Protecting Rural
Missourians
The Missouri House passed legislation this week sending a
strong message about our support of your right to farm here in Missouri. We are
fully committed to standing in defense of the traditions, values and rights we Missourians
have held dear for generations. HCS HJR 11 & 7, sponsored by Rep. Bill
Reiboldt (R-160), would approve a constitutional amendment giving voters the
opportunity to make their voices heard on this important issue in the next
statewide election. It will allow all of us who value our agrarian traditions
to stand in opposition to the radical animal rights groups like PETA and HSUS when
they assault our freedoms with measures like Prop B. It is so important to
protect the right to farm in the Missouri Constitution and I am looking forward
to the voters having the opportunity to do just that!
Providing Support
to Those Who Sacrifice for Us
While we can never fully compensate our returning veterans
for their sacrifice, we are committed to doing everything we can to provide the
support they need, and deserve. This has
been tough to do with the struggling economy we have suffered through over the
past few years. In the face of last year’s
revenue shortfalls, House Republicans were able to ink a deal in HB 1731 to
provide a secure funding stream for the Veterans Commission Capital
Improvements Trust Fund – squashing reports of impending closures of Veterans
Homes. We are truly committed to
providing for our veterans and active service men and women here in Missouri. This year we are continuing with the
tradition of support for our veterans in the passage of HJR 8.
HJR 8, sponsored by Rep. Sheila Solon (R-31), proposes a
constitutional amendment requiring the State Lottery Commission to develop and
begin selling a “Veterans Lottery Ticket” by July 1, 2015. The net proceeds from the sale of these
tickets would be deposited into the Veterans Commission Capital Improvements
Trust Fund to provide vital services to our veterans. This legislation has received resounding
support and no opposition.
Tax Credits
The committee on Economic Development has been working hard
to reduce the number of tax credits in our state while ensuring that necessary
job-producing, economy growing, credits remain in place. We have set an ambitious goal of reducing
Missouri Tax Credits by 99 million dollars!
HB 388- School
Information Act
With a bi-partisan vote of 128 in favor, HB 388: The School
Information Act, passed out of the House and will now move to the Senate. This bill will provide a percentage and
letter grade for each category schools are scored under through the Department
of Elementary and Secondary Education.
This will be presented like a “grade sheet” that you would see a student
receive that will make it easy for parents and community members to know how
their school is performing. It will also
be a great tool for teachers, principals, Superintendents, and School Boards to
use when seeking improvement and noting success. This bill provides more transparency through
easy-to-access reporting of scores.
As always, please feel free to contact me with any
questions, comments, or concerns you might have! I am grateful for the
opportunity to serve you and look forward to being of assistance in any way
that I can,
All the best,
Jim Hansen
40th District
State Representative