Issues

• 2nd Amendment Rights
  • Tom Dempsey is a passionate supporter of the 2^nd Amendment to the United States Constitution.  Tom has sponsored legislation allowing law-abiding citizens to obtain a license in order to carry a concealed weapon and ensuring Missourians have the freedom to protect themselves in their own home, resulting in an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association (NRA).
• Healthcare
  • Tom Dempsey knows that affordable and effective healthcare is essential to the future prosperity of Missouri.  This legislative session Tom filed Senate Bill 306 in an effort to make health insurance more affordable and portable to low-income families so they can use preventive services and live healthier. Senate Bill 306, the “Show-Me Health Coverage” plan, partners the state and the private sector to provide health coverage to low-income Missourians while making our MO HealthNet program less costly for all taxpayers.  Tom understands that providing health insurance to more Missourians will enable them to use preventive services, reducing their risk for future treatment, and in turn greatly reducing the cost of healthcare in Missouri by cutting down on the costs associated with emergency room visits that so many individuals use as a last resort.
• Creating Family Supporting Jobs
  • During his time in Jefferson City Tom Dempsey has played a vital role in passing meaningful reform to end frivolous lawsuits, to stop drug abusers from collecting workers’ compensation, to hold the line against new job-killing taxes, and to pass the Quality Jobs Act.  Together, these pieces of legislation have created a business-friendly environment providing Missouri’s entrepreneurs with the best opportunity to experience growth.
• Education
  • Tom Dempsey believes that a quality education is the indispensable foundation of the children of Missouri’s future success. Tom has proven time and again that education is his number one priority.  During his time as Majority Floor Leader in the House he secured more than $500 million in additional funds to public schools. Tom knows that while this education begins in the home, it must be fostered and advanced in strong, well-funded public schools.  It is not enough to fund our public schools sufficiently. Tom continues to demand personal accountability and fiscal responsibility at all levels to ensure that education funds are being used for classroom instruction and tools like books and computers instead of on frivolous discretionary expenses.
• Taxes
  • During his time in the House, Tom Dempsey helped eliminate the tax on Social Security benefits for many seniors.  Tom believes it is unfair to punish seniors who have worked hard and saved for their retirement. Tom has also worked to fix the growing problem of out of control property tax reassessments.  In addition, this session Tom supported the “Show-Me-Green Sales Tax Holiday”, a week-long sales tax holiday for Missourians.  This “Show-Me-Green Sales Tax Holiday” program included tax deductions allowing homeowners to claim deductions for both a home energy audit and home improvements while promoting energy efficiency and conservation.
• Seniors
  • Tom Dempsey has always worked to honor and protect Missouri senior citizens.  Even in the face of these tough economic times, Tom will continue to ensure that Missouri seniors get to maintain their independence by allowing them to keep and spend more of their own money.
• Protecting the Unborn
  • Tom Dempsey is proud to be 100% pro-life and has worked diligently to protect the rights of the unborn.  Tom will continue in his fight to protect Missouri’s unborn and uphold our traditional values of holding all life as sacred.