It has been a fun summer so far. I have been campaigning for election seven days a week and there are 44 days to go to the election. Most of you know that the same young man I have twice defeated is running against me in the Democratic Primary on August 5th. It is almost like the movie Groundhog Day - the same thing over and over.

The fun part is the door to door campaigning. Each day I walk from door to door talking to people who are registered voters in the district. I have done this before but this time every door I knock on knows who I am. I introduce myself but virtually everyone starts by saying "I know you" and most then go on to say something about how I am doing a good job. It is a terrific boost and I am learning lots about what the citizens are truly concerned about.

We have also been having "meet and greet" type events around the district and those have been going well. Last week we had one in Columbus Park at the Artspace next to LA Sala's Deli. Nice crowd and had time to answer questions and talk in depth with lots of folks.

This week we were in the River Market in one of the loft buildings. We invited all the folks who live in lofts in the River Market area. Almost all younger folks under 30.

Paul LeVota, the Democrat Minority Leader in the Missouri House, showed up and made a nice speech about what a good job I have done in the House and how he wants me reelected to "finish the job." Paul and I were both first elected in 2002 and began our service in the first Democrat class to be the Minority in over fifty years. We have served six years and with term limits can only serve two more years. But, finally, the balance of power is shifting and most people believe the Democrats will gain seats or even retake the Majority. If Democrats retake the House Paul will likely be the Speaker of the House which will give the Kansas City area big time influence in the Legislature.

Sugar Creek Casino hits yet another snag - Gaming Commission Puts Freeze on New Casinos

The group attempting to build a Sugar Creek casino got more bad news this week:

With the possibility that voters this fall might impose a moratorium on new casinos, the Missouri Gaming Commission on June 16 unanimously voted for a self-imposed freeze on issuing new casino licenses. The move thwarts, at least for now, proposals to build a casino in Sugar Creek.

Owners of some of Missouri's existing casinos have filed an initiative petition to put a measure on the Nov. 4 ballot that would eliminate the state's one-of-a-kind casino loss limit of $500 every two hours, slightly boost the gross receipts tax on casinos to 21 percent from 20 percent and cap the number of casinos operating in the state at 13. Missouri currently has 12 casinos with one under construction. The Secretary of State's Office has until early August to determine if the petition has the minimum number signatures needed to make it on the ballot.

BLUNT QUIETLY SIGNS VILLAGE LAW REPEAL

With no public pronouncement or ceremony, Gov. Matt Blunt on June 19 quietly signed a bill repealing a controversial 2007 law that sought to allow a landowner to establish his or her property a village in order to avoid local land use restrictions. The low-key signing was in sharp contract to the high-profile fight to pass the bill that virtually shut down the General Assembly during the final days of the 2008 legislative session.

Unbeknownst to most lawmakers, House Speaker Rod Jetton, R-Marble Hill, slipped the village provision into an omnibus local government bill the General Assembly approved last year. The existence of the provision didn't become known until several months later on the day the bill took effect when agents of Lebanon businessman Robert Plaster, a friend and political supporter of Jetton's, filed paperwork to incorporate Plaster-owned land in Stone County. Villages created under the 2007 law could have existed on paper only with no obligation to offer standard municipal services or meet normal minimum population requirements.

Legislative support for repealing the law was widespread, and the Senate passed SB 765 to do so in February. Jetton stalled the bill for months and then engaged in a series of political maneuvers to kill the measure, which angered many of Jetton's fellow Republicans who for a time considered ousting him as speaker. The repeal bill ultimately cleared the General Assembly on the session's final day.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve.

State Rep John Burnett