THE MRP PLATFORM

Freedom

The people of Missouri should be taxed only to the extent necessary to provide a balanced budget, funding the essential functions of government in a manner that is simple, equitable, and uniform. Missouri families can be trusted to know how to spend their money more wisely than government. Free enterprise and fiscal responsibility go hand in hand. Creating an environment in which high-quality, family-supporting jobs can flourish must be a priority.

Job Creation

We believe the free market creates jobs and allocates resources much more efficiently than government. Extreme and unnecessary federal regulations have stifled innovation, killed jobs, and restrained the economic recovery. Whenever possible, the government should get out of the way and allow entrepreneurs and businesses, small and large, to do what they do best: put Americans back to work.

Therefore, the Missouri Republican Party SUPPORTS:

• Reducing government regulations and restrictions that prevent the creation of jobs and the growth of Missouri businesses.
• Ending forced unionism by enacting a Right to Work law that gives workers the power to decide whether to join and pay dues to a union.
• Enacting a moratorium on new federal regulations to reduce regulatory uncertainty caused by out-of-control federal bureaucracies.
• Reforming the workers’ compensation system to balance the rights of employees and their employers.
• Continued efforts to reduce costly frivolous lawsuits, which may result in killing jobs or harming the economy in other ways.
• Opening new markets for Missouri products.
• Eliminating the Death Tax.
• Eliminating the Alternative Minimum Tax.
• Reducing the overall combined tax burden.
• Revitalizing Missouri’s urban communities through policies that encourage the creation of jobs and economic opportunities in those areas.
• A strong transportation infrastructure because of its importance for jobs and economic development.

Spending & Debt

In recent years, the federal government has seen an unprecedented explosion of debt that will have to be paid off by future generations. This must be reversed. Governments must learn to live within their means—just as Missouri families do every day.

Therefore, the Missouri Republican Party SUPPORTS:

• Passage of a federal Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to be adopted by the states and NOT by constitutional convention.
• Balancing the state budget without increasing taxes.
• Streamlining of government services to avoid duplication at the city, county and state level.
• Continuing to streamline the state and federal government by eliminating fraud, waste and abuse.
• Using technology and improved management principles to deliver the highest quality of government services at the lowest possible cost.
• Keeping and enforcing the Hancock Amendment and electing officials who respect its goals and principles.
• Performance of government functions at the level of government closest to the people who can most efficiently perform the task.
• An independent audit of the Federal Reserve Banking System.
• Elimination of the use of baseline budgeting for future federal budgets

Health Care Freedom

Every Missouri citizen, regardless of age, should be able to choose and access a health plan that meets their needs at a fair market price, without the interference of the federal or state government.

Therefore, the Missouri Republican Party SUPPORTS:

• Efforts leading to a full repeal of “Obamacare.”
• Promoting a consumer-driven healthcare economy by avoiding Medicaid expansion and preventing a single-payer healthcare system.
• Allowing every American to purchase health insurance policies across state lines.
• Giving every American the ability to maintain a Health Savings Account (HSA) and removing any requirement that individuals must obtain a high-deductible insurance policy before opening up an HSA.
• Empowering Missourians to purchase their own personal health insurance, including allowing small business owners to join together to purchase quality, affordable health insurance for themselves and their employees.
• Missouri’s tort reform law that stopped the abuse and misuse of Missouri’s judicial system through the filing of frivolous lawsuits and has allowed doctors to remain in our state.
• Empowering consumers and the market to control health care costs by increasing price transparency from providers.
• Giving small and large businesses the flexibility in choosing what is provided in their health insurance plans.

The Environment

Some liberals in Washington have proposed extreme, job-killing environmental measures, such as the so-called “Green New Deal”. While it is important to balance economic growth and the environment, these regulations, which would raise prices on every single person in the country, are far too extreme. Instead of extreme measures that make energy more expensive, we need an all-of-the-above approach to energy that utilizes the United States’ vast energy resources—our economic and national security depends on it.

Therefore, the Missouri Republican Party SUPPORTS:

• Opposition to socialist polices masked as environmental measures.
• Efforts to prevent any state or federal cap & trade scheme from taking effect.
• Efforts to prevent the EPA from unilaterally regulating carbon dioxide or implementing any regulations without approval of Congress.
• Providing reliable, affordable, and environmentally sound energy for America’s future, reducing our dependence on foreign sources of energy and responsibly providing for the development of our domestic energy sources.
• Efforts to promote conservation and diversify our energy supply.
• Environmental regulation premised upon sound free market principles and the elimination of environmental regulation that imposes excessive financial burdens for insubstantial benefit.

Educating Our Children

The education of Missouri’s children is much more than the first fiscal priority mandated in the Missouri Constitution—it is our moral imperative. Education is a true vehicle of opportunity, but we believe excessive federal government intervention in local schools hinders achievement. Control over schools should be returned to the local level, where parents have more say in how their children are educated.

Therefore, the Missouri Republican Party SUPPORTS:

• The fundamental right of parents to raise their children according to the convictions of their family and faith, to be the primary authority to determine and direct the nurturing, health care, education, guidance, discipline, and moral upbringing of their children, including the ability to home-school or send children to faith-based schools free of burdensome government regulations.
• The God-given right for parents to choose how to educate their children, whether home education, private, charter, or public, etc.
• The authority of parents as the primary educators of their children in all matters, including morality, sexual orientation, sexuality and sexual health, and responsibility.
• Rejecting the establishment of school-based clinics/health links that dispense contraceptives and provide abortion counseling.
• Requiring the informed consent of a parent or guardian before providing health, mental health, or substance abuse treatment services to minor students in public schools or referring students to health or treatment professionals.
• Efforts at the state and federal levels to adopt a fair system that grants parents the ability to help their children escape failing schools and attend schools of their choice—whether private, charter, home educated, or public.
• Quick action to address the urban education crisis that has already undermined the progress of generations of young people.
• The foundation formula that funds education based on the needs of our children rather than the taxing capacity of a school district.
• Education savings accounts that are tax exempt and may be used for meeting educational expenses for each individual or family member without penalty for withdrawal.
• Local school boards in their efforts to guarantee quality instruction and to remove an unfit teacher.
• Eliminating the Department of Education and rejecting all efforts to establish a national curriculum, thereby, retaining control of schools at the local level.
• Encouraging parents to have an active and important role in their children’s education.
• Reforming teacher tenure to ensure that the best teachers, regardless of their length of employment, remain in classrooms.
• Establishing a merit pay system rewarding the most effective teachers and ensuring a system which is not based solely on students’ test scores.
• Policies to reduce bullying in schools.
• Policies that stress the importance of parents in the education system and allow and encourage parents to play an active role in their local education system.
• Protecting children, in our public schools and any public entity where computers and the Internet are made readily available, from explicit material on the Internet.
• The right of parental refusal to student data collection, and full disclosure to parents about the collection, storage, and use of their children’s data for those parents who permit it.
• Empowering local school districts to determine how best to handle the teaching of creationism and the theory of evolution.
• Encouraging people who have professional experience to teach in their field of expertise in elementary and secondary schools.
• The bodily privacy rights of our students, and population as a whole, and the prevention of opening sex-specific restrooms and locker rooms in our schools to members of the opposite sex.
• Protecting students’ and professors’ Constitutional rights at our state universities, including freedom of speech, campus carry, and balancing Title IX regulations with the people’s legal rights.
• Fully informing parents before giving consent for the collection of student data and the offering of treatment for students regarding their health and other needs.
• Focusing on the purpose of schools to educate and not socially engineer our students. Parents should be able to opt their children out of curriculums where they feel the school is focused on social engineering rather than education.

Property Rights & Agriculture

Landowners have the right to manage their property, as good stewards of the land, without government interference. We believe the source of our riches is embodied in the production of our foods and the protection of our environment. We realize the wealth of our nation comes from the land and the conservation and wise use of our resources are essential to the future of America. We understand that agriculture is Missouri’s largest industry and we support the great work of all individuals and families involved in agriculture production.

Therefore, the Missouri Republican Party SUPPORTS:

• The restricted use of eminent domain only in cases when it is necessary for the benefit of the general public and only when full and adequate compensation is provided to the property owner.
• Preventing small and large bodies of water from being under federal control.
• Policies and programs enhancing agricultural production.
• Current state law allowing children to work on family farms.
• Value-added production and job growth by processing our raw agricultural products in Missouri.
• A long-term agricultural policy enhancing Missouri family farms and their ability to compete.
• A common-sense approach to environmental policy by federal, state, and local governments without infringing upon the rights of landowners.
• Limitations upon excessive land-use regulation and zoning that deny property owners the fair use of their property.
• Policies recognizing food production and environmental protection are both essential to life in our society.
• Sound river management policies, especially those enhancing flood control and navigation.
• Encouraging the pursuit of agriculture, promoting agriculture-based economic opportunities, and protecting farming in Missouri by allowing agricultural uses and related activities to function with minimal conflict.

Ethics

While a vast majority of elected officials are honorable individuals who serve for the right reasons and hold themselves to the highest standards, a handful of examples of unethical behavior in Missouri and across this country have caused the public to grow increasingly cynical about those seeking or serving in public office.

Therefore, the Missouri Republican Party SUPPORTS:

• Transparency for lobbyists, elected officials, and key legislative and executive staff with regards to campaign finance disclosures.
• Term limits for Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, and Auditor that mirror those already in place for Governor and Treasurer.

Protecting the Integrity of Elections

The legitimacy of our republic comes from the knowledge that every American has an equal say in the elections that determine the direction of our nation. Those who cheat not only dilute the lawfully cast ballots of their fellow Missourians, but also undermine the foundation of our entire political system.

Therefore, the Missouri Republican Party SUPPORTS:

• Requiring voter photo-identification to prevent voter fraud.
• Efforts to ensure fair and honest elections, making sure all legally cast votes are not diluted but are counted so that all participants safeguard the integrity of the election.
• Creating a more efficient and secure system of voting by our military personnel to guarantee that those who are on the front lines have a say in governing our country.
• Strict and swift prosecution of election fraud.
• The use of fair and non-biased ballot language for petition-driven initiatives.
• Reforms to the initiative petition process including reducing out of state influence for this process and requiring more than a simple majority vote to change the Constitution.
• Efforts to oppose the National Popular Vote interstate compact, which would eliminate the Electoral College.
• The right of the State Legislature to alter and revise, with respect to the intention of the voters, legislation passed through ballot proposition in order to protect Missourians from misleading campaigns.
• Establishing closed primaries requiring all voters casting a ballot to declare a partisan affiliation and make maintaining such declarations as public record.
• Paper ballots to prevent voter fraud.