A veteran Missouri lawmaker who will be a senior in the Missouri House in January says lawmakers need to find out what’s not needed in state government.
State Rep. Ben Baker (R-Neosho) joined us live on 939 the Eagle’s “Wake Up Mid-Missouri”, noting Missouri has an approximately $50-billion state budget:
“There’s always places to cut the fat. There’s always unnecessary regulations and obstacles for doing business, and for even personal freedom,” Rep. Baker says.
Representative Baker hopes to continue to chair the Missouri House Tax Reform Committee in January. The salaries of school superintendents across Missouri are also catching his attention.
“I wonder if the people of Missouri know that there are some public school superintendents that get paid three or four times as much as the governor. Public school administration has grown exponentially yet student numbers and teachers have stayed relatively low,” says Rep. Baker.
He’s encouraging citizen input in Missouri’s upcoming 2025 legislative session, which begins on Wednesday January 8 at high noon, per the state Constitution. Republicans will once again have GOP supermajorities in both legislative chambers, and Governor-elect Mike Kehoe (R) will be in the governor’s Mansion.
You can hear the full “Wake Up” interview with Representative Baker here.
