Issues and Legislation

Missouri's Budget and Fiscal Responsibility

Missouri's constitution mandates a balanced budget, and for good reason. I support efforts to ensure that we follow that mandate, and do so without raising taxes on hard-working Missourians. Additionally, we must work to ensure that any programs created or funded by the General Assembly must be a wise investment of taxpayer dollars and cannot reasonably be taken care of by the private sector.

Business and Economic Development

While government can help set up regulations to help businesses flourish, we must remember that government is not, nor should ever be, in the business of businesses. I support efforts to lower taxes on small business owners, and to ensure that regulation and litigation structures are fair to both the consumer and the seller.

Crime and Drugs

Crime is a scourge upon our lives, and drugs can destroy communities, lives and families. I support fully funding our law enforcement agencies to meet their objectives, and local programs that involve citizens working with law enforcement agencies to help police their own neighborhoods.

Education

Our children are our future. We must work hard to ensure every child has a chance to reach their fullest potential. I support fully funding our public education system while working to make every cent count and fight wasteful spending within that system. I also am a supporter of charter schools and education vouchers, as I feel that competition is the key to success.

Energy

This is an area where we need to focus. Our state needs a comprehensive energy policy that utilizes all forms of energy - oil, nuclear, wind, solar - to enhance conservation and provide the technological advances that will eventually help our state and nation to be energy-independent.

Ethics

Since my first day in the House, I have supported efforts to ensure a transparent government. Those who serve the public should be willing to put forth their record so that their constituents can have the tools necessary to determine their views on the issues and how well their representatives are doing in following their wishes.

Immigration

While this is a complicated issue, it does not have to be so. Immigrants are the backbone of our country, but illegal aliens threaten to weaken it through a broken system and excessive benefits with no relative input. In the absence of a dedication to reform our system from the federal government, I support efforts to make Missouri as cooperative as possible in giving the federal government no excuses for their lapses.

Seniors

Our senior citizens have worked their entire lives to support themselves, their families and their communities. I support efforts to ease the tax burden on our senior population as they leave the workforce and enter their retirement years. There is absolutely no justifiable reason why a widow must leave her home in her later years because of the property tax burden, or why those living on low fixed incomes must see their savings dwindle because of governmental actions.

Transportation

This is an issue that directly affects our district as I write this. My grandparents chose their home location because of its location, knowing that the other possible location was not feasible because of the upcoming Page Avenue extension. That was 43 years ago, and the extension has yet to be finished. This is the largest transportation issue facing our district, but not the only one. I work with federal, state and local authorities every day to ensure that all transportation issues facing our district are dealt with. It's not easy, but transportation is vital to the continued economic development of our cities.

Veterans

The men and women who have served in our Armed Forces are some of the bravest and most honorable people you will ever meet. It is our obligation to show them how much their sacrifices mean to us - to "care for him who shall have borne the battle". Whether it is health care, education, or other issues, I fully support programs which ease the burden veterans have in transitioning to civilian life, in bettering themselves upon their return to our communities, or in taking care of those who have given up their own health and well-being for our freedoms.