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The 1st Regular Session of the 95th General Assembly adjourned Friday, May 15, 2009
Below, an Excerpt from Rep. Denison's Subsequent
May 18, 2009, Capitol Report |
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At 6 o’clock on Friday evening, the 1st Regular Session of the 95th General Assembly adjourned. A session that began with deep nationwide economic turmoil has concluded with many questions about our economic future still unanswered. Unlike no other sessions, this year we faced questions that divided legislators along unusual philosophical lines. The 4 billion dollars passed on to the state through the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act offered challenges and often blurred the decision-making of many legislators. Once equipped with this “free” money, many legislators began to advocate for the expansion of government programs and the growth of state welfare while some of us continued to hold the line on taxes, wasteful spending, and government expansion. We decided to dedicate the session to helping Missouri’s families with passage of a number of reforms as part of our “Family Recovery Plan.”
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From the News Leader May 17, 2009
Denison pushes through road laws
Chad Livengood • News-Leader • May 17, 2009
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In order to fully utilize federal economic stimulus money, Missouri lawmakers had to tweak some laws to streamline the process of repairing and building new roads and bridges. To make more road construction jobs "shovel ready," state Rep. Charlie Denison, R-Springfield, sponsored House Bill 359, which authorizes the Highways and Transportation Commission to enter into three single-bid design-build projects. On May 5, Denison's bill gained final passage in the House, 144-14. It now goes to Gov. Jay Nixon for approval. This will allow the commission to worker with a single contractor to bid out an entire project at once, rather than collect numerous individual bids for various parts of the job.
The change in law was needed to allow the Department of Transportation flexibility to take on big infrastructure projects quickly, using federal stimulus dollars. "Use it or lose it" provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act require states to spend the roadwork money quickly, Denison said. The legislation also increases the highway commission's bonding capacity in order to condense projects that normally have to be spread over multiple years because of caps on borrowing. The state needs to borrow money up front to get projects going before it can be reimbursed by the federal government.
"You can start them faster and take larger jobs," Denison said.
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Rep. Denison's Legislation That Passed
(Click on a billnumber below for complete information about that bill) |
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(Sponsored) The major transportation legislation that I sponsored passed the legislature on May 5th and is now awaiting the governor’s signature. Throughout session we worked hard to pass this legislation that will allow MODOT to tackle large projects and put Missourians to work, while cutting the length and cost of these projects. The bill received broad bipartisan support throughout the process as the legislature recognized that design-build contracts will be an extremely important step in putting Missourians to work. |
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(Co-Sponsored) A bill that I co-sponsored with Rep. Ryan Silvey (R-Clay) passed the legislature on May 13 and, with the signature of the governor, will become law. This bill represents a major reform to a long-standing tradition of political cronyism in the awarding our state fee offices. For years, political allies and campaign contributors of the governor were given control over our state licensing offices. This year, we passed this reform that will give these offices not to political cronies, but rather our local charities. |
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(Co-Sponsored) Contains many provisions designed to help senior citizens |
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(Co-Sponsored) Relating to veterans benefits |
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(Co-Sponsored) Designates the first week of March as “Math, Engineering, Technology, and Science (METS) Week” |
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(Co-Sponsored) Reforms the way in which the State Treasurer makes investments |
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(Co-Sponsored) Allows group insurance for sole-proprietors and self-employed individuals. |
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