Eric Burlison spoke to the CCRCC last night.  His inspiring words taught of a time I had never learned from my history classes growing up.  But "An Appeal to Heaven" is something we all should be aware of. 
The pine tree was much sought after by the crown of England... These mighty trees towering 150 feet in the air and straight as an arrow were used for masts on sailing ships.  The crown claimed all suitable pines as their own by marking with a broad white arrow thus identifying them as the Kings Woods.  The early settlers had struggled to make America their home and claimed their properties by the sweat of their brow.  And yet now the King of England was claiming their lands.
In 1772 a British Sheriff and his Deputy were sent to arrest a mill owner who was processing the Kings trees.  The mill owner beat them soundly and forced them out of town to a jeering crowd.

The early settlers were aware of John Locke's second treatise which stated if man has redress against a neighbor or any man he is to go to the mayor or judge, if he is unable to get redress he may go to the governor, and if the governor fails he can go to the King.  But if the King fails, where is he to go?  He must seek redress from the powers of Heaven. 

It was thus for these early settlers, their actions were a precursor to the Boston Tea Party and to the Battles of Lexington and Concord.  Colonel Joseph Reed suggested using the pine tree on a field of white with the words "An Appeal to Heaven" to be hoisted on colonial warships an ironic symbol to the British who sought these tall pines.  And perhaps we too must make the same Appeal to Heaven as we seek to maintain our constitutional rights.

Eric Burlison is running for Missouri Senate.

...It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.
- Seneca
To maintain our freedoms we must do the difficult...

The Lincoln Days Dinner 2017 was a raining success!!! Or is it better to say a wonderful success despite the rain...
The Country Club was very accommodating...  The speakers inspiring.  A thanks to our former CCRCC Pres. Alec Wade, followed by Jared Taylor's update on what has been accomplished in Jefferson City this new year, followed by Lynn Morris and his tribute to Peter Kinders faith and caring work ethic, and  an inspirational talk by Jay Wasson  about the "right to work" and the possibilities for healing and bringing prosperity to our state.

The keynote speaker Peter Kinder reminded us of the mighty Pres. Lincoln, whose birthday we celebrate, and his second inaugural speech about healing after the war, "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."  How apropos at this time.

Finishing his speech with a quote from Ronald Reagan's A time for choosing speech "The Founding Fathers knew a government can't control the economy without controlling people. And they knew when a government sets out to do that, it must use force and coercion to achieve its purpose. So we have come to a time for choosing."

What a privilege to hear such men, with intent to make our state better, stronger and maintain the freedoms with which we have been blessed by our Creator.

Just 5 more days till our Lincoln Days Dinner and Auction!
The Christian County Republicans
Annual Lincoln Day Dinner & Auction
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Fremont Hills Country Club
1953 Fremont Hills Drove
Nixa, MO 65714
5:30 pm  Meet & Greet
6:00 pm Dinner
Tickets $25 per person by April 24, 2017
$35 per person after April 24th & at the Door
Table of 8: $200
Sponsorship of $150 - includes 2 tickets and name in the program
Sponsorship of $300 - includes 4 tickets and name in the program 
 
  Items are needed for the Auction.  Contact a CCRCC member.
Contact any CCRCC Member for Tickets. 
Ginny Wade:  634-0165 for information
 

Lincoln Days Guest Speaker:  Peter Kinder

...We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”
Benjamin Franklin

...apathy and tolerance are the two words used by a die-ing society. ..Aristotle
Let us be vigilant...  Reserve your place at CCRCC's
Lincoln Days Dinner
April 29, 2017
Fremont Hill Country Club!
Be part of the answer to solve our countries problems!

Jered sent this update:
House Approves Paycheck Protection (HB 251) Last Thursday the House passed legislation that I introduced, by a vote of 95-60, HB 251, commonly referred to as "paycheck protection." It would allow union members to ensure their dues aren’t used for political purposes they oppose.
The bill is meant to give public employee union members the right to opt-in annually to have their dues automatically deducted from their paychecks. The current system requires a public employee to opt-out. If they fail to do so, their dues are automatically deducted.
Specifically, the bill would require annual written or electronic consent from a public employee before any amount could be withheld from the employee’s earnings for the payment of any portion of dues, agency shop fees, or other fees paid to a public labor organization. The legislation also would require public employee unions to obtain annual written or electronic consent in order to spend a portion of the fees on political activities.
In addition, the bill is designed to increase transparency by requiring public labor organizations to maintain financial records identical to those required by federal law. The reports must be made available to employees in a searchable electronic format.
The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration. The Missouri General Assembly approved a similar bill last year, but the legislation was vetoed by the previous governor. The current governor is expected to sign this year’s version of the bill into law if it reaches his desk.



Taylor Appointed Chair of SubcommitteeI was appointed this week to a Subcommittee on Boards and Commissions to investigate the the excessive boards and commissions throughout the state, established in state statute. Currently there are over 500 boards and commissions and the goal is to reduce these by 50%.





Right-to-Work Legislation Signed into LawMissouri will now become the nation’s 28th Right-to-Work state as Governor Eric Greitens recently SB 19 into law. This week the governor traveled to Springfield and Poplar Bluff before returning to Jefferson City for a series of ceremonial bill signings to tout the benefits of the new law that will take effect August 28.
As Greitens told a group of legislators and onlookers before signing the bill in the State Capitol, “Passing Right-to-Work sends a very clear message that the people of Missouri are ready to work and Missouri is open for business.”


House Approves Bill to Create Blue Alert System (HB 302 & 228)In an effort to ensure law enforcement officials quickly receive the information they need to apprehend individuals who injure or kill peace officers, the Missouri House approved legislation this week to create a Blue Alert System. The system is one of the priorities of Governor Eric Greitens, who included $250,000 in funding in his budget proposal to establish the system.
Similar to the Amber and Silver Alert systems, the Blue Alert system would send out identifying information such as a physical description of the suspect and the suspect’s vehicle. Twenty-seven states already have a similar system in place. Specifically, the bill would establish the Blue Alert System to aid in the identification, location, and apprehension of any individual or individuals suspected of killing or seriously injuring a local, state, or federal law enforcement officer. The bill would require the Department of Public Safety to coordinate with local law enforcement agencies and public commercial television and radio broadcasters to effectively implement the system.
Supporters say Missouri would benefit from its own system so that it can better protect the brave men and women who protect communities across the state. The sponsor of the bill noted the legislation’s bill number, 302, is in honor of an officer who was seriously injured in the line of duty. Ballwin police officer Michael Flamion, whose badge number is 302, was shot and paralyzed from the neck down during a traffic stop in July of 2016.
 


House Approves Legislation to Ensure Fairness in Public Construction (HB 126)The members of the Missouri House approved legislation this week meant to put an end to project labor agreements (PLAs) and ensure a fair and competitive bidding process for public works projects in Missouri. In effect, the bill would ban PLAs, which ensure public works contracts are almost exclusively awarded to union contractors or contractors who agree to labor union demands.
Supporters of the bill say it is important to make the bidding process for taxpayer-funded projects competitive and fair so that Missourians will get a better return on their tax dollars. They also point out that PLAs raise the cost of construction on average by 18 percent.
The sponsor, who noted that 86 percent of the workforce is non-union, said, “With the current system we see contracts awarded to union labor with a price tag that is significantly higher than what would be paid for non-union labor. When you exclude the majority of your construction work force from the bidding process, which is what PLAs do, it’s impossible to say it’s a fair and competitive system that makes good use of our tax dollars.”
If approved by both chambers and signed into law, Missouri would join 23 other states that have already enacted laws to limit or prohibit PLAs.
 


House Removing Burdensome Regulations for Hair Braiders (HB 230)The Missouri House took action this week to reduce the burdensome regulations placed on hair braiders. Both Governor Greitens and House leadership have made it a priority to reduce the number of regulations that too often stifle economic development in the state. The legislation passed this week simply specifies that hair braiders do not have to obtain a cosmetology license in order to earn a living.
Currently in Missouri, hair braiders have to obtain a cosmetology license that requires thousands of hours of training that is not relevant to the practice of braiding. Supporters have noted that hair braiders are required to complete 1,500 hours of training while a real estate agent needs only 72 hours, and an emergency medical technician needs only 100. As the sponsor of the bill noted, “This destroys economic opportunity and rigs the system against predominantly lower and middle-class minority women.”
The bill approved by the House specifies that the practice of cosmetology cannot include hair braiding. It does require all individuals engaging in braiding to first register with the State Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners. However, the purpose of the registration is only to maintain a listing of individuals who engage in hair braiding for compensation. It does not authorize the board to license or regulate the practice of hair braiding in any way.
The bill also requires the board to prepare a brochure containing information regarding infection control techniques for hair braiding that must contain a self-test with questions. An individual engaged in the practice of hair braiding is required to complete the self-test and make it available upon request.




Honoring Missouri's HeroesMembers of the Missouri House and Senate took time this week to honor Missouri’s military service members. Many of the state’s top military officials made their way to the State Capitol to be recognized for their service during Military Appreciation and Awareness Day. Hosted by the Missouri Military Preparedness and Enhancement Commission, the annual event is meant to highlight the significant contributions and sacrifices of military service members and the importance of the economic impact that military installations have on the state of Missouri.
Visitors included Major General Steve Danner, Missouri Adjutant General; Major General Kent Savre with Fort Leonard Wood; Brigadier General Paul Tibbets with Whiteman Air Force Base; and Mr. Ed Donaldson, Deputy Chief of Staff for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. The day’s events included a combined Senate and House reception in the Senate mezzanine, and a joint meeting of the Senate and House Veterans Committees. The military leaders also were honored in the House Chamber and had the opportunity to address the members of the House.
During the day, House members were able to learn more about the economic impact the military has on the state. With more than 95,000 Missourians who work in defense-related jobs, several military installations, and dozens upon dozens of military vendors and suppliers, the military industry has a significant impact on the state’s economy. In fact, for every $1 invested into the state’s military, $2.50 is generated in Missouri goods and services. Overall, the $14 billion per year in military spending over the past three fiscal years has resulted in an average of $32 billion per year in goods and services being purchased from Missouri companies and 183,000 jobs per year created in the state.
Also during Military Appreciation Day, the governor launched a new program to help returning veterans find quality jobs. Governor Greitens and Major General Kent Savre signed a Memorandum of Agreement outlining a workforce initiative for service members and their spouses. Under the new agreement, the Missouri Division of Workforce Development (DWD) and the Army will cooperate to better connect military men and women entering the civilian workforce with Missouri businesses offering apprenticeships that could lead to full-time employment.


 
Committees I Have been Assigned To 

• Budget
  • Vice Chair of Appropriations - General Administration
• General Laws
• Special Committee on Government Oversight
• Chair of Subcommittee on Boards and Commissions

 


Bills I’ve SponsoredHB 250: This bill increases the fines for any person convicted of chasing, pursuing, taking, transporting, killing, processing, or disposing of certain wildlife in violation of the Missouri Conservation Commission's rules and regulations may be required to pay restitution to the state. The moneys collected will be transferred to the State School Moneys fund.
HB 251: (Passed the House by a vote of 95-60)This bill requires authorization for certain labor unions to use dues and fees to make political contributions and requires consent for withholding earnings from paychecks, also known as Paycheck Protection.
HB 252: This bill adds to the offense of endangering the welfare of a child in the first degree the knowing ingestion, injection, consumption, inhalation, or other usage of a narcotic drug or controlled substance without a prescription or in contravention to a valid prescription while the person is pregnant and knows or reasonably should have known she is pregnant.
HB 630: (Referred to General Laws) This bill addresses the dangerous "Gun Free Zones" throughout the state. It makes changes to the list of locations an individual can carry a concealed firearm within this state and the list of locations an individual with a concealed carry permit can carry a concealed firearm within the state.
HB 686: This bill requires any non-food product sold in the Missouri State Capitol Building to be made in the United States.
HB 687: This bill will prohibit the State Board of Education from making any substantive changes to any assessment test developed in accordance with Section 160.518, RSMo, and from eliminating its administration until schools have administered the test to students for five consecutive years unless such revision or elimination of a test is required in order to comply with federal law.
HJR 28: Upon voter approval, this Constitutional amendment phases out the individual income tax and replaces it with an expanded sales tax.
 Missouri’s No Call List LawThe Missouri’s No Call Law has been expanded to cover personal cell phones in addition to residential land lines.  Missourians may now register their cell phone numbers by going to www.ago.mo.gov or by phone at 1-866-662-2551. 
 

“I apprehend no danger to our country from a foreign foe. Our destruction, should it come at all, will be from another quarter. From the inattention of the people to the concerns of their government, from their carelessness and negligence, I must confess that I do apprehend some danger. I fear that they may place too implicit a confidence in their public servants, and fail properly to scrutinize their conduct; that in this way they may be made the dupes of designing men, and become the instruments of their own undoing. Make them intelligent, and they will be vigilant; give them the means of detecting the wrong, and they will apply the remedy.”
Daniel Webster