Missouri's governor reached out to legislators on both sides of the aisle Wednesday night in his annual State of the State Address.
Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon used the address to encourage the predominantly Republican legislators to work together to seek solutions to problems facing the Show-Me State. Nixon delivered the annual address to a joint session to the state House and the Senate, which have some of the largest GOP ranks in decades.
"In nearly 30 years of public service, I've learned a lot about the character of the people of Missouri," Nixon said. "We don't expect something for nothing. But give us an opportunity? We roll up our sleeves and get to work. Give us a challenge? We rise to meet it. I have also learned a lot about state government. If we are mired in partisanship, not much gets done. But when we aim high and work together, there is much we can accomplish. Let's show the people we serve that we can rise above partisanship, unite, and move Missouri forward."
Wednesday's address was Nixon's seventh State of the State speech as governor. But for freshman State Rep. Nathan Beard, R-Sedalia, it was his first time to attend the annual event, and Beard was able to sit in prime seats for the evening.
"It looked just like it looks on television," Beard said with a laugh. But he was able to have a memorable view for the evening. "I had a great seat on the aisle and had a good vantage point to see what was going on," he said following the speech.
Beard noted that Nixon started his remarks to the legislature with a promise to work across the aisle and follow values learned at a young age.
"Throughout my life, I have been guided by principles I was taught as a youngster in De Soto" in a Boy Scout troop, Nixon said. "Do your duty to God and your country, help other people at all times and leave things better than you found them. These same principles remain touchstones for service to our great state."
Nixon also made a commitment to work with legislators from both parties. Beard said the governor also made a commitment to go to the legislative chambers and work with members.
"Hopefully it happens," Beard said. "I hope he will communicate with us. If he sticks to that promise it will go a long way and that'll be good." Beard said he was a little skeptical of Nixon's promises -- to work with members of the other political party, to communicate with the state House and Senate, and to work with legislators to achieve goals.
"There were a lot of promises," Beard said. He said Nixon called for increased spending in education, agriculture, and mental health. But the freshman legislator said he was skeptical of the proposed increases in spending being reality.
Beard noted Nixon also included increased funding for veterans in his Wednesday evening address.
"For their courage and sacrifice, our veterans deserve more than gratitude. They deserve to live with dignity and pride. That's why my budget includes the resources to modernize and improve our state veterans' homes, so that they're up to the high standards our veterans deserve. But we need to do more," Nixon said. "Nearly 2,000 Missouri vets are now on a waiting list to get the care they've earned. That's unacceptable."
Therefore, Nixon said he was proposing the construction of a new state veterans home.
"These men and women did their duty to God and country, so that our lives might be better. Now we need to be there for them. Let's work together and get it built," he said.
Beard said such a commitment on the governor's part was important in the Sedalia area and to the region's veterans.
The pomp and circumstance of such an event in the State Capitol was not lost on Beard. He noted that he felt a genuine sense of gratitude during the evening.
"You can't be in that magnificent House chamber and not feel impressed," he said.
Beard, who commutes to Jefferson City for his job in the legislature, drove back to Sedalia following the governor's address, but he said he would be back on the road Thursday for an early morning meeting in the Capitol.
"Now it's time to get to work," he said.
This was Nixon's seventh State of the State Address since his election as governor in 2008. The state constitution forbids any governor from seeking a third term, so Nixon cannot run for re-election in 2016.
(c)2015 The Sedalia Democrat
