BOB RUBINO

The Missouri State General Assembly failed the citizens of this State. In the last legislative session, which ended May 14^th, 2011, the Senate and House Leaderships said they would concentrate their efforts on improving the State’s economic climate. They waited until the last few hours of the session before trying to forge an economic / jobs creation plan for the State. Their last minute attempt to strike a deal on a jobs develop package backed by the governor failed.

We are in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Our unemployment rate in Missouri has hovered around 9% for the past 2 years. You would believe a jobs creation bill should be a high priority for our Legislators.

The Republicans have controlled the Missouri Senate since 2001 and the House of Representatives since 2003. Even with their overwhelming majorities the Republicans could not come together to overhaul economic development programs and to pass an incentive program to build an airfreight hub in St. Louis, which could greatly improve the job creation climate and boost foreign investments in Missouri.

The St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association president, Dick Fleming, was so upset with the Missouri Legislature’s failure to pass economic development legislation he said: “It’s hard to image that we as a region and a state want to go another year with nothing happening on comprehensive economic development legislation….  The rest of the country is eating our lunch.”

To address this failure Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Rob Mayer, R-Dexter, at the end of the regular legislative session talked with Governor Nixon about calling a special legislative session. Nixon responded that he would not call a Special Session until the Legislators reached consensus on a specific plan that could help spur the economy.

After waiting more than month for the House and Senate Leaders to get back to him, Governor Nixon invited them to a meeting to work together on an economic development compromise. Both House Speaker Steve Tilley and Senate President Pro Tem Rob Mayer issued a joint statement informing the Governor not to call them; they would call the Governor when they were ready.

Personally I am tired of the inability of the Missouri House and Senate Republican caucuses to work together and address the high unemployment rate in Missouri. To wait to the last few days of the regular legislative session to attempt to forge jobs creation legislation and then fail is unacceptable. Please contact your State Senator and Legislator and express your thoughts on their failure.