Today is the beginning of a new and even more adventurous year for the members of the State Highway and Transportation Employees Association of Missouri. We have worked through a year that had many changes. Our state government has had to endure many budgetary shortfalls with a slow economy and a large number of inexperienced legislators through the advent of term limits. We have continued to write bills that would hopefully benefit the employees of MoDOT. The general consensus has been that any bill with even a one-dollar cost would have little chance of passage. The legislature in the waning moments of the 2003 session did give state employees making less than forty thousand dollars a six hundred dollar a year pay increase. This does not demean the effort of your association, but only strengthens our resolve to work for our members even harder.

We had four official meetings this year and of course our annual "Lobby Day" attended by members of our Highway Commission including the Chairman of the Commission. The Director of MoDOT, Chief Operating Officer, Director of Human Resources, Inspector General and the Executive Director of MoDOT and MSHP Retirement System also attended. It was a pleasure having the above guests and we appreciated them taking time from their schedules to attend. Thank you from all the members attending.

I would like say a special thank you to the chapter and state officers for the work and time they put into our State Highway & Transportation Employees Association of Missouri. Your hard work shows by the improvements we are making.

Respectfully,

Steven L. Cox

President