By Jamie Burger
JEFFERSON CITY – The pace in the Missouri Senate accelerated this week with nearly a full week of public hearings and more proposals being referred to committees. Hearings are where legislators get down to the business of vetting proposals by questioning the sponsor about the main points of the bill, listening to data and feedback from experts, and hearing from those who will be impacted by the law.
While none of my bills had scheduled hearings this week, I got my feet wet in the upper chamber serving as vice chair during hearings of the Senate Agriculture, Food Production and Outdoor Resources Committee, as well as the Emerging Issues and Professional Registration Committee. The chair of the Ag Committee and I both represent the great southeast Missouri in the Senate and will have an interesting perspective to share during conversations that affect farmers and ranchers, both in the Bootheel region and across the state.
In addition to these leadership roles, I’ll serve on the Gubernatorial Appointments and Local Government, Elections and Pensions committees for the remainder of the 103rd General Assembly. The Gubernatorial Committee held its first round of Senate confirmation hearings this week to screen the candidates the governor has recently appointed to serve in departmental leadership roles or on statewide commissions.
To date, I have filed 18 pieces of legislation. My top three bills have all been referred to committees, and I introduced several new measures on the floor this week. One will further protect female athletes by repealing the 2027 sunset date on the law that prohibits biological males from competing in women’s sports. I was a strong supporter of this 2023 legislation when I served in the House, and I am hopeful we can permanently remove the expiration date on the law this session. The other, Senate Bill 594, will require all Missouri public and charter schools to display the 10 Commandments in each classroom and building. My hope with this signage is to counteract some of the negative imagery and influence that bombards our children on social media and reinforce Christian values in our schools.
Rosary March for Life
On the annual observance of the National March for Life on Jan. 19, I was honored to address a group of proud pro-life advocates who gathered in our community to pray, rally and organize. The passage of Amendment 3 may have set the group’s momentum back a bit, but it did not silence our voices or block our will to defend the unborn. My favorite attendee was Vera Grace, who came to the march with her family and helped craft the homemade sign below.
