Jay Houghton (born October 27, 1966) is a Republican former member of the

Missouri House of Representatives The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...

. Houghton was elected in 2010 to represent the 10th District, encompassing all or parts of

Pike Pike, Pikes or The Pike may refer to: Fish * Blue pike or blue walleye, an extinct color morph of the yellow walleye ''Sander vitreus'' * Ctenoluciidae, the "pike characins", some species of which are commonly known as pikes * ''Esox'', genus of ...

, Audrain, Callaway,

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

, Montgomery and Ralls counties. In November 2012 Houghton filed for election in the newly created Missouri House 43rd District, which contains all of Audrain and portions of Callaway counties.

Personal history

Jay D. Houghton was born in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

and raised near

Monticello, Missouri Monticello is a rural village in, and county seat of, Lewis County, Missouri, United States, along the North Fabius River. The population was 104 at the 2020 census, and according to this census, Monticello is the county seat with the smallest ...

. He graduated Highland High School in 1984 and attended the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

. Houghton has two sons, Tyler and Hunter. When not involved with legislative duties Houghton works as a manager at McCaw Farms. He is a member of the

National Rifle Association of America The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...

(NRA), Missouri Sport Shooting Association, Missouri Farm Bureau, and Audrain County Pork Association.

Political history

Jay Houghton has a long family history of involvement in state politics. He is the nephew of current 18th District State Senator

Brian Munzlinger Brian Munzlinger (born April 24, 1956) is an American politician and farmer from the state of Missouri. A Republican, he is a former member of the Missouri Senate who served the 18th District from 2011 to 2019. Personal Brian Munzlinger was ...

. Houghton's great-great-grandfather and two great-uncles also served as State Representatives. Prior to entering state politics Jay Houghton served on the

Martinsburg, Missouri Martinsburg is a city in Audrain County, Missouri, United States. The population was 304 at the 2010 census. History Martinsburg was founded in 1857 and was named after its founder, William R. Martin. Geography Martinsburg is located at (39. ...

City Council and as town mayor. Houghton ran in 2010 to replace the term-limited Terry Witte, first defeating Dudley Michael Duke in the August Republican primary, then beating Democrat Linda Witte, Terry's wife, and Constitution Party candidate Josh Allum in the November General Election. After the 2011 Regular Legislative Session Houghton received a Freshman Legislator of the Year Award for his work with Sportsman's Issues by Speaker of the House Steven Tilley. Houghton also received a Friend of Manufacturing Award from the Associated Industries of Missouri. Houghton won another Freshman Legislator of the Year Award for Agricultural Issues in 2012. In 2013, Houghton was the only Missouri Representative to win a state YMCA award, winning in the "Healthy Living" category for his work with the Pike County/Twin Pikes YMCA.

Legislative assignments

Rep. Houghton will serve on the following committees during the 97th General Assembly: * Agri-business * General Laws * Vice-Chairman, Tourism and Natural Resources * Vice-Chairman, Agriculture Policy * Missouri Sportsman Issue Development * Issue Development Standing Committee on Worker's Freedom Houghton previously served on: * Health-Care Policy * Vice-Chairman, Special Standing Committee on Disability Services

Legislation

Regular Session 2011: Rep. Houghton sponsored House Bill 831, which would allow the

Missouri Attorney General The Office of the Missouri Attorney General was created in 1806 when Missouri was part of the Louisiana Territory. Missouri's first Constitution in 1820 provided for an appointed attorney general, but since the 1865 Constitution, the Attorney Ge ...

's office to create a "Do-Not-Offer Statewide Registry". The registry, similar in ways to a "Do Not Call" list, would allow registered Missourians age seventy and older to block receiving direct mail advertising. Representative Houghton was also involved in two pieces of legislation that were passed in the session. One requires the Missouri State Attorney General's Office to provide transparency in private attorney contracts. Another allows members of the

National Wild Turkey Federation The National Wild Turkey Federation is an international non-profit organization whose mission is 'the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of our hunting heritage.' It currently has more than 250,000 members in the United States ...

to purchase organization specific license plates through the Missouri Department of Revenue. Regular Session 2012: Houghton filed legislation to establish a statewide School Bus Safety Week to give districts the opportunity to review safety procedures and policies, as well as to ensure that all students and parents understand them. He also filed bills to strengthen the punishments and standards on certain agricultural crimes and impersonation of public servants, and another to force the Department of Conservation to make public their violation and point system. Regular Session 2013: Representative Houghton filed HB 667 & HJR 29, seeking to make Constitutional changes to the Office of Agriculture, effectively making the Agriculture Director an election position. Houghton also filed HCR 34, a call for Congress and the USDA to re-evaluate the "Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010" and the limitations that it puts on the school lunch program

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Houghton, Jay 1966 births Living people Mayors of places in Missouri Republican Party members of the Missouri House of Representatives Missouri city council members People from Audrain County, Missouri People from Monticello, Missouri University of Missouri alumni 21st-century members of the Missouri General Assembly