Opinion

District student groups visit at the capitol

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Missouri's 126th District

It was a recent honor to welcome students and their guests from Adrian, Bronaugh, Miami, Rich Hill and Nevada to the Capitol, representing TSA, FCCLA, FFA, and WMCA.

It was also a pleasure to visit with many groups, businesses and associations that have recently held legislative events or stopped by our office.

Following are some recent legislative highlights:

* Reinstating Regional Planning Commission Funding:

I recently sponsored an amendment to reinstate funding for the 19 regional planning commissions in Missouri. Our district RPC is the Kaysinger Regional Planning Commission.

They are a source that assists community revitalization projects, senior and community centers, pre- and post-disaster recovery efforts associated with natural disasters, economic development and much more in our area. It passed through committee and will move forward with the budget bill.

* House Approves Resolution to Protect Missouri's Military Personnel (HCR 20)

The men and women of our Armed Forces do so much to protect our freedoms and our way of life. Right now, the U.S. Department of Defense is looking for ways to cut more than $1 trillion over the next decade, and one of the ways they propose to do it is by reducing the numbers of soldiers, marines and airmen by nearly 200,000.

Here in Missouri, where we have a number of major military bases and agencies, this downsizing effort could have a major negative impact on our economy. Keep in mind that the current military presence in our state is responsible for approximately 275,000 jobs -- 123,000 direct and 152,000 indirect -- and generates billions of dollars in economic activity each and every year. As several of my colleagues pointed out on the House floor, the military is one of the largest industries in our state and certainly one we cannot afford to lose.

That is why we adopted HCR 20 to urge the Department of Defense and Missouri's congressional delegation to protect, promote, and leverage Missouri's military bases and agencies, keep the number of military personnel in the state intact, and preserve defense industry procurement so that Missouri may continue to support the defense and protection of the state and the United States and keep its economy in sound condition.

* Joint Committee Investigates Governor's Actions during Ferguson Crisis

Following the unrest and destruction that occurred in Ferguson last November, many Missourians had questions as to why some of the disturbing scenes that played out on national television happened. Since that time, the legislature has made a commitment to the people of Missouri to investigate and get answers as to why the National Guard was sent to Ferguson but then held back from helping local law enforcement and emergency responders when they needed assistance.

The Joint Committee on Government Accountability met to hear testimony from fire district officials and the mayor of Ferguson. Moving forward, the committee will continue to look at the events that took place in November of last year. It is the hope of the committee to obtain answers that will help ensure these issues do not occur in the future in other Missouri communities.

* Scholarship Opportunity:

The Women Legislators of Missouri Scholarship application is available online at http://house.mo.gov/downloads/wlsa2015.docx. Each year the group selects one scholarship recipient from each of Missouri's congressional districts for a total of eight senior girls each, earning a $500 scholarship.

RESOURCES:

Senior Employment: The Senior Community Services Employment Program provides minimum wage income for up to 18 hours per week depending on available funding, while also providing job skills training to persons 55 and older whose income is at or below 125 percent of federal poverty level, which in 2012 is $13,963 for a one-person household.

Individuals who meet the age and income guidelines who are interested in obtaining a job-training assignment, and 501©(3) organizations interested in serving as a host agency for SCSEP participants can call the Division of Senior and Disability Services at 573-526-8574.

* VetAssist Program:

Veterans Home Care offers the VetAssist® Program, which helps qualifying wartime veterans or surviving spouses access a little-known VA benefit known as "Aid and Attendance."

Clients begin home care when their pension application is submitted to the VA, with no out-of-pocket costs to them. VetAssist® Program clients also receive continuing case management and compliance monitoring to help ensure they keep their full pension, and their home care.

Veterans Home Care has helped more than 7,000 elderly, indigent wartime veterans or their surviving spouses since its founding in 2003. For more information, contact Veterans Home Care at 877-390-6377 or info@veteranshomecare.com.

* Veterans Designation on a Driver's License: For information about the veteran's license, go to the DOR website: http://dor.mo.gov/faq/drivers/veterans.php or by contacting them at 301 W. High Street, Room 470, Jefferson City, Mo., 65105

The Missouri Veterans Commission may be contacted at 205 Jefferson Street, P.O. Box 147, Jefferson City, 65102-0147 or via telephone at 573-751-3779 or http://www.mvc.dps.mo.gov.

It is an honor to serve on your behalf in the Missouri House of Representatives. Please contact my office any time by email: patricia.pike@house.mo.gov or call 573-751-5388. My Legislative Assistant is Beth Rohrbach at beth.rohrbach@house.mo.gov and we are always glad to assist you.