A 21-member special committee recently established by House Speaker Steve Tilley will soon begin looking into ways the state of Missouri can help support the traditional family unit, according to the Kansas City Monitor.

The House Interim Committee on Strengthening Missouri Families, as it is called, was reportedly established with the goal of strengthening families by ensuring public policies are supportive to their thriving. In his announcement regarding the new committee, Speaker Tilley noted that the divorce rate in Missouri is consistently higher than the national average, and that there is a great need to help families succeed.

The committee has been charged with making policy recommendations promoting strong families in the state, as well as with evaluating current government policies which may be harming families.

Tilley said in his announcement, "We have to recognize that families represent the essential building blocks for our communities and our state, and that without strong families, we will never be able to reach our potential."

Representative Scot Largent of Clinton-currently the chairman of the House Committee on Children and Families-was appointed to lead the interim committee. Largent said concerning the formation of the committee, "As a Legislature we often look for ways to fix problems in our state while failing to look at the cause of these problems-trouble at home...We have to take a long, hard look at our policies to ensure they are meeting the needs of Missouri families..."

In the coming months, the committee will be holding hearings statewide, and will be compiling recommendations into a final report to be presented to Speaker Tilley by next year's legislative session.

Source: K C Monitor, "MO Committee to Explore Stronger Families," Joe Ortworth, 26 July 2011.