Pub. 1 2021 Issue 1

8 | The Show-Me Banker Magazine MIBA LOBBYING REPORT NEW MEMBERS The 2021 edition of the Missouri General Assembly is underway. Forty-nine new State Representative and 11 new State Senators were sworn in Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, at noon. There is new leadership in the House, a new Speaker of the House: Rob Vescovo, (R) from Jefferson County, and a new Majority Floor Leader, Dean Plocher, (R) from St. Louis County. Leadership in the Senate remained the same with Dave Schatz, (R) Sullivan, reelected as President Pro-Tem and Caleb Rowden, (R) Columbia, reelected as Major- ity Floor Leader. The early focus of the session is on the budget. While revenues are expected to meet the needs of the current fiscal year (FY 2021), Revenues for Fiscal Year 2022, which begins July 1, 2021, are projected to be $418M short, meaning severe cuts that could include some sacred cow pro- grams. Another round of federal COVID relief dollars that allows states more discretion on how they can spend the money could relieve the budget pressure, but nothing is a sure thing at this writing. We are currently tracking several issues and will report on their progress in the coming editions. We thank you and the staff at MIBA for their contin- ued confidence in our abilities to represent your organization before theMissouri Legislature. Stay safe out there! ■ Andy Arnold Arnold & Associates Creative Planning is a fee-only comprehensive wealth management firm. We act as fidu- ciaries 100% of the time, and the benefit of our legal obligation to only act in the client's best interest means they will always receive quality advice when it comes to all wealth management matters: Investments, Tax, Legal, Trust Services, etc. ■ La Macchia Group is a consultative design/build firm with expertise in strategic plan- ning, space planning, real estate, branding and technology integration. Since 2002, the company has been wholly focused on the financial services industry, working as an end-to-end partner with clients across the country to deliver exceptional customer experiences and solid ROI. I specialize in removing the stress and uncertainty people have in your financial life. I work with bankers who want to have a significant impact on the legacy of their family name and community. For example, I worked with bankers recently on how they can leave a legacy for their children, grandkids, great-grandkids, and future generations beyond that. I also work with banks on executive benefits and key person plans to keep their best employees and work with ownership on the role that bank-owned life insur- ance can play in their general account.