My calendar included attending this session's first budget hearing, a presentation to the Senate Education Committee on P-20 education (that is pre-school through post graduate), a workshop on cost saving opportunities for schools throughout the region, a research presentation relating to public safety and corrections, and the first learning session offered by the Freshman Democratic Caucus on DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) legislation.
Additionally, visitors to our Capitol included former Constituent Spotlight Student Nathan Emmons. Nathan, as Senior at Parkway North, will be attending the University of Pennsylvania next year. He was able to tour the Capitol, the Governor's Mansion and attend the much-anticipated Supreme Court Hearing on the Klotz medical malpractice damage-limit lawsuit. What a day for this young intellectually curious student, who, among other things, is deeply interested in politics and government!
I hope you and your family are in good health
Thank you again for the opportunity you have given me to serve our community through the legislature.
As always, please keep in touch and when possible, come visit our magnificent capitol. Let us know if we can help you arrange tours.
Truly,
Jill
Committee News: Oxford welcomed back to Children and Families
Last year, Representative Jeanette Mott Oxford was removed from the Special Standing Committee on Children and Families by the Speaker's office before the committee's first meeting. This session, member Tom McDonald asked to be removed from the committee to serve on another committee, and Rep. Oxford was finally reinstated for the 2010 session.Though not on the committee during 2009, Rep. Oxford still served as ranking member, a very unusual situation. She attended the weekly meetings and met regularly with the minority members of the committee. Her expertise and insight into children and family issues proved an asset to each of us throughout 2009, but without membership, her effectiveness was limited since she could not speak during committee meetings. It will be good to be working alongside Jeanette this session, and to continue learning from her.
Freshmen Dems' Learning Sessions, Week 1: DWI Legislation
This week, the Freshmen Democratic Caucus met to hear from several experts on DWI legislation in Missouri. In the interim, the Governor held a DWI conference and made it his mission to pass tougher DWI legislation in 2010 to curb Missouri's extreme number of repeat offenders.
Captain Doug Shoemaker of the Jefferson City Police Department, Captain Tim McDonald of the Missouri Highway Patrol, James Klahr, legislative liaison for the Department of Public Safety and Reps. Rachel Bringer and Jeff Roorda, Democratic leaders carrying DWI legislation this session all sat on the panel and fielded questions from the Freshmen class on what Missouri needs to do to improve DWI enforcement and conviction rates.
The plans being proposed by the Governor's office and Rep. Roorda aim to create harsher penalties for refusal of breathalyzers, harsher penalties for DWI instances where Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) is over .15 (.08 being the current legal limit) and to create a better, more consistent tracking of DWI arrests, charges and convictions through the DWI Tracking System (DWITS) operated by the Missouri Highway Patrol.
Among the questions and concerns raised were the need for new legislation versus enforcement of current legislation, the variation in response to DWI arrests from one municipal jurisdiction to another, the sharing and shifting of resources, expansion of communication to identify repeat offenders, the criminalization of refusal to submit to a breathalyzer and civil rights and self-incrimination ramifications, and the use of ignition interlock devices on an offender's automobile.
It was a great opportunity for discussion and input, and is an issue that is likely to be at the forefront this legislative session as the policy changes being posed are coming directly from the Governor's office.
This issue has truly resonated deeply with friends in the district. Your input and ideas are, as always, welcome.
Next week, our Freshmen Democratic Caucus will hear from Ruth Ehresman of the Missouri Budget Project. We will discuss health care options for the State of Missouri.
Constituent Spotlight: High School Senior visits the State Capitol
At right:
Nathan Emmons and Rep. Schupp at the Speaker's dias in the House chamber.This week's constituent spotlight highlights the visit of Nathan Emmons, a Spotlight Star from last year who was able to visit the Capitol this week. Nathan's father, Bill Emmons, was attending the Missouri Homeownership Preservation Summit, and Nathan was able to spend the day learning: touring and exploring.
In the morning, Nathan had the opportunity to hear oral arguments at the Missouri Supreme Court. This week, the Supreme Court heard the high-profile Klotz case, which some believe may overturn a 2005 law passed by the state legislature that set a cap of $350,000 on the amount of money a patient can receive in non-economic damages in a medical malpractice case.
After listening to the hearing at the Supreme Court for two hours, Nathan came to the Capitol and had the opportunity to tour the House and Senate chambers and meet some of Rep. Schupp's colleagues in the House. He even had the unique chance of listening to Rep. Schupp and Rep. Chris Kelly debating Rep. Kelly's proposal to eliminate the income tax in favor of a sales tax.
At left:
Rep. Chris Kelly (24) explaining his sales tax proposal to Rep. Schupp and Nathan Emmons.Nathan is finishing up his senior year at Parkway North High School (Rep. Schupp's alma mater) and is planning to attend the University of Pennsylvania in the fall, where he will pursue an interdisciplinary degree in Political Science, Philosophy and Economics.
We wish Nathan the best of luck finishing his high school career and thank him for coming to visit us in the Capitol!
Moments with Colleagues: On the House floor with Rep. Tom Shively
Rep. Schupp and her seatmate in the chamber, Rep. Tom Shively of Macon, Missouri
Rep. Schupp and fellow freshmen Reps. Rochelle Walton Gray and Chris Carter looked pleasant in plum on Thursday before heading back to their districts.
GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK
by Casey Bruce, Legislative AssistantDitch your bottles for the tap!
Americans waste thousands of dollars and pounds of plastic every year by purchasing bottled water and throwing the bottles in the trash. The convenience of bottled water is probably its most valuable feature, but by getting a reusable bottle and filling it with tap water, you can help put your green stamp on the Earth.
If your tap water has a bad taste or you feel is not as clean as bottled water, try buying a filter that attaches to your faucet. They general range in price from $20-40 dollars and are easy to install and use. The filter only needs to be replaced every month or two and replacements are cheap (generally under $10). You can also buy a filtered pitcher that fits nicely in your refrigerator.
If you can't break the bottle habit, remember to always recycle your bottles.
Do you or does someone you know need help purchasing prescriptions?
It has been reported that in 2008, Pfizer Helpful Answers helped 21,000 Missourians receive 142,000 Pfizer prescriptions for free or at a savings. The value of this was approximately $17,500,000 (at wholesale cost).Pfizer Helpful Answers: This is Pfizer's family of patient assistance program for the uninsured and underinsured who need help getting Pfizer medicines. These programs provide Pfizer medicines for free or at a savings to patients who qualify. Some programs also offer reimbursement support services for people with insurance.
Pfizer Helpful Answers
If you are, or know of a person truly in need of help with affording medication, please contact The Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA). This program is run by PhRMA and is a gateway to over 475 public and private patient assistance programs for a variety of prescription drugs.
PPA's website
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