This was a short week because of the weather. Out of an abundance of caution due to the impending winter storm, the members of the Missouri General Assembly briefly paused their legislative activities for the week. Lawmakers held session and participated in public hearings Monday and Tuesday, but canceled scheduled floor sessions and hearings for Wednesday and Thursday. House leadership made the decision with the goal of keeping members and staff safe, as well as to ensure the safety of the many members of the public who travel to the Capitol to attend hearings. The House will return on Sunday, February 6 for a technical session and then will return to its normal schedule on Monday, February 7.
Before the winter storm hit I had some great constituents come and visit us here in Jefferson City. DOCO Workshops from Ava had some of their team and items they make in the workshop on display. I had the chance to visit the workshop earlier and it was one of the most memorable and informational meetings to date. Every worker in the organization was proud to be a part of that team and the different areas of production were pretty amazing: recycling, wood working, screen printing and manufacturing gifts for different holidays. Dawn and Michael Cox do an excellent job running the facility and it truly has a family atmosphere.
Members of the White River Cooperative Board and Staff came by and stated they were moving ahead with providing Broadband if they could get some help with Federal and State Funds. I have always been a huge believer in everyone having some skin in the game and agreed to be of assistance in obtaining those funds. They are only asking for about 5% of the total cost to come from those funds and they are willing to do the rest. That is a huge and beneficial commitment to their members so if you see any of those ladies or gentlemen tell them thank you. Internet access is just as much a necessary utility as electricity and running water in our world today.
Students from Thornfield school made my week. As a former coach it’s always nice to see students that are well behaved and polite. It was certainly apparent that the teachers, staff and administrators from Thornfield impress this on their students. It is refreshing to see young people that actually want to learn about how state government works. Those young people are our future and I can assure that you will be in good hands in the Thornfield area in the future. If you see anyone from the Thornfield school district tell them thank you for doing such a great job with their students. In fact, every school that has come here to date has been delightful. Education is the number one employer in the 155th District and our schools are doing a great job raising the next generation.
If you need any help with anything please don’t hesitate to give us a call, email or stop by the office for a visit.
God bless,
Travis Smith
State Representative, District 155
201 W. Capitol Avenue, Room 110A
Jefferson City, MO 65101
573-751-2042
