by U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill

I spent last week on the road in Missouri, giving the odometer a workout as I logged more than 1,000 miles crisscrossing the state.

From Hannibal to Joplin, St. Joseph to Rolla, Springfield to Columbia, I took this trip so that I could hear directly from Missourians about how best to expand job opportunities and keep our economy moving in the right direction.

I think it’s no secret to anyone that I get my best ideas not from Washington, but from Missouri, and last week was no exception. I took to the road to listen to constituents to understand their concerns, hear their ideas, answer their questions, and to share my proposals.

I kicked off my “McCaskill on Main Street” tour with a stop in Hannibal, where I hosted a public town hall meeting. Anyone who’s been to one of my town halls knows that no question, no matter how tough, is off-limits. Even though there were times I gave an answer the crowd didn’t want to hear, it’s my job to be honest and accountable, and I take that very seriously.

In Columbia, I was asked about topics including marijuana decriminalization and my support for the Keystone XL Pipeline. In Kansas City, folks wanted to talk about the healthcare law, and the Springfield crowd was interested in issues facing national security and our veterans.

All of my public town halls were lively, civil discussions-and I was moved by how many took time out of their days to engage, listen, and ask questions. It’s this kind of civil engagement that truly makes a difference in our country.

It wasn’t just town halls that gave me the chance to connect one-on-one with Missourians. At an event in Washington, Mo. with Mayor Sandy Lucy, I called for upgrading the region’s roads, bridges and infrastructure. We’ve had a good start in turning our economy in the right direction, but I believe we need to get more bang for our buck with infrastructure investments, and I’m supporting some innovative, bipartisan proposals to do just that.

It was that same message I took to Joplin, where I sat down with the city’s Chamber of Commerce and local leaders for a roundtable with “comeback businesses” to discuss city revitalization efforts and the role of federal resources following the devastating tornado in 2011.

In St. Louis, Mayor Francis Slay and I rallied support with local veterans for the renewal of the Workforce Investment Act-expired legislation with a proven track-record of boosting job opportunities. This bill can forge a successful partnership between the federal government and the local business community to provide pathways to jobs-and we called on Congress to renew it as soon as possible.

And in St. Joseph, I teamed up with my friend and colleague Senator Roy Blunt for a roundtable discussion at the Missouri Air National Guard Base to discuss the role of Missouri’s military bases in our national defense and the impact of the recently proposed Pentagon budget cuts. The historic nature of the event wasn’t lost on us-two Senators of different political parties who both serve on the Armed Services Committee joining together to advocate for the Missouri’s role in our national defense.

So as I return to the Senate to continue my fight to expand job opportunities for Missourians and keep our economy moving in the right direction, I am better equipped than ever to take the fresh ideas-as well as the concerns-voiced by Missourians, and ensure that they are heard.

Claire McCaskill is the senior U.S. Senator from Missouri.