Our Opinion: Session is gearing up, so have your say

Your state representatives and senators already are laying out their priorities in the form of prefiled legislation at the Capitol.

State law says bills can be prefiled beginning Dec. 1, and recently, it was reported lawmakers had prefiled more than 300 proposed law changes and 18 proposed constitutional amendments during the early hours when prefiling of bills is allowed through last Monday evening.

By Thursday evening, those numbers had climbed a little — to 336 bills and 21 proposed amendments.

Rep. Rocky Miller, R-Lake Ozark, would change the laws regarding any required parental notification for a minor to obtain an abortion.

Sen. Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, would give intervenors in a court case — including insurance companies — the same rights as defendants already have in that case.

State Rep. Sara Walsh, R-Ashland, wants to extend the deadline for Missouri’s DNA Profiling Analysis Fund to receive money collected by the courts, to Aug. 28, 2029.

Those are among the dozen bills already filed by our Mid-Missouri delegation of lawmakers.

None of the prefiled bills will be filed officially until they are read into the record on the first day of the 2019 legislative session, which begins Jan. 9.

Are the bills being filed ones that you would like to become state law? Or do you have different priorities?

Your state lawmakers work on your behalf, making decisions each year about not only laws that affect people in our state, but determining what programs get a piece of the funding pie.

Are there programs that need more funding? Programs that should have their funding cut?

Now is the time to start letting your elected representatives know how you feel. Paid lobbyists aren’t shy about pushing their agendas, and neither should you.

It’s your state, with a government funded in good measure by your taxes.

So contact your state representative, senator, even Gov. Mike Parson’s office, and let them know your priorities for the upcoming session.

Central Missouri Newspapers