

January 8, 2009 Volume 5, Number 1
In This Issue New Session Inaugural Ball Conservation Commission Decision A Little Bit of Humor… Contact Me *Representative* *Cynthia Davis* 19^th District *Majority Floor Whip* Missouri State Capitol Room 113 201 W. Capitol Ave. Jefferson City, MO 65101 Phone: 573-751-9768 Website http://www.cynthiadavis.net/ E-Mail cynthia.davis@house.mo.gov Committees Interim Committee on Poverty *Chair* Health Care Policy *Vice Chair* Family Services *Vice Chair* Elections State Links State of Missouri *Official Homepage for Missouri State Government* Missouri General Assembly *Official Government Homepage for your Missouri Senator and Representative* House of Representatives *Look up Missouri House Bills – View Entire Text, Summary, and Last Action* Missouri State Senate *Look up Missouri Senate Bills* Attorney General's Office *Consumer Complaints & Fraudulent Activity, No-Call List* Local Links St. Charles County Government City of O'Fallon City of Dardenne Prairie City of St. Peters City of Wentzville City of St. Charles Federal Links Congressman Todd Akin Congressman Kenny Hulshof Senator Kit Bond Senator Claire McCaskill Other Links Missouri State Constitution Missouri State Jobs			The New Session Begins Since I was sworn into office yesterday, you may be wondering what I have accomplished so far. To see a list of bills I have sponsored or co-sponsored, you can click here: Rep. Davis, 2009 Legislation. Unless you are a lawyer or a lobbyist, you probably don’t keep up on all the bills being filed, so here is a link to a comprehensive list of bills filed by all of the representatives: All Representatives, 2009 Legislation. Please bear in mind that most bills are drafted by lawyers in a manner that is legally accurate, but may not be easy to understand. If you find a bill that doesn’t resonate with your viewpoint, do not be too concerned because usually less than 10 percent of all bills filed will be passed into law. Only a small percentage of bills even have a public hearing in committee. Of those that survive the public hearing process, only three bills from each committee are allowed to be offered for full floor debate. Even if a bill can survive the House, the Senate may not take it up. Even if the House and the Senate agree, the bill can be vetoed by the Governor. The legislative road is rough and rocky, filled with potholes and pitfalls. However, it is important to place an idea on the table so it has an opportunity to be considered and debated. *Your thoughts are important to me, so please let me know what you think* *about my legislation. You can send me your opinion by clicking here:* *Cynthia Davis. The Ball Is Monday If you come to the Inaugural Ball, please feel free to stop by my office in Room 113. For the latest information, you can click here: 2009 Inauguration Conservation Commission Listens In November, I published information about the changes to hunting and fishing permit rules proposed by the Missouri Conservation Commission. For those who contacted the Commission directly to express your views, thank you for taking the time. Together we made a difference. Fortunately, the Commission has been responsive to public input and has dropped or modified many of the changes. Several key provisions were stopped entirely: The proposed 80-acre resident landowners requirement to obtain free permits to hunt on their own land, The elimination of lessees’ privileges to obtain free permits to hunt on land that they lease, and Permit price increases. Changes still going forward are: Setting a minimum legal age of six years to obtain some permits, Cutting the cost of youth permits by 50 percent, and Creation of a landowner registry. We all should thank the Conservation Commission for listening to us. During these difficult economic times, any price increase is counterproductive and hurts the innocent hunters who are doing our motorists a favor. A Little Bit of Humor… An irate woman burst into the baker's shop and said, “I sent my son in for two pounds of cookies this morning, but when I weighed them there was only one pound. I suggest that you check your scales." The baker looked at her calmly for a moment or two and then replied, “Ma’am, I suggest you weigh your son." This Capitol Report is a weekly newsletter by Representative Cynthia Davis*, from the 19^th District, covering events in the Missouri Legislature and district-wide issues. J If you know of anyone else who would like to receive my Capitol Report, please send an e-mail to Cynthia.Davis@house.mo.gov with the person’s name and e-mail address. We’ll add them to the list. L If you would like to stop receiving the Capitol Report, email us at Cynthia.Davis@house.mo.gov with “unsubscribe” in the subject line.