Journal of the House

Second Regular Session, 94th General Assembly

SIXTEENTH DAY, Wednesday, February 6, 2008

The House met pursuant to adjournment.

            Speaker Jetton in the Chair.

            Prayer by Reverend James Earl Jackson.

              You alone are the Lord; You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and everything on it, the seas and all that is in them, and You preserve them all.

              As we look to You, we remember the privilege we have of being able to live our lives in the enjoyment of divine favor. We remember the mercy You have shown us in providing for our temporal needs and blessing our willingness to serve.

              You have shown us how to govern and how to serve and they have now become precious commodities. Grant us the ability to do both well.

              Now may these words of ours, in which we make prayer before You, be near You day and night, that You may maintain the cause of Your servants and the cause of Your people as each day may require.

              We ask these things in the name of Your Son. Amen.

            The Pledge of Allegiance to the flag was recited.

            The Journal of the fifteenth day was approved as printed.

            Representative Schoeller assumed the Chair.

MOTION

            Representative Tilley moved that Rule 114 be suspended.

            Which motion was adopted by the following vote:

            Speaker Jetton resumed the Chair.

JOINT SESSION

            The hour of the Joint Session having arrived, the Senate in a body was admitted and Lieutenant Governor Kinder, presiding, called the Joint Assembly to order.

            The Secretary of the Senate called the roll, which showed a majority of the Senators present:

            The Chief Clerk of the House called the roll, which showed a majority of the Representatives present:

STATE OF TRANSPORTATION ADDRESS

by

Pete Rahn

              Lt. Governor, Mr. Speaker, Mr. President Pro Tem, Distinguished State Officials, Members of the 94th General Assembly, Members of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission and Citizens of Missouri:

              The road to credibility is a long one. The road to discredit is not. Credibility takes a long time to build, but it can be torn down in a matter of seconds.

              The road to credibility is paved with openness and honesty; dedication and hard work; success and commitments met; an innovative spirit and efficient approaches. This journey takes years to travel.

              Discredit can come from one misstep. One poor decision. One catastrophic event handled poorly. It is less a journey than a trap door that sends an organization's reputation plummeting.

              In 2003, many Missourians including the General Assembly believed that the trap door had fallen out from under the Missouri Department of Transportation. That is when this speech was created to increase our accountability.

              A law requiring the director of MoDOT to report annually from this dais mandated a level of scrutiny, a level of accountability never before applied to a state agency. We have taken this responsibility seriously and have endeavored to present an enlightening report each year.

              The first address was given in 2004 with a promise that a new day had dawned at MoDOT. In 2005, I reiterated that pledge and further promised that we would be a model for what today's state government should be - efficient, streamlined, forward thinking, results-driven and customer-oriented.

              We have worked hard to become that kind of agency. Our focus has been on delivering results. Rebuilding trust. Demonstrating to you that we are an organization worthy of your support. Each year, during this address, I have reported to you regarding our progress toward these goals. Our progress along the road to credibility.

              The State of Transportation Address was created five years ago with a five-year sunset clause. Dramatic improvement was expected or the General Assembly could extend this accountability measure beyond five years. With that in mind, I am proud to say this is the fifth and final State of Transportation Address!

              I believe the elimination of this speech sends a clear signal that MoDOT has regained its footing and your trust. Five years ago we faced uncertainty, but today there is no doubt - we've come a long way in a short time. A long way down the road to credibility.

              Today, I am happy to report that we have reached our destination. Perceptions have changed and it is now a reality - the state of transportation in Missouri is strong and the state of your Department of Transportation is even stronger. We have regained our credibility and then some. The proof is in the results. Just look how far we have come.

              The result that motivates us everyday is the safety of our citizens. We have gone from a state where an obscene number of our family, friends and neighbors were dying on our roadways to a state that leads the nation in reducing traffic fatalities.

              In 2006, there were 868 fewer deaths on America's roadways. Missouri accounted for 161 of those lives saved. That means that a state that makes up less than 2 percent of the nation's population accounted for 19 percent of lives saved on America's roads. We led the nation in lives saved. That is proof of how far we've come.

              In 2007, the great news continued. Together with the Highway Patrol, the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety and highway safety advocates throughout our state, we experienced 118 fewer deaths on our roads.