March 21, 2012

As Old Man Winter and Mother Nature battle back and forth this week trying to decide if we remain in the chill of a season nearly spent or in a season of blossoms and flowers or somewhere in between, we look forward to celebrating a March Madness weekend over the next few days complete with Caucuses, St. Patrick's Day and plenty of hoops on the hard court. As for the High Holy Day of the Irish, although St. Patrick's Day was originally a Catholic holiday and feast day in the 17th century named after one of the patron saints of Ireland, this day has clearly become a national celebration of Irish culture complete with parades and festivities of all shapes and sizes. Enjoy this taste of Spring we are blessed to have over this Irish holiday weekend!

Legislative Spring Break

Spring Break covers this week in the Legislature. Therefore, with the Legislature not in Session, your pocketbooks and all of your liberties are safe and secure! It is also great to be home and spending time with family and friends. There are always items to be taken care of with Doctor's appointments; having an opportunity to get my taxes prepared; and all the jobs and errands associated with maintaining a home. Since the beginning of the 2012 Legislative Session, we have focused primarily on the Blueprint for Missouri and we continue to build on that effort. As we near the mid-point, we have accomplished 70 percent of the priorities we set out to achieve this year. We will continue working to complete this common sense plan that benefits all taxpayers well so we can have the strongest state possible. When we return from our break next week, the State Budget will be waiting for its final adjustments and debate on the House Floor.

Lastly, What a wonderful event at the Opera House in Kennett. The Cotton Conference was well attended and all the work and time by those involved is greatly appreciated. I feel we not only have the best cotton farmers in the state of Missouri, but in all the United States. Congratulations to Cyril Owen on receiving a distinguished honor award, he is very deserving.

The Kennett Girl and Boy Scouts visited the Capitol on Friday, March 16th. It was a beautiful day for them to tour the grounds of our great Capitol, and everyone had a wonderful experience here in Jefferson City!

As always, it is an honor to serve you in the Missouri House. If you would like to discuss any issue, please call 573-751-3629. You can also email me at Kent.Hampton@house.mo.gov. I look forward to hearing from you.