Opinions
The disturbing circumstances and events surrounding the death of George Floyd have affected all of us. The police officer, Derek Chauvin, is seen on video pressing his knee down into Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes despite Floyd pleading with the officer that he couldn't breathe. It is hard...
"Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections...and a Majority of each shall constitute a Quorum to do Business; ...and may be authorized to compel the Attendance of absent Members, in such Manner, and under such Penalties as each House may provide." – Article 1, Section 5, Clause 1 of the U.S...
Of all the measures the Missouri General Assembly approved during the 2020 legislative session, I believe one in particular will have a profound effect on our state for years to come. Senate Joint Resolution 38 gives voters the opportunity to amend the state constitution and further restrict the...
From the outset, America has been a profound experiment. What began as a small cluster of colonies wedged between a great ocean and a vast wilderness, became the world's epicenter of hope and opportunity. A resilient people changed the course of human history by dedicating themselves to a simple...
The 2020 legislative session came to a close on May 15. In a normal year, the Legislature considers well over 2,000 separate pieces of legislation, and typically passes somewhere between 60 to 100 bills. This year, our scheduled 18-week session was significantly reduced due to the coronavirus....
Because of the pandemic, we were not able to hold session for several weeks, but we were able to go back to work full time at the end of April. For the rest of the spring session, both the House and Senate concentrated on passing a balanced budget for the state. Under our Missouri constitution...
The Chinese government continues to stall all international efforts to find the origin of the coronavirus. In January, Chinese officials said they were zeroing in on the source of the outbreak and that it was "only a matter of time" before it was identified. Now, nearly four months later, no new...
Every May, thousands of law enforcement officers make their way to Washington, D.C., for National Police Week. It’s an opportunity to spend time with our men and women in blue and to say thank you to them and their families. But due to the challenges of the coronavirus, this year’s Police Week...
As the Legislature counts down the final hours of the 100th General Assembly our sole constitutional obligation of passing a state budget is behind us. The $35 billion budget we sent to the governor on May 8 fully funds K-12 education and maintains essential social services programs, despite...