Last week my “Right to Hunt and Fish” bill (HJR59) was heard by the Agriculture Policy Committee. The National Rifle Association (NRA), Missouri Farm Bureau, Missouri Federation of Animal Owners, and many other groups showed up to testify in support. I still remember the first gun my father gave me on my 12th birthday.
I have enjoyed hunting and fishing in Pike County and all across the state and country for many years now. The reality is that there are many liberal activist groups out there hoping to take these rights away. PETA, HSUS, and others have launched campaigns in several states working to slowly erode our rights to harvest wildlife. These are proud traditions that our families have enjoyed for years. They are part of our heritage and I will continue the fight to see that these rights our guaranteed for us in our state constitution. Already 17 states have secured these rights in their constitution and there are 21 other pieces of legislation across the country currently working to do the same. Hunting in our state is a billion dollar industry and we must protect it from these out-of-state activist and their Hollywood funding.
The Veterans Committee I serve on recently heard two bills. The first will allow female veterans to have a personal designation on their license plate if they so desire. The second would create a special veterans lottery ticket and the funding from sales will be used to support veterans homes across the state. It is important that we, as a state, are doing everything we can to take care of our veterans. They have sacrificed so much for our country and it is important to give them the respect and assistance owed to them for their service. Too often I hear of Veterans struggling to get their benefits promised. My office will continue to provide assistance to these veterans; helping them navigate the bureaucracy of federal government.
Recently our office sent notification to more than 250 constituents of the 40th district notifying them that they have at least $50 of unclaimed property currently being held by the state. If you receive notice or would like to check for yourself if you are owed any amount of unclaimed property please feel free to go to treasurer.mo.gov where you can search by last name on the home page to see if you have any unclaimed property being held by the state. In total, our district has more than $1 million in unclaimed property currently being held by the state.