Lawmaker again does not include Cape Girardeau County in 'historic region' bill

Many of us have had a mistake called to our attention and we promise to rectify the situation.

Rep. Dave Griffith

Rep. Dave Griffith

Sometimes those corrections don't get made, though.

GOP state Rep. Dave Griffith of Jefferson City left out Cape Girardeau County in a bill last year designating virtually all of Southeast Missouri as the "Stars and Stripes Historic Region."

Despite the omission, House Bill 1562 passed the lower chamber April 6 by a 138-0 vote, but the legislation failed to win approval in the Senate.

At the time, Griffith, of House District 60, vowed to "fix" the bill.

Griffith has reintroduced the same legislation in the current General Assembly with House Bill 130 due for a hearing before the House Veterans Committee on Tuesday, Jan. 24.

Once again, Cape Girardeau County has been left out.

"That was an omission that needs to be corrected, and we will [fix] that in committee. Thank you for the heads up," wrote Griffith in an email to the Southeast Missourian on Monday.

"I'm assuming it was a simple oversight," Rep. John Voss, whose District 147 comprises the city of Cape Girardeau, wrote in a text.

Of note

Griffith's new bill specifically lists 25 counties: St. Louis, Jefferson, Franklin, Crawford, Dent, Shannon, Oregon, Ste. Genevieve, Washington, St. Francois, Madison, Iron, Perry, Wayne, Reynolds, Bollinger, Scott, Mississippi, Stoddard, Ripley, Butler, Carter, New Madrid, Pemiscot and Dunklin.

The National Stars and Stripes Museum and Library is in Bloomfield, Missouri, in Stoddard County.

A year ago, among the House members voting "present" on Griffith's original bill was Democratic Rep. Kevin Windham Jr. of St. Louis County (Dist. 85), who is also a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University.

Cape Girardeau County's omission is especially noteworthy since the county is often referred to as the "hub" of Southeast Missouri.

Assuming the otherwise non-controversial bill passes both legislative chambers in the 102nd General Assembly, Missouri Department of Transportation officials "may place suitable markings and informational signs in the designated areas. Costs for such designation shall be paid by private donation."