Gov. Jay Nixon has filled a cabinet vacancy by appointing fellow Democrat and State Senator Ryan McKenna to head the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.
McKenna has served in the State Senate since 2007, and next year would have been his last in office due to term limits. McKenna says he’s ready for his new job.
“The department (of Labor) has four divisions, and I’ve been pretty involved in all four of those divisions, as far as legislation-wise – unemployment, workers’ comp, labor standards and the Human Rights Commission," McKenna said.
McKenna also spent much of his time in the Missouri Senate working on transportation issues. He tried twice to pass legislation that would have extended the ban on texting while driving to adults, and earlier this year cosponsored a proposed one-cent sales tax to fund transportation needs.
McKenna says he’ll begin his new job as Labor Director Wednesday.
