"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." -- Thomas Jefferson
Missouri Legislature Passes Balanced Budget, WITHOUT Raising Taxes
This week, the General Assembly passed a balanced budget, approving funding to run critical functions of state government without a tax increase. Thirteen budget bills totaling $23.1 billion for the fiscal year beginning July 1 were agreed upon by both chambers and will be sent to the Governor for final approval. We shaved a total of $484 million from the Governor's proposed budget, making the necessary and tough decisions to keep Missouri afloat in this harsh economy.Unlike the federal government, we examined every budget item, line by line, and responsibly made the reductions needed to uphold vital programs. We were also able to trim items that we could live without, even though it was not an easy process.
I am pleased to report that we maintained the school funding formula at its current levels. In addition, Missouri's K-12 schools will receive the same level of funding in the 2011 Fiscal Year as they did this year. We also approved $37.5 million for the Career Ladder program that pays teachers for extra work such as afterschool tutoring.
The largest savings, anticipated to be millions, came from reviewing state departments and identifying how they can run more efficiently by eliminating more than 1,000 government jobs, including taxpayer-funded lobbyists and items like equipment, travel and expenses.
We completed the budget more than one week in advance of the deadline set by the state constitution, which is absolutely remarkable given that I have never seen this accomplished in previous sessions. This is a testament to the work of our Budget Chairman, Representative Allen Icet, R – Wildwood, and his budget committee for their longstanding dedication to this process.
Because we continued down a fiscally-conservative path while balancing our state's budget, we are able to keep Missouri in a leadership position when it comes to being financially stable. While other states across the nation are struggling miserably to keep afloat, Missouri is ahead of the game and operating the best we can despite declining state revenues. For the past eight years, House Republicans have led the way in passing constitutionally mandated, balanced budgets WITHOUT any tax increases. I am honored and humbled to serve you in such a financially prudent fashion during such challenging fiscal times.
House of Representatives Pay Tribute to Veterans and Recognize Central Missouri Honor Flight
On Tuesday, nearly 200 veterans gathered in the House Chamber and were recognized and honored by our members. This particular group has been given the opportunity to participate in the Central Missouri Honor Flight, which is an outstanding non-profit organization that flies veterans to Washington, DC to view their memorials. Since its inception in January 2009, Central Missouri Honor Flight has raised more than $350,000 and taken 465 World War II heroes to our nation's capitol in eight memorable day-long trips. Top priority is given to senior veterans, WWII survivors, along with other veterans who may be terminally ill.As legislators, we have faced hard decisions this year, but nothing we will ever endure will be as difficult as the long days and nights our war veterans faced as they served, sacrificed and bled for this land. Our service pales in comparison to what our veterans have accomplished, but there is one thing we know: we are here, because our veterans were there. I challenge all of us to never forget their fight, and always hold on to their honorable service in our hearts.
House Passes Bill Promoting Tax Credits for Pregnancy Resource Donators
House Bill 2252, sponsored by Representative Sally Faith, R – St. Charles, extends the sunset period for tax credits given to those who donate to pregnancy resource centers. This bill passed the House and has been sent to the Senate for final approval.Pregnancy Resource Centers, located all across our state, are vital for individuals and families who are either expecting a child or who already have children and need help. These centers provide counseling to women and men who are going through difficult pregnancy situations or post-pregnancy situations and also provide supplies, like diapers and formula, to those in need. By offering free pregnancy testing, counselors at Pregnancy Resource Centers are able to inform expecting mothers and families about life options for their unborn.
With these vital donations, Pregnancy Resource Centers are able to run their offices, provide supplies for families in need and give counseling and support to those who need it most.
House Gives Final Approval to Tax Reform, Job Retaining Legislation
Recent Missouri Supreme Court decisions have put Missouri employers that do business with tax exempt organizations in a costly position, holding that a company selling products to a local government or tax exempt entity could not consider the sale a retail sale, and therefore, could not claim the sale for resale exclusion.Senate Bill 928, which was passed out of the House this week, reverses that Supreme Court decision, seeking to benefit Missouri business and keep them competitive with those in other states. The bill does this by excluding resale items from sales and use tax if sold to a tax-exempt entity. This would include school districts, cities, counties and the state.
Job retention is a top priority, considering our economy is down and businesses tend to locate to states that offer them the best incentives at the most competitive prices. Through Senate Bill 928, we will be able to retain businesses in our state and provide Missourians with jobs. The bill gained nearly unanimous support in the House and we hope that the Governor will sign it soon.
URGENT! HEALTH CARE FREEDOM ACT UPDATE-CALL YOUR SENATORS!!
As many of you know, I am the chief sponsor of HJR 57, the "Health Care Freedom Act". As I have discussed, if it is passed and approved by the voters, it will secure the current rights and freedoms that Missouri citizens have to choose to participate in whatever health care system or health care that they want. As we continue to see, the disastrous aftermath of the passage of ObamaCare continues to dominate our headlines and continues to show us how truly flawed this new federal entitlement is. HJR 57 was passed out of the House many weeks ago by a vote of 109-46. UNFORTUNATELY, HJR 57 AND ITS SENATE COUNTERPART, SJR 25 (sponsored by Sen. Jane Cunningham-R, Chesterfield) BOTH REMAIN MIRED AND STUCK IN THE SENATE. A particular special interest group along with a very few liberal minded Senators who continue to want to protect Obama's disastrous agenda are stopping either of these bills from passing, which they should have done weeks ago. TIME IS QUICKLY RUNNING OUT…IT IS TIME TO CONTACT YOUR STATE SENATOR AND BOTH SENATE PRO TEM CHARLIE SHIELDS AND SENATE MAJORITY LEADER KEVIN ENGLER AND TELL THEM THAT PASSING ONE OF THESE RESOLUTIONS IS YOUR MOST IMPORTANT PRIORITY AND IS VITAL FOR ALL YOUR FELLOW FREEDOM LOVING MISSOURIANS. You may view the legislation at this link: http://house.mo.gov/content.aspx?info=/bills101/bills/HJR57.htm Thank you all very much for your continued support of this very important proposed constitutional amendment, and I will continue to keep you posted on its progress!
Tim's Legislative Platform for 2010
I have sponsored and filed sixteen individual pieces of legislation this Session. I have co-sponsored numerous other bills. To review all of the bills that I have sponsored or co-sponsored, please follow this link: http://www.house.mo.gov/content.aspx?info=/bills101/spon/spn089.htm. As you will see in the photos [at right], I am very happy to announce that this week, the Governor signed my House Bill 1498, commonly referred to as the Prompt Pay Act which will ensure the prompt and efficient payment of health insurance claims by insurance companies to all health care providers in our State. As I stated at the press conference, this is true, genuine health care cost reform for all Missourians!Personal News & Notes
The last two weeks of Session will be extremely fast paced and we will spend long days on the House Floor and running back and forth to the Senate. Bills will fly back and forth between the Chambers and everyone will be searching for a good legislative vehicle on which to complete their priorities. I want to thank all of the great folks who support me back home as we become fully immersed in our work at the Capitol during these final days of the 2nd Regular Session of the 95th General Assembly, especially my family and my colleagues at my law firm, DosterUllom. It is hard to believe that in two weeks, the Session will be over and summer will be upon us!
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