This week started off on a low point when, Monday February 24th, my childhood home in Frankford was completely destroyed by fire.  After a week reflecting on all the great memories and time spent there with Mom, Doc, and my brother Bob I truly feel blessed.  Please join me in keeping the current owners, The Marks Family, in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

This week was incredibly busy at the Capitol.  I had the privilege of having several constituents down for a visit and it was great to spend time with them discussing various issues.  Andy Van Bebber, a Government and History teacher from Clopton, Dwayne Miller, a Science Teacher at South Shelby and Monroe County Resident, and Ellen Miller, another Monroe County Resident that teaches in Radolph County, all stopped by my office as part of the Missouri State Teachers Association legislative day to discuss important issues confronting our teachers and education system.  Anita Orf, Peggy Summers, Donna Ellison, and Becky Carroll all came by for Hospice Day at the Capitol as representatives from the Pike County Health Department.  We had a great visit.  Trudie Azotea, the in-home service director for NECAC, also stopped by and we had a great conversation related to the services NECAC is able to provide.  I had a great conversation with Sheriff Steve Korte (Pike County) and Sheriff John Cottle (Lincoln County) about legislative issues related to the Sheriff’s Department.  These two Sheriffs have had a lot of life experiences during their service and it was interesting to listen to some of their stories.  I was able to visit and have dinner with Marcine Niemeyer and John and Sandy Scherder with Pike County Farm Bureau as part of the Missouri Farm Bureau day at the Capitol.  After heading back to the district Thursday I attended the Ralls County Extension Annual meeting with Jim Meyer, Nutrition and Wellness/CPD, where they held their election of officers for the upcoming year. Congratulations to all those newly elected officers!

In the Emerging Issues in Agriculture Committee we heard HB 1836.  This bill will allow The Department of Agriculture to contract with an Internet website development company to build and maintain the Missouri International Agricultural Exchange website. The website must contain content approved by the department to promote Missouri agricultural products and services to international agricultural buyers.

On the floor we heard Representative Curtman’s bill (HB1268) which adjusted the tax rate for inflation.  We also perfected HB1073 and HCS HJ47 related to Voter ID laws.  The majority of Missourians support commonsense Voter ID protections.  Elections are a sacred part of our democracy and we must ensure we are doing everything we can to prevent an infringement on our democratic election process.