CAPITOL REPORT
Although many of us agree that our country is in a political mess, our state has been doing a lot of good things this year, and I’ll try to keep this report on the positive side. It is our state’s two hundredth anniversary. On August 10, 1821, Missouri became the 24th state to enter the Union. We should remember the commitment, dedication, and sacrifices of so many people that have helped build our great state. Missouri remains one of the best places to live, work, and raise a family.
In state politics, we are back from the Capitol where we held an “extraordinary” session on budget issues as called by Governor Mike Parson. It’s always a battle to trim the budget fat and to concentrate our state spending on our most important priorities, but we were able to reach an agreement between the House, Senate, and the Governor and again balanced our State of Missouri budget.
More good news for the 3rd month in a row, Missouri leads the country in small business wage growth at 4.09 percent averaged over a 12 month period. Looking back to the beginning of 2020 and before COVID, the Missouri economy had been booming. We had record low unemployment as well as high business growth. It now looks like Missouri’s economy is getting back on track for another very good year.
Although I missed the report, my wife, Sandy, passes on more good news for Missouri. According to a study by Bankrate, Missouri has now moved up to be ranked as the 4th best state to live for retirees in the country. In its study, Bankrate looked at five categories, including affordability, weather, culture, wellness, and crime.
As your state representatiave, I travel throughout the Ozarks giving me a great opportunity to meet many new people, and I’m constantly surprised at how many new folks I meet that have recently moved to our state. This growth helps keep our real estate market strong as well as brings additional purchasing dollars into our local economy. Most importantly, it also brings a lot of new, talented, and friendly people to our communities. I encourage all of our native sons and daughters to extend our famous Ozark hospitality and welcome all of our new friends to our state.
Recently and for several years, my family and I have participated in the annual Willow Springs Fourth of July parade. Willow Springs has one of the best parades in the region, and volunteers always do a great job organizing this patriotic event. You should check it out next year and enjoy the festivities.
To wrap up this Report, Governor Parson will be signing several bills this week giving final approval to the legislation, and I’ll be heading back to Jefferson City to attend the signings. As Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, I’m happy to report that we worked hard this year on several justice improvement issues, which will be finally passed with the Governor’s signature. These include changes to both our adult and juvenile justice system, rules of evidence, orders of protection, and school bus safety to name a few. I’ll try to highlight several of the new provisions in coming weeks.
I look forward to continuing to represent your common sense, conservative values. Please let me know If you have concerns and suggestions. If you would like to schedule a specific time to meet locally or at the Capitol, please call my office at 573-751-1455, or email my office at david.evans@house.mo.gov.
