My 2009 Legislative Report is hot off the presses and headed to a mailbox near you in the 10th District. If you just can't wait for your very own copy to arrive, you can view the entire report here, including a scorecard of bills I' [...]
UPDATED!!!!
Late last night we scored a victory for tenants who live in houses that are sold as a result of foreclosure. 
When I knocked on doors during my campaign for Senate in 2006, the most common concern raised on doorstep after doorstep, was the condition of the Kansas City Missouri School District. Since my election, the school district has remained in the top 5 concerns raised by my [...] 
It's only Wednesday night, but this has been one of the longest, busiest weeks I've had in Jefferson City. Here's the mid-week recap:
The Senate Rules Committee today heard testimony both for and against SCR 3, a resolution calling on the Missouri General Assembly to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). 
I just received word that the Equal Rights Amendment resolution I filed will be heard in committee Tuesday (February 3). The hearing is before the Rules Committee at 1:00 PM in the Senate Lounge. 
This week Senate President Pro Tem Charlie Shields (R - St. Joe) created the "Senate Select Committee on Oversight of Federal Stimulus Plan." 
The Senate Judiciary committee heard testimony tonight on a child support bill introduced by Senator Jeff Smith (D - St. Louis).
Although it's been a little slow out of the gate, we finally had some movement in the Senate this week and the steady sprint toward May 15 has begun. 
Have you ever wanted to learn more about what exactly legislators do in Jefferson City? Do you have a concern about this year's state budget? Did you ever say to yourself - there ought to be a law . . .?
We had a really short session today. We introduced a few bills, made a few announcements, then hit the road.
The first session of the 95th General Assembly started today at 11:00 AM. For those of you who followed us last season, you will be excited to see we have several returning cast members, but we've also added six new characters who should provide for some exciting' [...] 
State law requires the reading of the Bill of Rights at the start of 
Monday, December 15, 2008. Note -- If you are reading this in order, I skipped days 7 & 8. They were weekend sightseeing days, with no major substantive meetings. I'm running out of time here in China (I'll be home this weekend), so I thought I would [...] 
Friday, December 12, 2008. We started earlier than normal Friday morning. We had a 3-hour bus ride from Hefei to the Fengyang village. Our visit caused quite a stir. Several villagers and the local media were waiting for us at the local historical museum.
Monday, December 8, 2008. This was our first full work day in China. We started the day early at a meeting with the second in command at the China Banking Regulatory Commission. We had a very interesting discussion about how intertwined our economies (U.S. and China) are, [...] 
When we checked into the hotel in Beijing, I was relieved to find this in my closet. It's called the Fire Fighting Filter Type Self-Saving Breather. Here are the instructions:
Actually I bought two mortgage companies. And so did you -- Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac. The federal government's unprecedented bailout of the mortgage giants could cost American taxpayers up to $200 billion (that's with a "b").
The nice woman's voice on the intercom at the airport says we are at orange alert. I followed instructions and got here 4 hours early. No lines. No problems. Just 4 hours to kill. 
I caught this shot of the refuse area behind the Pepsi Center. The volunteers are actually digging through the mountains of trash, pulling out all the recyclables, by hand. Really! [...] Sent from my iPhone [...]
The sun is finally setting behind the stadium. The place is really
filling up.
I'm told there are still thousands of people outside, winding their
way through the security lines.
I don't seem to be able to get any pictures out, so I will post those [...]
Sent from my iPhone [...]
For you Chiefs fans - we are trying to cause as much damage [...]
UPDATE -- shortly after this post I left the Pepsi [...]
Sent from my iPhone [...]
While I'm [...]
Sent from my iPhone [...]
Ok CNN, Chris Matthews, and all you other talking heads -- can we kill
the Clinton drama stories now? We are one party, united.
Sent from my iPhone [...]
Sent from my iPhone [...]
Well - every few minutes people in yellow vests pass the signs down
the rows and tell us to raise them during a specific line from the
speech. The orders come from some [...]
Haven't seen as many rock stars tonight as last night, but it's been a
who's who of Missouri Democratic politics - past and present.
I think it's cool that Claire is sitting with us. I'm [...]
"Four more months!"
Senator Bob Casey, PA
Sent from my iPhone [...]
Sent from [...]
If you are watching mainstream coverage of the convention, you may be
missing some of the best speeches. Try cspan or PBS. You'll see more
convention and fewer talking heads. Better yet - Tivo cspan and [...]
The bus system to and from the convention has worked well so [...]
Missouri in the house!
Last night's convention opener has received mixed reviews from friends and family watching from home, but for those of us here in Denver, it was a blast. The Pepsi Center is bursting with the who's who of the political world. I heard it described this morning as [...] 
So in the few minutes that I watched CNN today, I heard the words "Clinton Drama" at least a dozen times. As a Clinton delegate, on the floor at the convention, I can assure you -- there is no "Clinton Drama" here. This is being manufactured by [...] 
I arrived in Denver this afternoon for the 2008 Democratic National Convention. At first I wasn't sure that I would blog about the convention. After all, it's probably going to be the most blogged event in history. Which led me to the conclusion, that if you [...] 
Child Advocacy day was this week at the Capitol and I had a great visit with some students from Hickman Mills, Ruskin & William Chrisman (Independence) High Schools. I don't know how we did it, but at one point we had at least [...] 
This is from a memo I received this week in Jefferson City:
Yesterday I filed a concurrent resolution calling for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Saturday night I was asked to give a quick speech before President Clinton in Independence.
While the Capitol buzzed with political gossip yesterday those of us in the Senate forged ahead as scheduled, even if it wasn't always business as usual. 
I'm excited about Blog for Choice day, but unfortunately my Senate duties have me tied up in committee hearings and such, so in honor of the day, here are some links to some oldies, but goodies:
On Friday The Missouri Budget Project held a meeting in Kansas City called "What Happens in the Capitol Doesn't Stay in the Capitol . . . How State Budget Decisions Impact You." I attended the meeting along with several dozen of my concerned colleagues from around [...] 
We're back in session and things are busier than ever. We only meet for a few minutes every day, but I'm staying swamped outside of Senate the chamber.
For all you political junkies, there will be a preview of the coming legislative session on the KCUR show Up to Date today at 11:00 AM, 89.3 FM. Senator Bartle and I are both scheduled to appear. Should be good times. If you miss the show [...] 
Two of my favorite boyfriends share a birthday today and since I'm stuck in our state's capital and I don't get to spend the day with them, I want to give them a shout out. I hope you're having a great day! Happy Birthday Jim & Eddie! [...] 
And so tomorrow we start again. The 2008 legislative session gets underway at noon tomorrow (Wednesday). The first few days of session are pretty slow. Kind of like the first few days of class -- we'll get a copy of the syllabus and class will let out [...] 
Every New Year's Eve for as long as I can remember I've hosted some kind of party. As a kid it was usually terrorizing the babysitter while our parents gathered at a house down the street to watch the ball drop on the TV in Times Square. [...] 
A lot of Chinese words don't translate well into English. The result can produce some pretty entertaining signs. Here are a few of my favorites:
