Working hard for our workers

We've been working very hard this year to address the problems that have hurt our state over the years. We carefully examined our budget to eliminate waste so we can take that money and use it on programs that will benefit our state for many years to come.

Our mind-set from the start was to reverse the trends of the past that would implement temporary solutions and one time funding to avoid really dealing with the issues. All the while these problems got bigger and more difficult to fix. This year, we passed a budget that made great progress in keeping money from going to programs that had been well documented as wasteful. We can now take the money that would have been otherwise wasted and turn it into an economic generator to benefit all Missourians.

The budget formulated in the House has a lot of changes that will help get Missouri back on track to fiscal responsibility. Included in those changes is funding to social programs that make a huge difference in improving the quality of life for those who need assistance. One such program will receive an additional $2 million to provide meals for the elderly, homebound, disabled, frail, and at risk. This increase in funding will provide an additional 345,000 meals in 2006.

A big focus in this year's budget was to promote economic development programs that increase jobs and attract new employers to the state. This budget will allocate over $16 million to the Missouri Community College New Jobs Training, and an additional $6 million to the Jobs Retention Training Program.

We were also able to increase funding by $7.8 million to programs to expand industry-training programs and basic industry retaining programs.

In addition, this legislative session has seen several proposals that will stimulate economic growth and provide more and better jobs for Missourians. The House has already passed two of these key measures that will stimulate our economy. These bills will benefit our local agricultural communities, and another measure will provide an incentive to revitalize our historic downtown areas.

Missouri farmers and ethanol producers will be able to expand their operations to use new technologies to make the most our soybean and corn harvest with the help of House Bill 468. This bill expands the Linked Deposit Program to allow more agricultural and small businesses to receive low interest loans to facilitate growth and to acquire equipment with more technological advancements. This Program will also help our environment by encouraging the production of ethanol and soy diesel, thereby reducing our dependence on foreign oil.

The House and Senate are both working on legislation to create the Missouri Quality Jobs Program.

This program will allow companies to retain a portion of their withholding tax for newly created jobs. Small and large companies will benefit from this program, and particularly technology based business. This program will create jobs for Missourians with all kinds of different skill sets and abilities.

We in the Missouri House are going to continue to bring quality economic development proposals to make Missouri's economy as strong as it can be. We've laid out the groundwork by eliminating waste; now we can reap the benefits by funding programs that encourage economic development and bring job providers to Missouri.

Contact Rep. Barney Fisher's office at (800) 382-4123 or (573) 751-5388 or write to Representative Barney Fisher, State Capitol, Room 201B, Jefferson City, MO 65101.