Interview with Jim Bates, candidate for Missouri Senate District 21
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Jim Bates is a Democrat running for Missouri's Senate seat in District 21's 21st Senate District.
His priorities include lowering taxes by removing state sales tax on food, diapers and feminine hygiene products. Bates wants to strengthen public schools by expanding the A+ program and provide free school meals to Missouri Children. Several of Bates' top issues can be found on his campaign website.
He's running for the open seat against Rep. Kurtis Gregory. The district includes portions of Saline, Howard and Cooper counties.
Jazsmin Halliburton: So I want to know, what are your plans? Like, what would you do differently?
Jim Bates: Yeah, I mean, two things that we would do differently when elected. One is the first, one of the first bills I'm going to pre-file is for right-to-repair legislation. So right now, if you're a farmer and you have a John Deere combine and it breaks down right now during harvest, you've got to take it to the John Deere dealership and wait in line with everybody else, wait for the parts, pay whatever they want to charge you before you can get that combine back out into the field and back to work for you.
With right-to-repair legislation, you'd be able to take it to any mechanic that wants to work on John Deere machinery, get it out quicker, get it out, hopefully cheaper, and be back in the field working a lot sooner. And you know, when you have a certain time period to put your crops in, get your crops out, delays cost money. So that would be the first thing we would do.
Second, we need to really make sure that the government of the State of Missouri is working. Right now, it's not working. There's too much bureaucracy, and our government is underfunded and understaffed, and that impacts our farmers or small businesses to a huge impact. So the second thing is make sure that we're doing everything we can to make sure that our government, state government, is functioning properly.
Halliburton: So what are your plans to kind of help improve education and things like that here?
Bates: Yeah. I mean, I value education a lot. I was the first one in my family to graduate high school. I was able to go to Missouri State and get my degree there thanks to student loans and Federal Pell Grants while serving in the Army Reserve in Oklahoma National Guard. So education, to me, is very important, it's generational changing. So first is to make sure that federal tax dollars, our state tax dollars, go just to public schools. We should not be financing private schools with Missouri tax dollars, and make sure that we're funding education the way it should be funded in the state and that the formula is followed properly. Right now, we're last in the country in starting teacher pay, last in education funding. And to me, that's shameful, and we should, the state legislature should be ashamed of itself for letting that happen.
So make sure that our public schools in the K-12 system are funded properly. Second, the one of the other bills that I'll pre-file is to expand the A+ program. The A+ program, if you're aware, if you get a certain grade point average, you have a certain attendance rate, and you do community service, it'll pay for your first two years of a technical school or community college. I'd like to expand it to include the four-year universities that are public here in the state of Missouri, so that your first few years of tuition there are paid as well. That way, no matter what your path is when you graduate high school, we have a way for you to go forward.
Halliburton: And this next one is kind of a, kind of a two-parter, because obviously there's going to be two really big things on the ballot come November. That's Amendment 2 and Amendment 3. ... So I want to know ... where you stand when it comes to both of those amendments.
Bates: Yeah, on Amendment 2, I personally will be voting yes on Amendment 2, but I definitely understand if you vote no. In fact, my my youngest daughter just voted when she was home on fall break and she voted no on Amendment 2. But I think if you're voting for Amendment 2 because you think it's going to add more money to public education, that's not the reason to vote for Amendment 2, because with our Republican supermajority right now, that money will not be used to supplement education. It may be used instead of the funds that would normally go to education, but it won't be used to supplement. So if you're voting yes on Amendment 2, just for education, I would reconsider and see, think is that really the reason you're voting yes on that?
On Amendment 3, of course, I'm voting yes. You know, when we declared our independence, we said we are pursuing life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It's hard to pursue happiness when you don't have control of your own body. So a woman's reproductive rights, to me, is a very important issue for an individual health care decisions should be made just by a doctor that the person and their family. The state legislature has no role in that.
Halliburton: A lot of people can say that politically, the landscape, it's maybe divided ... So if you are elected, what can you do to, you know, reassure people that everybody's voices are heard?
Bates: Yeah. I mean, when elected, I wouldn't be elected to represent Democrats in the state legislature. I'd be elected to represent the people of the 21st District.
You know, we did a candidate forum in Richmond, Missouri, a few months ago, and the thing I kept hearing from Ray County voters was how they didn't feel like their voices were being heard in Jeff City. And I hear the same when I'm in Cooper County, Howard County and in Saline counties, that their voices aren't being heard. So to be a voice for the people of the 21st District and to be willing to work across the aisle with people who have the best interests of working Missourians at heart. My mandate, if elected, is to support working families here in the state of Missouri. So whoever is on that same boat, I'm there to work with you and to make sure we get things done to help Missouri.
But you know, keeping in mind, it's hard to have bipartisanship when one party can do whatever they want without even without the other party even being present. So you know, we need to make sure that our legislature has hears all voices.
Halliburton: Alright, excellent. And I know this is we're moving actually quick, pretty quickly here, but my last question for you is, what makes you a better choice than your opponent?
Bates: Yeah, you know, I grew up from a working-class background. My family owned a farm in Central Missouri, in between Mexico and Paris, and I was there during the summers during the school year. I grew up in rural southwest Missouri, in the Missouri Ozarks in small town called Ava. Like I mentioned before, I was first in my family to graduate high school, and I was able to go to college, but with help of government assistance, student loans, Pell Grants, after college, I worked. I've worked for 34 years in sales and customer service, and I think the thing we forget about these jobs is that's what they are, they're glorified customer service jobs. So my background is service, and if elected, I will be there to serve the folks of the 21st District with their interest in mind at all times and making sure that they are happy with what is going on.
So I think that's a unique background. And you know, my wife is an elementary school counselor. I have three children, two in college, one is a senior in high school. Be starting college next year. So I have that experience of sitting down at the kitchen table trying to figure out which bills are we going to pay. Now, can I slide this bill over for 15 days before I get a penalty? You know, the same issues that all working families here in Missouri face. So I think those are the things that make me qualified and uniquely positioned to represent the people of the 21st District.
Halliburton: All right, excellent. Well, that's all the questions that I have for you. Is there anything else that you would like to add or for people to know about?
Bates: No, just make sure you get out and vote, either early voting, or on Nov. 5. You know your voice. Your vote is, your voice, make sure you're heard.
