Senator Kirk Meyer urges protections for people who seek help by phone ahead of hard year

Senator Kirk Meyer said that many residents in small towns will seek help by phone rather than visiting service offices and urged officials to prepare protections for those callers.

"Some of these people, and I think it's a a reality," Meyer said. "More people will call than will walk through the front door of some place in a small town." He added that officials should "put up some sort of defense for these folks, prior to maybe the toughest year we've had in since the thirties."

Meyer framed the remarks as a brief appeal for preparedness rather than proposing a specific bill or motion during the remarks captured in the transcript. No formal motion, vote, or legislative text was recorded in the provided segment.

The comments highlight concern about increasing demand for services in rural communities and the need for systems that can respond to people who contact offices remotely. Meyer did not specify programs, funding levels, or which offices would implement the protections.

He closed the brief statement by identifying himself: "Senator Kirk Meyer, number 30." The transcript includes no indication of follow-up votes or staff directives in the provided segments.