Being trusted with a key to the Capitol is one of the fringe benefits of the office of State Representative.

The key and a state pass allows me special access to various points of interest in the Capitol. It is always great fun to take advantage of this benefit and escort friends, family and constituents on a tour. This past Sunday, members of my church family climbed to top of the dome, viewed over the balcony into the House Chambers, and were awe struck by the beauty and color of the art in the Thomas Hart Benton lounge.

However, being a state representative is more than just a tour guide.

This week we gave initial approval to one of our more controversial pieces of legislation. For more than 150 years the St. Louis Police Department was under the control of the state. However, in 2012 voters approved a ballot measure that put the department under the control of the city beginning in 2013. New legislation discussed this week would put the city’s police force back under the control of a state-appointed board of police commissioners

The lead sponsor of the bill noted, “A little over ten years ago the city took control of the police department and campaign promises were made on lowering crime, saving money, and economic growth in the region. We’ve seen the complete opposite. Murders have risen. Crime per capita has risen. The department has been defunded. Officer amount and recruitment has dipped below 1,000. Officers don’t have the equipment or training to perform their job.”

He added, “We consistently rank at the top of the most dangerous cities in the country and in the world.”

Many St. Louis legislators argued for local control. Others presented statistics and argued that St. Louis was less dangerous than cities like Joplin.

The sponsor went on to say, “Lost in all these stats and arguments is the most important thing — people are dying at a rapid pace. Something must be done. This is the start. This will take the politics out of policing and stabilize the department so they can perform the basic job of law enforcement.”

An extremely popular and positive piece of legislation we passed this week limited the Foreign Ownership of farmland. In a vote of 130-3, the House continued to support good bipartisan legislation. The bill would prohibit a foreign business from certain countries from purchasing any land in the state.

Nations on the “Restrictive Country” list in the bill are defined as China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela. The bill encourages friends and allies of the United States to continue cooperating with Missouri-based companies, especially in agriculture research and development.

The bill sponsor told his colleagues his legislation “protects U.S. national security interests while allowing our allies and friends access and opportunity to compete in our diverse economic environment while completely restricting access and opportunities to our enemies.”

By the end of the week we had debated eight major pieces of legislation and moved them on to the Senate.

Speaker Dean Plocher and the leadership in the House are working together to provide a positive environment where good legislation can move efficiently and effectively thru the legislative process.

You’re always welcome to come to the Capitol during the week and observe the legislative process in action. Or, give me a call and I would be happy to tap into those fringe benefits and take you on a Capitol tour.

Our office number is 573-751-6668 and my email is bruce.sassmann@house.mo.gov.

Thanks for reaching out to us.