With the legislative session taking a week-long hiatus for spring break, we sat down with five of the new freshmen legislators to discuss their perspectives after working in the Capitol for the first half of session.
The fifth and final piece in this Q&A series features five questions with Rep. Hannah Kelly, R-Mountain Grove.
The Missouri Times: What have you taken from the world of real estate into the Capitol?
Rep. Hannah Kelly: The biggest thing I would say is the art of negotiation. I was just in a committee hearing that I have to go back and finish after session today and reminded everybody in the middle of some quite lively debate that maybe the bill before us isn’t the perfect answer, but it’s high time we all start staying focused more on coming together to find out what the answer is and not just keep the bill or pitch it. Not be afraid to come to the table and compromise a bit. Someone said once that a great compromise sometimes leaves everybody a little bit unhappy, but it’s still a good compromise.
TMT: Is there anything about life and work in the Capitol that has surprised you since you started here a few months ago?
Kelly: You know, in today’s media, politicains can be spun often as horrible people, and the thing that I probably have taken from thsi journey so far in the biggest way is that there are some incredible, incredible people that walk these halls. We don’t always agree on everything, but this truly is a family of people that have the best interests of Missouri at heart, even though sometimes our views of what’s best is different. It truly is a room full of people when I walk into the chamber that has common goals and are here to truly serve.
TMT: You’re from one of the most conservative and Christian parts of the state and some of the legislation you have filed concerns religious liberty, so why does that issue stick out to you so much, and what more needs to be done to protect religious liberty in the state?
Kelly: When I was presented the opportunity to carry that legislation, I looked at it as a twofold view. Number one, I want to take every opportunity to learn this process well because I wanted to have many opportunities to represent my people well in the future. But secondly, if I protect all religious liberties, then mine is protected as well, yours is protected as well, no matter what faith we hold. It’s something that’s very near and dear to my heart. My faith is an integral part of my life. I have a position and an opportunity to protect myself but mroeso all of those around me that take their faiths into their different walks of life and cherish it just as equally as I do.
TMT: You grew up on a farm, and there’s no shortage of farmers in the General Assembly, but you’re a younger farmer. How does that shape your world view, but also your role in the Legislature?
Kelly: Just to clarify, my family farms, I don’t current live on a farm, but we run beef cattle and my siblings and I do. I have five brothers and sisters, and agriculture is important to me for a number of reasons, but part of it being it’s established the core of who I am today, part and parcel along with my faith and so many other things. I became who I am today because it taught me the value of hard work, the value of the freedom we have here in Missouri. And the affordability to live, as a realtor, I’ve seen people across the country wanting to farm because they can actually do it without overregulation, they can do it and not break the bank. My goal is to preserve that and preserve the agriculture aspect that I enjoy for the people who want to come here and for future generations.
That means protecting private property rights and making sure we’re protecting local control at every opportunity possible. At the same time as a state, we need to be watchful of when citizens constitutional rights are being taken away. This is a total jump of the issue, but the example would be the St. Louis sidewalk situation where protestors are told they can’t go on the sidewalk. That’s the biggest violation free speech in regards to the abortion sanctuary subject in St. Louis. I’m all for local control, but that is an egregious attack on free speech rights. And I feel like my job, as I told a group of women yesterday… our job here is to protect and preserve the Constitution because if we do that we protect the rights of individuals. One of my favorite sayings is that it’s easier to build strong children, then it is to repair broken men. But our job here is to repair the broken economic situations, the broken family structures, and support, build up and give strength to what is our current and future generations of leaders. I want to be about the people.
TMT: What kind of legislator do you want to become?
Kelly: I want somebody, you or anyone, and most importantly the people in my district to say, “You know what, I don’t always agree with Hannah, but she’s ready to communicate why she made a decision. She’s always ready to communicate why she believes in the decisions she made and the principles that she holds, and she cares about me. She cares about my interests, she cares about my future and she cares about how to make it better.” I want to be known as a person who truly cares, because it’s not about the title, it’s about the reason why you’re here. At the end of the day, as someone eloquently told me yesterday, this building and all of this stuff isn’t what makes the government. It’s the body and the representation of the people.
