Power Profile: Dean Plocher, Missouri State Representative
The reason Rep. Dean Plocher (R-89, St. Louis) ran for public office is simple: “I believe that the state can do better, and I want it to do better for my children and Missouri’s children.”
Elected during a 2015 special election, Plocher has a background as a financial planner, municipal judge, and attorney. He has risen through the ranks to serve as Majority Floor Leader for the 101st General Assembly and is set to be elected as Speaker of the House for the 2023 session.
“Good policy” for Plocher entails fiscal responsibility, investing in Missouri’s future, and putting Missourians in a competitive position to succeed and excel. “We try to pass a product that is good for all Missourians. There are a lot of good things that came out of [the 2022] session.”
Plocher pointed to the No Patient Left Alone Act, the education reform packages, and the omnibus agriculture bill as important legislation to land on the Governor’s desk.
Another bill that crossed the finish line is related to the energy grid. SB 745 extends and expands the policies that made Ameren Missouri’s Smart Energy Plan possible. In the first three years of implementation, more than 2,000 Smart Energy Plan projects have resulted in $2.7 billion of investment in the energy grid, the creation of 4,600 new jobs, the retention of 4,200 existing jobs, and a $15 million increase in tax revenue for local communities. Fifty-six percent of the projects were supported by Missouri-based suppliers.
“I look at energy, and the distribution of energy, being an intricate part of our culture today. It is an infrastructure like roads. You can’t operate a business today without electricity, computers, lights, and air conditioning,” Plocher said. “I think grid modernization is essential. It includes a consistent, reliable, secure supply of energy to the consumer. If you don’t do it now, you will have to do it later.”
SB 745 will allow energy companies to continue making important energy grid investments for several years to come while providing incentives for businesses to move to or expand in Missouri.
“Anytime we have the bulk of Missourians benefiting from something, I think it’s a good thing,” Plocher said. Adding, “there are a lot of challenges that Missourians have going forward.”
During his upcoming tenure as Speaker, Plocher is planning to “look at a lot of things,” ranging from growing the workforce to addressing crime, from working with education to reducing redundancies in government.
“I want to be a good leader. I want to be fair. I want to be firm. I want everyone to work together. I believe in conservative principles, but I also believe in bringing people to the table to try to come up with a product that benefits all Missourians,” Plocher said. “When I am gone, I want to say ‘we left Missouri better than when we came.’”