This week was full of both opportunities and obstacles that come with doing the people's work in Jefferson City. We moved several bills forward, spent long hours on the Senate floor, and kept pressing ahead even when debate lasted through the night.  

This week mattered because good legislation kept moving and that means we are closer to seeing tangible results for Missouri families.

The biggest story this week was legislative progress.

Before session began, The Department of Corrections reached out to ask if I'd be interested in helping them make the criminal sentencing process more transparent and easy to understand. If you know me - you know that I am 100% supportive of transparency and I believe we need more of it so I was happy to come alongside DOC to work on the issue.  This particular bill and the way it moved forward is a great example of how policy is developed and how the legislative process isn't always a cookie cutter process.  

I pre-filed the bill along with Senator Carter.  Senator Trent filed a slightly different version of the bill as well.  All three were heard in the Judiciary Committee at the same time a couple weeks ago.  This week, those three bills were rolled together into one because they were addressing the exact same issue and nearly identical. The bill was given to Senator Trent to carry and it was voted Do Pass in Judiciary early in the week.

Late Wednesday night, as part of the negotiations on SB 888 the court reform bill (SB 882/894/1294) was added to it.  Somewhere around 4:00 am Thursday morning it was perfected and then it was voted out of the Senate just before we adjourned for the week.

Understanding this part of the process matters.  Progress is not always neat or quick. It doesn't always happen smoothly and often times many things are uncovered and learned during the process.  It takes patience, steady work and a willingness to stay at the table until a path forward is found. This is a good reminder of that.

I'm thankful to Senator Schroer for incorporating the additional court reform legislation into his bill.  It's a positive change in a difficult system.

On Monday I perfected a bill that changes the Independence School Board terms from 6 years to 3 years. I filed this bill because Independence is the only district in the state with 6 year terms.  It's hard to find volunteers to commit to such a long term and the board can be more responsive to community needs with shorter terms, as well.  I was happy to work with Senator Barbara Washington and add an amendment that would allow students in urban schools to have an excused absence for going to the polls with their parents once during each scheduled election. I believe it's important for our kids to understand the voting process. Senator Washington's idea was a great one and I'd love to see it spread to the rest of the schools across Missouri.

The Transportation Committee heard SB 1477 this week, which would allow motorcyclists to use any color auxiliary lighting they choose. This is one example of working through practical issues in the law that aren't necessarily exciting or headline causing news, but instead are practical changes that affect everyday life.  The reality is that a variety of colors are already being used and the statutes need to be updated to reflect current practice.

This bill addresses a loophole that was created by the court reform that happened in 2015. Currently, people who have minor traffic violations have no real consequences for missing court or not paying their fines. This has led to fewer tickets being written and more accidents happening.  It has been a serious concern for the City of Independence as well as other municipalities across the state.

SB 1087 addresses that issue by suspending the license of the driver after they miss 2 court dates and have an additional 33 days to pay the fine.  It also adds church and essential businesses to the list of places people can go if they are driving with a hardship license.

In addition to the bill work, I also had the honor of speaking to a group of students from TeenPact.  TeenPact is an organization that helps educate high school students about government and the legislative process.

They always have a great group of young people. They were articulate, engaged, thoughtful and a joy to be with.  It's always encouraging to spend time with students who are interested in how government works and want to understand the responsibilities of being a good citizen.

Moments like that matter, too.  Good government depends on an informed public, and it's a blessing to see young Missourians stepping up and learning how to lead.

  

This week we made a lot of progress.  Bills moved, important conversations took place, and even after a long night on the Senate floor the work kept going.  We have one more week until spring break and then you can expect the pace to pick up even more. 

As always, you can review my votes by clicking "My Votes" in the menu at the top of the page.

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