Welcome
"As your State Representative, I pledge to serve to my best abilities the citizens of the area, by encouraging what makes this district great. This region of the state has been ignored for a long time - Funding Schools, Indiana's strong reliance on Property Taxes, Personal Rights and Safety as well as Economic Development are some of the few points that need to be addressed. It is time to stand up and make our voice heard."
~Tom Knollman
Updates
Keeping Informed
I love to stay in touch with the folks I represent. In fact, one of my favorite things about being a member of the Indiana General Assembly is the opportunity it gives me to get together with constituents and spend time keeping each other mutually informed on the important issues affecting our community. Legislative breakfasts and other similar events throughout our district give me an opportunity to stay in touch. It's a great perk of the job to meet up with old friends and make new ones at the same time!
On March 16, I was on hand for the Richmond-Wayne County Chamber of Commerce legislative forum at Ivy Tech Community College. About two dozen residents gathered in the school's new auditorium and peppered me with questions and comments about Indiana's future. The next day, I had the pleasure of meeting with citizens at a legislative forum and breakfast hosted by the Union County Farm Bureau (with aid from farm bureaus in Franklin and Fayette Counties). Agricultural issues and state finances dominated the discussion as we talked about much of the pressing business facing lawmakers in the Indiana House of Representatives.
Thomas Jefferson once said, "Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government." I couldn't agree more. I am constantly impressed by how much our community already knows about the various bills and proposals legislators are considering. I think that willingness to stay informed and involved is part of the "secret recipe" that makes America such a great nation. It's something we inherently possess in the process, and we must always be grateful for that opportunity.
I must add, of course, that there is always room for improvement in how our government operates. I have a hard time keeping quiet about my preference that the House adopt a faster pace in considering legislation. I frequently mention this in my radio updates and I've said it in past columns, but I can't emphasize it enough - we waste too much time here at the Statehouse, and I wasn't sent here for that reason. We need to buckle down and get to work!
However, I'm eager to see what happens in the month of April. The General Assembly will be wrapping up the 2007 legislative session on April 29, and we are expecting a lot of long days and late nights as we attempt to finish the people's business. Many of the major issues are going to come before us near the very end of session. It's going to be quite interesting to see how the process ends. Crunch time is definitely coming, and I'm excited for what lies ahead.
<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Next >>
©