Missouri Sen. Doug Libla, District 25, hosted an assembly for Junior High history classes on Friday, Feb. 2, in the gymnasium, opening the floor up to students to direct the discussion.
Questions submitted by the student body, currently studying the branches of government and Constitution, ranged from how many suits Libla owns (about 25) to what bill he is most proud of sponsoring (Senate Bill 530).
In 2014, Libla helped pass a law that modified provisions relating to the termination of parental rights, helping "kids get adopted so they can move on with life," he explained.
This week, Libla announced, he plans to submit a bill that allows for computer science to become a credit-bearing course for students as early as grade three. Missouri is only one of 10 states that has not done so yet, according to the senator, who noted the classes would focus on coding and programming.
"It's the fastest growing career path and highest paid, and will be very exciting if we can get the bill passed," Libla stated. "It'll be up to the local school boards from there, of course."
As for regrets during his time in office, Libla admitted he probably made some poor choices before on votes of "unintended consequence." With nearly 20,000 lengthy pieces of legislation filed each session, Libla said the biggest challenge a lawmaker faces is "time."
Asked by seventh grader Hannah Walsh what character trait is most important for a senator to have, Libla replied to be a good listener. "Did you ever hear the expression you have two ears and one mouth?" Libla asked.
"You should always listen more than you talk," he continued. "Remember that words have meaning."
Regarding party politics, Libla said just because there may be a disagreement in ideologies does not mean that an individual does not have the right to express his or her viewpoint.
Summer Worley of the eighth grade asked Libla if he ever gets bored at his job. He responded that he keeps pretty busy even outside of session meeting with various committees and constituents.
The senator from Poplar Bluff is currently serving his second and final four-year term of office due to term limits, and said he does not have any future plans in public service to announce at this time.
The Q&A was conceived when Libla bumped into former colleague R.T. McCain at the recent Mules Basketball Homecoming. McCain has taken over for life-long educator Kathy Beck, who announced her retirement from teaching social studies midyear.
Above: Sen. Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff, fields questions from seventh and eighth graders.
Below: Doug Libla takes a photo with eighth grader Landon Owens while classmate Summer Worley looks on.
