JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Sen. Lauren Arthur encouraged lawmakers to work together and take immediate action to improve Missourians’ lives through wage increases for state employees, capping the cost of insulin, and closing the domestic violence gun loophole.
Arthur, a Democrat from Clay County, provided the response to Gov. Mike Parson’s State of the State Wednesday for her caucus. Parson’s address largely focused on how Missouri’s economy is doing well and the state is poised to make investments with both federal and general revenue funds.
Arthur said her caucus is focused on making communities safer, improving schools, making health care more affordable, and improving the economy. She said Democrats will work this year to protect voting rights and education funding as well as pass a balanced budget and work on bipartisan legislation.
“Too often, a majority of legislators have embraced ideas that cater to political extremes. That approach has come at the expense of our state — and all of us,” Arthur said. “There is so much we can achieve if we choose to leave behind fanaticism and the petty bickering that too often defines modern politics.”
Republicans, Democrats, and conservatives in the upper chamber have been at odds with one another as session got underway this year. The different factions are angered by what they feel is a lack of honesty or respect from opposing sides.
Still, Arthur’s message Wednesday was one of hope and bipartisanship.
“Let’s take our record budget surplus and invest in things that will last long after each of us is gone. From roads and bridges to our college campuses to job training for workers, there are things we can improve right now that will last well into the future,” Arthur said.
“Let’s find the courage to make certain that the state of our state is and will be one of prosperity where every Missourian is healthy, safe, and successful,” she said.
Kaitlyn Schallhorn was the editor in chief of The Missouri Times from 2020-2022. She joined the newspaper in early 2019 after working as a reporter for Fox News in New York City.
Throughout her career, Kaitlyn has covered political campaigns across the U.S., including the 2016 presidential election, and humanitarian aid efforts in Africa and the Middle East.
She is a native of Missouri who studied journalism at Winthrop University in South Carolina. She is also an alumna of the National Journalism Center in Washington, D.C.
Contact Kaitlyn at kaitlyn@themissouritimes.com.
