The 95th legislative session officially ended May 15, however, my job
serving as your State Representative is far from over.  In looking back over
the last few months since the session began in January, the last five months
have just flown by.  I have learned so much and look forward to meeting with
constituents back home.

Legislation

From my perspective, I believe we had a highly successful session.  The two
key measures we passed are the Job Creation Bill (HB 191) and a fiscally
responsible budget.  The House's primary responsibility is to adopt the
budget and we were even able to get that done a day before the deadline.  From
the beginning of the session, House Speaker Ron Richard emphasized that
creating good-paying jobs with health benefits was the top priority for the
House.  The House sent the Senate several versions of job-creating bills
during the course of the session, but didn't receive agreement on the issue
until the final day.  This developed into a good pro-jobs bill for the state
and a great bill for the 121st District.

In addition, I am very proud to report that I was successful in passing two
bills out of the House in my first year as your State Representative.  They
both passed on the last day of the session and will have a positive impact
on the 121st District.

Bingo Bill - House Bill 620 & 671

My bill to eliminate the taxes on Bingo cards was joined with Rep. Mike
Lair's (R-Chillicothe) bill to become HB 620/671.  Thursday evening, May 14,
Senator Pearce passed it out of the Senate with an amendment.  Friday
morning, May 15, my bill was approved in the House again and is now headed
to the governor's desk for signature.  This will allow more of the money
generated by Bingo to be available for use in local community projects.
That is why the American Legion, the Elks, churches, and a number of other
community organizations sponsor Bingo.  I am very pleased they will be able
to make their available funds go further at home in their local communities,
including the Warrensburg Veterans Home and American Legion youth baseball
teams.

Update: Unfortunately, Governor Nixon vetoed HB 620. I strongly disagree with the
Governor's decision to veto and will work on revised Bingo legislation again this
next session.

Private Jails Bill - Senate Bill 66

As you are aware, especially in the Holden area, private jails lack
regulation in Missouri.  Without this legislation, it isn't even illegal to
escape from a private jail and the jail administrators aren't required to
notify local law enforcement of an escape.  When the governor signs this
legislation, that will change.  Sen. David Pearce, Rep. Casey Guernsey
(R-Bethany), and I worked both chambers to get this legislation passed.
Bethany and Holden are the only two places in Missouri that have private
jails.  This bill was much more controversial than I expected, but SB 44
finally passed the last day of session in both the House and the Senate.  

Amendments to Bills

In addition to the bills above, I was also successful in adding amendments
to several bills.  One amendment I offered that passed the House was to
eliminate taxpayer funded government lobbyists and put the funds to the At
Home Meals program for senior citizens.  These seven lobbyists make $50,000
to $83,000 a year and during the economic downturn, I thought it was more
important to provide meals for our senior citizens.


Another amendment I offered in Budget Committee was to provide funding to
expand the dining area, solarium, chapel and conference/training room at the
Warrensburg Veterans Home.  The Veterans Home recently received an award as
one of the best in the nation and these improvements will help continue that
fine tradition.

Constituent Services

As session has ended, I have returned to Johnson County to meet with
constituents and local businesses.  My office in Jefferson City is still
open and staffed with limited hours by my Legislative Assistant, Rose Marie.
If you send an email or call me, please keep in mind that I'm trying to
reply to those messages as quickly as I can.  I value your opinions and look
forward to discussing your issues and concerns. 

It is a privilege to serve as your state representative.

 

Respectfully,

 
Denny Hoskins
State Representative
District 121
Denny's House Website