able to get final approval and funding for a building improvement project at the West Plains campus of Missouri State University.

This project was the joint vision of leaders from the City of West Plains, the West Plains R-7 schools, Missouri State University-West Plains, and Leonardo-DRS.  When the project is finished, it will result in the old Coke plant in West Plains being rebuilt into a high tech welding instruction center.  It will help local residents earn new careers with good wages by learning the technology to run computer guided laser welding machines.  It’s exciting to see this great opportunity moving forward at MSU.

For my friends in Willow Springs, Wendell Bailey is also leading an effort in the initial planning stages of rebuilding one of the old Missouri Highway buildings in Willow Springs into an advanced technical/training center for local students.  I look forward to continuing to work with Wendell, and other local city, school, and business leaders to move that project forward--hopefully in the forseeable future.

As we are now wrapping up this spring legislative session at the Capitol,  I’ll be able to report back soon on the big winners and losers of this session.  It’s a hectic time up here, and I’ll be working many late hours not only fighting for good legislation but also fighting to stop bad ideas and bad bills from getting passed into law.

As I’m finishing this report in Jefferson City on Mother’s Day, I’ve also been thinking of both my wife Sandy (mother of our 4 adult children) and my late mother, Helen Stein Evans (a mother of 4 as well).  

Every day, our mothers’ prayers guide us, and for a lifetime, our mother’s love sustains us.  Let us always keep them in our hearts, thoughts, and prayers.  

I look forward to continuing to represent your common sense, conservative values.  Please let me know If you have concerns and suggestions.  If you would like to schedule a specific time to meet locally or at the Capitol, please call my office at 573-751-1455, or email my office at david.evans@house.mo.gov.