Candidates for Missouri House District 131 are Ashley Cossins and Incumbent Representative Bill Owen. The candidates were interviewed by Dr. Steve McKnight with Missouri State University, one of the nonpartisan organizations that make up the Informed Voter Coalition. Representative Owen declined to participate in the interview.
McKnight: House District 131 candidate Ashley Cossins will have one minute to introduce herself and two minutes to respond to each question. Ashley Cossins, thank you very much for joining us. Let's begin by having you introduce yourself and tell us why you decided to run for this office.
Ashley Cossins
Ashley Cossins: Yes. Thank you for having me. My name is Ashley Cossins, and I'm running for Missouri's House of Representatives in the 131st district that is north and west Greene County and includes Walnut Grove, Ash Grove, Willard, Bois D’arc, a lot of little communities out there. I'm a small business owner and a wife and a long time Ozark, Ozarks resident. So, I really enjoy spending my time and getting involved in the community. I volunteer often and do what I can to stay engaged civically.
McKnight: What role should citizen led initiative petitions play in Missouri's policy making process, and what, if any, reforms would you support regarding how voter approved measures can be changed or overturned by the legislature?
Cossins: The citizen led initiative petition is one of the best tools that we have in our toolbox when it comes to being a citizen and being engaged with our lawmaking process. Being able to bring forth an idea or a law that is going to improve the lives of people in Missouri based on our own context and our own experiences, is an extremely great way to make sure the voices of Missourians are heard loud and clear. When it comes to reforms and concerns about that, what I would change is that we would allow our voters to have the option to prevent our legislators from overturning the will of voters. Right now, there is an amendment that's going to be going on the November ballot that is going to protect the will of voters, stop voters from overturning or, I'm sorry, stop legislators from overturning the will of voters. And it's going to protect our initiative petition process, which has worked so well for so long. So, I would encourage passing of the Respect Missouri Voters Initiative petition. It was supported by so many voters, and we've worked really hard to get that on the ballot.
McKnight: What is your position on proposals to reduce or eliminate Missouri's state income tax? And how would you address the potential impact on state revenue, services and other sources of taxation?
Cossins: I believe that our taxes are best spent where the voters are able to make decisions more clearly and more directly. Sales tax and the elimination of it is a huge source of funding for our general revenue in the state. I'm not a tax expert. I do know that the people want to pay less taxes. Who doesn't? But the recent initiatives to, you know, blow sales tax out of the water, I'm sorry, to eliminate the income tax and blow that out of the water. It really was misguided and it felt very hasty. It, It was clearly rejected by voters, and I think that the voters are catching on to ways that they can work to reduce their own taxes and not have to depend on legislators to do it for them.
McKnight: What do you believe the results of the August election indicate about the priorities or concerns of Missouri voters, and how would those results influence your approach if elected?
Cossins: Would you repeat the question for me?
McKnight: What do you believe the results of the August election indicate about the priorities or concerns of Missouri voters, and how would those results influence your approach if elected?
Cossins: The August primary results really showed not only Missouri, but it showed our nation that when people are tuned in and able to make decisions on how their government operates and what priorities are put in place, Missourians speak loud and clear. We're not called the Show Me state for no reason. When it comes to how I would form policy and how I would operate as a legislator. It comes down to listening to what the voters have to say. It comes down to making sure you're engaged with them on a regular basis, making sure that you are documenting the data and the responses, and that you actually listen to what they have to say instead of trying to push something through that is unpopular.
McKnight: Missouri's attorney general and secretary of state both pushed back against a recent Missouri Supreme Court ruling on the map that was approved by legislatures, legislators, excuse me, during a special session last year and took it to the U.S. Supreme Court. Do you feel Missouri officials should always respect Missouri Supreme Court rulings. Why or why not?
Cossins: The recent decisions by the Missouri Supreme Court and then going up to the U.S. Supreme Court created a lot of havoc and unnecessary disruption in our legislative process. I believe that the law should be followed, and without having expertise in law, I do recognize whenever there is behavior that is defiant, and some of the behavior that I was seeing, it indicates a defiance, a disinterest in listening to voters, a disinterest in respecting the courts. And I think voters are taking note of that, especially when it comes to choosing their lawmakers in the future.
McKnight: Rural hospitals and healthcare access remain an ongoing concern across much of Missouri. What is one specific state level action you would support to address rural healthcare access or hospital closures?
Cossins: I appreciate that there are efforts to improve education around healthcare. There is interest in retaining physicians. You know, they recently launched new programs within universities down here in Southwest Missouri that allow students to get more medical education without having to leave the state. That's going to entice physicians to want to stay, even working in their small hometowns and opening their own practices. And I think initiatives to help support education for physicians is one way that we can support rural health care. Additionally, recognizing where funding is necessary to support the rural health care locations, you know, we've seen funding get taken away because people don't quite understand, certain medical terminology and it creates fear. So, helping to support education for students, but also helping to support education for the public and helping them feel informed whenever it does come to decision making, when, you know, laws are coming out is important because the laws that we are able to operate under, they ultimately do dictate our funding.
McKnight: And to conclude, please tell us what your top priorities will be if you are elected. You have two minutes.
Cossins: So, if I'm elected, my top priorities include supporting and advocating for reproductive health care freedom. You know, I have my own experiences navigating reproductive health care and the healthcare system and navigating complex health issue from rural Missouri. And there are so many gaps that our legislature can address when it comes to taking care of patients and voters in our constituency. We need people who have the experiences and context of everyday people so that when policies are in place, that clash with their decision making about their health or, you know, their ability to afford their health care, we need to have legislators that are willing to listen and understand how the policy affects the people's, you know, outcomes ultimately. So, I'm very passionate about making sure that, you know, health care is addressed in positive ways. I also fully support public education and support, you know, making sure our students have their access to education, which is their right, particularly in rural areas. There's not a lot of options when it comes to choices in schools. And we need to make sure that our public education is outstanding and supports the parents and working families in Missouri.
McKnight: Ashley, that concludes our interview. Thank you very much for taking the time to talk with us.
Cossins: Thank you.
McKnight: Again. I've been speaking with Ashley Cossins, who is a candidate for Missouri House district 131 incumbent Bill Owens. Sorry. Incumbent Bill Owen declined to participate in the interview. I'm Doctor Steve McKnight with Missouri State University. Thank you for joining us.
Nico Burasco was the videographer for the candidate interviews.
