Preparing for the 2019 legislative session

The upcoming year is shaping up to be a busy one in Jefferson City – and leadership from the Springfield area will be right in the thick of the action.

Several members of the local delegation to the Missouri House of Representatives have been chosen to serve in leadership roles during the 2019 session:

• Rep. Elijah Haahr (R-Springfield) was selected by the Republican caucus to serve as Speaker of the House
• Rep. Crystal Quade (D-Springfield) has been chosen as the House Minority Leader
• Rep. Sonya Anderson (R-Springfield) will chair the House Republican Caucus
• Rep. Jeff Messenger (R-Republic) will chair Republican Caucus Policy Development

These appointments of Springfield-area representatives to key leadership roles, along with Governor Mike Parson leading the executive branch, demonstrate the continued importance that southwest Missouri plays in the decision-making process at the state level.

The governor, in fact, showed how much he continues to value the input of Springfield leaders when he recently visited the Chamber for a roundtable discussion with board members and local leaders. They discussed a variety of important issues, including workforce development, education, and funding for state infrastructure needs.

And the Chamber continues to offer valuable insight to all of our state decision makers in a variety of ways.

One way is through our annual Legislative Luncheon. This event connects members of our board and volunteer leadership with our local legislative delegation and lets business leaders highlight the Chamber’s priority issues on our legislative agenda for the year. It also provides an opportunity to hear from legislators about their top issues and highlight areas we can work together

Another is the Springfield Metro Partnership Salute to Missouri Legislators, scheduled this year for January 23 in Jefferson City. In cooperation with our fellow members of the Springfield Metro Partnership, this event showcases the Springfield/Branson region before statewide lawmakers and leaders, presenting a unified message on regional priorities.

If you’d like to know more about our legislative priorities for the coming year, our state agenda and federal agenda have both been reviewed and approved by our Board of Directors. The state agenda is available for review now, as is our federal legislative agenda. You can also look over the agenda for the Springfield Metro Partnership.

Thank you once again for your support of our advocacy efforts to make Springfield a great place to do business!