Ruestman: House Hard at Work

The fifth week of session has come and gone.  The weather doesn't seem to be cooperating very well, but we continue to work on issues important to you.  This week the House voted on two key pieces of legislation important to you and the state budget.

On Tuesday we passed a bill [HB1544] for an extension of the time the unemployed can be on unemployment benefits.  It does not affect the state budget because it is fully funded with federal dollars.  It addresses the needs of about 62,000 unemployed Missourians.  We are also working hard on a jobs bill to help turn around our slow economy.

Drug Testing for TANF

Our last vote of the week was to finalize House Bill 1377.  This bill creates a system to screen recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families who are suspected of illicit drug use.  My office has received numerous complaints about tax dollars going to those who use them to purchase illegal drugs.  While many law-abiding citizens must submit to a drug test for their job, it seems only reasonable to assure them their hard-earned money is not subsidizing the illegal use of controlled substances.

During the debate on this legislation an amendment was added to require drug testing of elected state officials.  It seems fitting and proper to require public servants to verify they are not disrespecting and dishonoring their constituents and office.  As mentioned before, if our constituents must submit to drug tests for their employment, we should not be hesitant to do it for ours.

House Bill 1377 received broad bipartisan support.  The Thursday vote was 113-40 in favor.  It must now receive one more vote on the final version before being sent to the Senate for approval.

Smart Sentencing

This week also saw the annual State of the Judiciary address from the Chief Justice of the Missouri Supreme Court.  Chief Justice William Price delivered an excellent speech.  In it, he highlighted an issue I have been working on since last fall regarding the incarceration of nonviolent criminals.  I'd like to share a short excerpt of his address which I will be writing more about in coming weeks:

"Perhaps the biggest waste of resources in all of state government is the over-incarceration of nonviolent offenders and our mishandling of drug and alcohol offenders.  It is costing us billions of dollars and it is not making a dent in crime."

I look forward to working with Chief Justice Price and his office on finding a viable solution to this growing problem.  We will report more on it as developments take place.

If you have problems, questions or wish to express concern over an issue, please do not hesitate to contact me or my Legislator Assistant, Jonathan, at my Capitol office either by phone 573-751-9801 or by e-mail at Marilyn{dot}Ruestman{at}house{dot}mo{dot}gov.