Sen. K urt Sc haef er Kurt Schaefer (R-Columbia) represents the 19th District — Boone and Randolph counties — in the Missouri Senate.
What are the most important issues coming up in the 2010 legislative session that will affect the Columbia economy?
With Missourians facing doubledigit unemployment and tighter budgets at home, the Legislature must focus on job-creating initiatives. Our focus should be on long-term employment, continued funding for education and job training, and helping to reduce burdens and red tape on small businesses. The outlook is for additional budget cuts next year if Missouri is to live within its means in this current economy. Where do your priorities lie in making the hard decisions to cut funds? When push comes to shove, where will you vote to cut first: higher education, K-12 schools or health care?
Missouri is facing double-digit decreases in state revenue. Couple that with a balanced budget requirement for our state budget, and the governor and state Legislature are going to have to make some very tough decisions. Ultimately, it is the governor who will submit a balanced budget to the state Legislature. When the governor does submit his budget in January, I will look at each program and determine which of his cuts in funding will have the least-negative impact on Missourians. Should the approved state funds for
construction of a new Ellis Fischel Cancer Center remain in limbo to alleviate the budget shortfall? Do you think the funds should be released?
The purpose of the federal stimulus funds was to increase the number of people in the workforce by investing in shovel-ready projects. The Ellis Fischel Cancer Center is not only a shovel-ready project, it will provide expanded teaching opportunities and state-of-the-art cancer treatment to those who need it most and can afford it the least. I strongly disagree with the governor’s withholding of these funds and will continue to work toward ensuring this project is completed. What are your local priorities for Missouri’s unspent federal stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009?
The expansion of Ellis Fischel Cancer Center at the University of Missouri is my top local priority. Should the state issue general obligation bonds to fund higher education building improvements, construction, landscaping and land purchases? How would such a program specifically benefit Columbia?
If done properly, I support placing a statewide bonding proposal on the ballot for a public vote. With the current economic downturn and historically low interest rates,
a sensible bonding proposal could help put Missourians back to work, help the state complete much-needed capital infrastructure improvements, and help provide flexibility to our institutions of higher education at a time when operating budgets are short of cash. Because we are home to the flagship of the University of Missouri system, the Columbia area stands to gain the most from such funds. If the U.S. Congress proceeds with a public option for health insurance in the federal health care legislation while offering states the choice of participating, would you support or oppose Missouri opting out of a government-run health insurance plan?
At this point it is simply too early to make a decision. With the significant differences between the bills in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, it is impossible to know what the final bill will look like. Do you have any proposals for economic development incentives in Columbia and Boone County?
Last session, I sponsored legislation that allowed the Department of Natural Resources to accept federal stimulus funds and disburse those funds as grants for energyefficiency projects. The Columbia landfill, with its new bioreactor and landfill gas-powered generators, is uniquely situated to benefit from
such funds for the generation of sustainable energy and to anchor new and innovative industrial growth in the surrounding area. Columbia can — and should — be at the forefront of Missouri’s energy-efficient industrial future. I intend to work with the city of Columbia, Boone County, Regional Economic Development Inc., local businesses and many others to maximize development of forwardthinking and job-creating projects in and around our community.
“The expansion of Ellis Fischel Cancer Center at the University of Missouri is my top local priority.”