January 7, 2005

Senators and Republicans were officially sworn in on Wednesday marking the beginning of the 2005 legislative session.

The new administration will take office on Monday and the budget will be announced January 26 th in Blunt’s State of the State message.

Formalities will dominate the next two weeks of the legislature before committee hearings begin and work starts on legislation.

Governor-Elect Blunt Announces 11 Appointments
Governor-elect Matt Blunt is moving quickly to fill the vacancies in his administration - announcing two cabinet, five sub-cabinet, and four gubernatorial staff appointments. Former State Representative Larry Crawford of Centertown has been chosen to head up the Department of Corrections. St. Louis native Dale Finke has been picked to run the Department of Insurance. Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Reynolds is Blunt's choice to lead the State Emergency Management Agency. Keith Fuller has been re-appointed to serve as the Direcor of the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control in the Department of Public Safety. Former State Representative Pat Secrest of Manchester has been tapped to serve as Director of Workers' Compensation in the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Doug Ommen of Jefferson City will serve as Deputy Director and General Counsel in the Department of Insurance. Allison Craighead has been selected to serve as Director of the Division of Professional Registration. Spence Jackson, who has served as Blunt's Communications Director in the Secretary of State's office, will hold the same post in the Governor's office. He'll be joined in the Governor's office by Terry Jarrett - who will serve as Blunt's General Counsel, Omar Davis - who will serve as Deputy General Counsel, and James Harris, who will serve as Director of Boards and Commissions. The appointments of Crawford, Finke, and Craighead are all subject to Senate confirmation.

Next Week
Next week Speaker Jetton and President Pro Tem Gibbons should announce chairmanships and committee assignments. As bills are introduced they will be monitored for impact to our concerns. We are looking forward to a productive session.

[top of page]