Among the flurry of legislative activities last week, I’m happy to report my Parents Bill of Rights legislation, Senate Bills 4, 42 & 89, was perfected on Feb. 8.

I’m pleased with the perfected version because it ensures transparency in public schools and reinforces parents’ fundamental right to make decisions regarding the upbringing of their children. This legislation increases transparency between our public schools and parents through the creation of the Missouri Education Transparency and Accountability Portal.

This portal will ensure parents are fully aware of what’s going on in their child’s classroom.

Last week, I also presented two more of my legislative priorities to committees.

On Feb. 3, I presented Senate Joint Resolution 30, a constitutional amendment that would secure Missouri’s elections from out-of-state influences. Our republic was founded on the principle that we are governed by a representative democracy consisting of those chosen through free and fair elections.

In order to secure the future of our republic, I believe it is essential that we restore confidence in our system of elections. The provisions of SJR 30 include requiring paper ballots, certifying all voting machines prior to elections and banning ranked choice voting in Missouri.

At a time when it has never been more important for citizens to know their votes really do matter, ranked choice voting initiatives further erode trust and disenfranchise voters in my opinion.

I concluded last week by presenting Senate Bill 88 to the Governmental Accountability Committee.

It’s no secret that throughout our state one of the most pressing issues we’re facing is the current labor shortage, which continues to impede both businesses and the private sector alike. One of the contributing factors to this is our state falling short on attracting new talent, as is evident by Missouri’s population showing minimal growth over the past decade.

My bill aims to address this problem and make it easier for skilled workers to move here and find employment. This legislation will simplify the licensure process for professionals in Missouri by permitting individuals from other states with three years of work experience in an occupation to apply for a Missouri license.

The annual State of the Judiciary was delivered by Missouri’s chief justice to a joint session in the House chamber on Feb. 8. I enjoyed how simply he explained the role of the judiciary: “We resolve disputes.”

In fact, our state’s court system resolves about 750,000 of these disputes every year, most of which occur in local circuit courts. He also praised Missourians for their faith in the justice system and concluded the speech on a humorous note: “God bless Patrick Mahomes’ right ankle!”

It is an honor serving those who call the 26th Senatorial District home. If you need assistance with navigating state government or the legislative process, please reach out by calling 573-751-3678 or emailing Ben.Brown@senate.mo.gov.