Mike Lair

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name =Mike Lair

| honorific-suffix =

| image =

| alt =

| state_house =Missouri

| district =7th

| term_start =2009

| term_end =2016

| predecessor =

| successor =

| prior_term =

| birth_date ={{birth date|1946|2|26}}

| birth_place =Omaha, Nebraska

| death_date = {{death date and age|2017|9|5|1946|2|26}}

| death_place = Jefferson City, Missouri

| profession = teacher

| religion=

| residence=Livingston County, Missouri

| party=Republican

}}

Michael Lair (February 26, 1946 – September 5, 2017) was an American politician and former educator from the state of Missouri. A Republican, Lair was first elected to the Missouri House of Representatives on November 4, 2008 and subsequently re-elected in 2010 and 2012. He represented District 7 in the House which consists of all or portions of Caldwell, Carroll, Clinton, and Livingston Counties. Due to redistricting of House seats following the 2010 U.S. Census, the boundaries of the 7th district changed effective January, 2013.

Personal life

Lair was born in Omaha, Nebraska. He graduated from Creighton Preparatory School in 1964. Following high school Lair attended the University of Nebraska-Omaha, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in History in 1970. Later in life, in 2003, he earned a master's degree in Education from Central Methodist University.{{cite web|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/104489/mike-lair|title=Representative Mike Lair|publisher=Project Vote Smart website|year=2012|accessdate=7 November 2012}}

Mike Lair was a high school History teacher and athletics coach in various Nebraska and South Dakota schools before moving to Chillicothe, Missouri in 1987.{{cite web|url=http://www.house.mo.gov/bio.aspx?year=2012&district=007|title=House member biography|publisher=Missouri House of Representatives website|year=2012|accessdate=7 November 2012}} He spent over 38 years in the classroom before retiring in spring of 2008 to run for the Missouri House of Representatives. Prior to and during his time as an educator, he also worked as a farm hand, construction laborer, gas station attendant, and small business owner. Lair and wife Jeanne, a high school teacher, are the parents of one daughter and one son. They also have one granddaughter. Lair is a member of Saint Columban Catholic Church in Chillicothe. Lair retired from the Missouri General Assembly in 2016 and moved to Jefferson City, Missouri. He died at his home in Jefferson City from heart problems.{{cite news |title=Republican lawmaker Mike Lair dies |url=http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article172535721.html |work=Raleigh News & Observer |agency=Associated Press |date=September 11, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911205809/http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article172535721.html |archive-date=September 11, 2017 |location=Jefferson City, Missouri |language=en-US}}{{cite web |title=Obituary for Michael Lair |url=http://www.freemanmortuary.com/book-of-memories/3122594/lair-michael/obituary.php |website=Freeman Mortuary |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911122409/http://www.freemanmortuary.com/book-of-memories/3122594/lair-michael/obituary.php |archive-date=September 11, 2017 |language=en |url-status=dead}}

Election history

Lair won his first election in November, 2008 by defeating Democrat Harry Wyse by a margin of 51.4% to 48.6%.[http://sos.mo.gov/enrweb/raceresults.asp?eid=256&oid=56187&arc= Missouri Secretary of State Election Night Reporting - Retrieved January 20, 2009] Mike Lair was re-elected in November, 2010 defeating Democrat Dale R. Toms 74.6 to 25.4 percent.{{cite web|url=http://www.sos.mo.gov/enrweb/allresults.asp?eid=300 |title=2010 Missouri election results |publisher=Missouri Secretary of State via website |date=30 November 2010 |accessdate=7 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220103631/http://www.sos.mo.gov/enrweb/allresults.asp?eid=300 |archivedate=20 February 2011 }} In 2012, Lair faced off again with Harry Wyse, his opponent from 2008. This time the margin of victory was 60 percent to 40 percent in favor of Lair.{{cite web|url= http://enr.sos.mo.gov/ENR/Views/TabularData.aspx?TabSRace=SpecifyARace^Races^0^3^6^State%20Representative%20-%20District%207^011656688155|title=State Representative District 7 summary|publisher=Missouri Secretary of State via website|date=6 November 2012|accessdate=7 November 2012}} Under Missouri's term limits Lair was eligible to run for a final two-year term in the House in 2014 if he so chose.

Legislative work

Representative Lair was a member of the House Retirement, Health Care Transformation, Correction and Public Institutions, and Education Appropriations committees. He was also a member of the Joint House and Senate Committee on Education.[http://house.mo.gov/member.aspx?district=007 Mike Lair Official House Page - Retrieved February 19, 2009] Other legislative assignments include serving as Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, and member of the Budget, Education, Retirement, and Rules committees.

In the 2012 legislative session Lair voted in favor of the following issues:

Enabling the expansion of Charter schools
Allowing employers to exempt contraception from healthcare coverage
Prohibiting employees from suing co-workers for job injuries
Prohibiting implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, aka "Obamacare"
Requiring proof of citizenship for U.S. Presidential candidates
Requiring photo ID to vote