I also have more help this year. My new Legislative Assistant, Janet Hafner, has over 20 years of experience in state government and does a great job at keeping me organized. Also, please help me welcome my interns, Katie Hemman and Jenn Lavin, both from The University of Missouri! They've hit the ground running and are learning a lot about the legislative process.
One of the Governor's priorities this year is passing an insurance mandate for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). This morning, the Special Standing Committee on Health Insurance passed HB 1311 out of the committee with bi-partisan support and is headed to the house floor shortly. I truly believe that this will be the year that we get coverage for so many families who are drowning in financial debt trying to pay for the therapy their children so desparately need.
On a personal note, Aden is much more aware of his surroundings this year and I often bring him to the Capitol. He loves how his voice echoes through the halls and enjoys running to the elevator and pushing the buttons. He also loves going into Representative Webb's refridegerator and taking his strawberries!
I hope you find the information useful and we can be of any assistance, do not hesitate to contact us at (573) 751-6800.
Sincerely,
Tishaura
Property Redevelopment on Olive Street
Through Brownfield Redevelopment Program, the Department of Economic Development has approved up to $849,000 in remediation tax credits to redevelop property located on 1111 Olive Street in St. Louis. The Brownfield Redevelopment Program provides financial incentives to redevelop abandoned or underutilized commercial and industrial sites. The tax credits will aid in the redevelopment of this property into office and retail space and it is projected to create 147 new jobs.
Missouri Earthquake Awareness Week
The week of February 7th is Earthquake Awareness Week and a good time to recognize earthquake hazards in Missouri and take measures to minimize the risks involved. In 1811 and 1812, there were several hundred earthquakes around New Madrid, Missouri, three of which were a magnitude of 7 ½. Such a quake today would cause significant damage to infrastructure in the surrounding areas. It is very important that families, businesses, and work-places have an emergency plan. Pre-planning is essential for community resources such as churches, schools, and other local organizations to be available in case of an emergency. Learning basic first aid and CPR may also be a good idea.
2010 U.S. Census Reminder
Every ten years, the federal government conducts a census, an official count of the entire population of the United States. The next census will be held on April 1st, 2010. Census data is used to create voting districts for Congress, state legislatures, school boards and city councils as well as determine the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives. It is also used by federal and local governments to determine where to provide funds for schools, roads, hospitals, senior centers, and other services. Every census that has been performed has failed to fully count Blacks and other people of color resulting in a loss of 4.1 billion dollars for communities that were undercounted. It is very important to fill out your Census form and be counted this year. It takes 10 minutes and you should receive a form in March 2010. All the information is confidential and will not be shared. You should include everyone that lives in your household most of the time. Return your form in the envelope provided by April 1, 2010. If you do not receive a form or have moved, contact a BE COUNTED center or your local Census Bureau.
IRS Free File Program
The IRS is offering a free, safe, online tax preparation software for any taxpayer that makes less than $57,000. By visiting www.IRS.gov, users can get step-by-step instructions on how to complete and file federal tax returns online. Taxpayers who use Free File with direct deposit may also receive refunds in as little as 10 days. This is made possible by a partnership between the IRS and the Free File Alliance which is a group of industry-leading tax software providers. The Free File program has served more than 25 million people since 2003.
Tax Justice for a Healthy Missouri
In these tough economic times, it is important to evaluate both sides of the budget equation – revenue and expenses. In 2007, Missouri ranked 47th lowest in the nation on per capita State Government Revenue in state taxes. Missouri collected $2,475 per person while the national average was $3,245 per person. In order to reach a more balanced budget, state revenue in the form of taxes must be looked at. Currently, Missouri families earning less than $17,000, the poorest fifth of Missouri's non-elderly taxpayers, pay 9.6 percent of their income in state and local taxes. Middle income Missouri taxpayers who earn between $31,000 and $50,000 pay 9.5 percent of their income in state and local taxes. Finally, the richest Missouri taxpayers, whose average income is $1,170,600, pay only 6.6 percent of their income in state and local taxes. Another problem is that Missouri's top tax bracket begins at $9,000 of taxable income which has not been updated since 1931. With this, 57% of Missourians pay Missouri's top tax bracket. The Tax Justice for a Healthy Missouri tax reform plan seeks to make the income tax system more modern and fair. It would reduce taxes on average for about 60% of Missourians and produce $1.3 billion in revenue.
Human Development Corporation and Community Action Partnership
During these economic times, if you are in need of utility or housing assistance, emergency food, nutrition for a newborn, or job placement, your local Community Action Agency can help! Community Action Agencies have provided support to St. Louisans for 45 years. If you are a resident of the City of St. Louis and Wellston call . If you are a resident of St. Louis County call . If you are a resident of Jefferson County call . If you are a resident of Franklin County call . The Human Development Corporation of Metropolitan St. Louis also premiered a free Community Action Voice Mail in which homeless/jobless individuals received an individual number they could call and be contacted on. This allowed many individuals to find jobs, homes, retain custody of their children and achieve many more things.
The State of Missouri's Health
Although Missouri ranks 21st of all U.S. States for Health Care spending, many of its health indicators fall in the bottom third. The United Health Foundation provides annual health rankings computed from twenty different measures divided into two categories: health determinants (i.e. personal behaviors, community and environment, public and health policies, and clinical care) and health outcomes (i.e. mortality and quality-of-life).
Missouri was ranked 38th overall, but tended to rank much better in health determinants (i.e. percentage of ninth graders graduating within four years and percentage of pregnant women receiving adequate prenatal care) than health outcomes. It is clear that Missouri could use some improvement in many health outcomes, including years lost due to premature death, cancer deaths, cardiovascular deaths, and poor physical health days. However, several health determinants present a challenge as well, such as percentage of population that is obese and that smokes.
The Commonwealth Fund released a scorecard in 2009 which examines health system performance across five dimensions: 1) Access, 2) Prevention and Treatment, 3) Avoidable Hospital Use and Costs, 4) Equity, and 5) Healthy Lives. Missouri ranked 36th overall, the lowest being the healthy lives dimension (41st) and the highest in the avoidable hospital use and cost dimension (28th).
Missouri's uninsured population has increased by ten percent in the last two years. Major contributing factors include a decrease in Medicaid coverage as well as a decrease in the number of Missourians with employer-sponsored health coverage. Fortunately, coverage for children has made gains due to increased enrollment in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Plan (CHIP).
2000 Census Data - Education Profile for State House District 63
School Enrollment by Age Group for Children Ages 3 to 17
Slightly over half of 3 and 4 year olds are enrolled in school. The number shoots up to 94.3 percent for children ages 5 to 9 and peaks at 98.1 percent for ages 10 to 14. The percent drops back down to 92.6 percent for those ages 15 to 17. Overall 89.6 percent of children are enrolled in school.
Population Age 3 and Over Enrolled in Public or Private School (preschool – grade 12) by Race
Overall, 13.4 percent of students are enrolled in private school while 86.6 percent are enrolled in public school. Almost half of all White and Asian students are enrolled in private schools, 44.3% and 48.9%, respectively, while this is true for only 6.8% of African American students. American Indian and Alaska Natives have the next highest percentage of students enrolled in private schools (30.6%), followed by "other race" (23.3%) and then those of two or more races (15.5%).
Population Age 3 and Over Enrolled in Public or Private School by Hispanic Origin
33.3% of Hispanic students in the District are enrolled in private school. Of the students self-identified as Non-Hispanic, White, 43.5% are enrolled in private school and the number drops to 7.5% for Non-Hispanic, other race students.
School Enrollment and Employment Status for the Population Ages 16 to 19
25.5% of this population is not enrolled in school. Of that group, 10 percent are employed (over half are high school graduates). Of the 15.5 percent that are unemployed, about one-third are high school graduates).
Highest Educational Attainment for the Population Ages 18 to 24
32.7% of this population has not graduated high school (26.1% of females and 40.6% of males). 30.2% have a high school diploma or equivalent (30.5% of females and 29.9% of males). 23.4% have received some college education, but no degree (23.4% of females and 17.7% of males). Only 12.9% have either an Associate or Bachelor's Degree (14.2% of females and 11.3% of males).
Save the Date
2010 Conference
July 8-11, 2010
Renaissance Grand Hotel St. Louis
Scholarships Available
Phil B. Curls, Sr. Scholarship shall be provided to Missouri students pursuing an undergraduate or graduate health related degree from a university or college who show academic excellence, community service, leadership skills, and financial need.Due April 23, 2010
DeVerne Calloway Scholarship is based on Missouri students who are wishing to pursue an undergraduate degree from a university or college who show academic excellence, community service, leadership skills, and show financial need.
Due April 23, 2010
Paula J. Carter Graduate Scholarship is based on Missouri students who are wishing to pursue a graduate degree from a university or college who show academic excellence, community service, leadership skills, and show financial need.
Due April 23, 2010
Highlights from the State of the Judiciary Address
Chief Justice William Ray Price, Jr.
"The criminal justice system is very expensive. Law enforcement, prescutors, public defenders, courthouses, and prisons all cost a lot of money. However, one of the core functions of government is to keep people safe in their homes and safe on the streets. But just because this is one of the most important places that we spend taxpayer money, it does not mean that all of that money is well spent."
"For years we have waged a 'war on drugs,' enacted 'three strikes and you're out' sentencing laws, and 'thrown away the key' to be tough on crime. What we did not do was check to see how much it costs, or whether we were winning or losing. In fact, it has cost us billions of dollars and we have just as much crime now as we did when we started. We have created a bottleneck by arresting far more people than we can handle down through the rest of the system."
"We may have been tough on crime, but we have not be smart on crime. I would like to talk about this problem from three different perspectives: public defenders, prosecutors, and nonviolent offenders. It does no good to commit resources to law enforcement and to arrest criminals if you don't know what you are going to do with them, or you cannot afford to do what you should do with them, after they have been arrested. It does no good."
"The first problem is how we are going to try all the people we arrest. We already hace discussed the financial stress under which the court system is operating. But our public defenders and prosecutors are also stressed to the point of breaking."
"The inconsistency that you have read about in statewide DWI prosecution, plea bargaining, and sentencing exsists in all other areas of our criminal law as well. Listen to the disparity. Prison sentences as a percentage of all criminal dispositions for fiscal 2009 ranged from 10.8 percent to 48.7 percent among our various circuits. That means that 1 out of every 10 people found guilty of a crimeis sentenced to jail in our lowest sentencing circuit, while 5 out of every 10 are sentenced to jail in our highest sentencing circuit. The average length of sentences also varies greatly. The average sentence in our lowest sentencing circuits is 4.5 years and 9 years in our highest sentencing circuit. Such a great disparity from circuit to circuit cannot be what we want from a moral, financial, or any other perspective."
"Listen to these numbers. In 1994, shortly after I came to the Court, the number of nonviolent offenders in Missouri prisons was 7,461. Today it's 14,204. That's almost double. In 1994, the number of new commitments for nonviolent offenses was 4,857. Last year, it was 7,220 -- again almost double. At a rate of $16,432 per offender, we currently are spending $233.4 million a year to incarcerate nonviolent offenders … not counting the investment in the 10 prisons it takes to hold these individuals at $100 million per prison. In 1994, appropriations to the Department of Corrections totaled $216,753,472. Today, it's $670,079,452. The amount has tripled. And the recidivism rate for these individuals, who are returned to prison within just two years, is 41.6 percent."
"Let me be clear: violent offenders need to be separated from us so they cannot hurt innocent men, women or children, regardless of the cost. I am not talking about them. I am talking about nonviolent offenders."
"Nonviolent offenders need to learn their lesson. I'm not against punishment. Most often, though, they need to be treated for drug and alcohol addiction and given job training. Putting them in a very expensive concrete box with very expensive guards, feeding them, providing them with expensive medical care, surrounding them with hardened criminals for long periods of time, and separating them from their families who need them and could otherwise help them does not work. Proof is in the numbers: 41.6 percent are back within two years."
"One thing we should do immediately is increase our investment in drug courts and expand that effort to DWI courts. Illegal drugs use drives crime. Depending upon the study, 60 to 80 percent of crime involves drug use. We also know that simple incarceration, no matter how expensive, does not cure addiction. Treatment combined with strict judicial oversight does."
"We have had tremendous success with DWI courts. They operate on the same model as our drug courts. Commissoner Peggy Davis in Springfield runs a nationally recognized DWI court and trains judges across the country. We should have her training judges across this state. Our goal should not be to spend $16,000 a year to keep these offenders in jail as long as we can. Our goal should be to spend $3,000 a year to treat their alcoholism, and to return them to our state as productive tax-paying members of society who drive with licenses, with insurance, and who are sober."
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