House Members Advance Bipartisan Ethics Reform Bill
One day after Republicans on the House Rules Committee on a straight party-line vote sent an important bipartisan ethics reform bill back to another committee to be gutted of meaningful provisions, 59 state representatives exercised their constitutional authority to move the bill to the House debate calendar.Fifty-six Democrats and three Republicans signed a petition to strip the House Special Committee on Government Accountability and Ethics Reform of further consideration of Senate Bill 577, which the committee previously approved on a 12-0 vote on April 13. The Senate unanimously approved its version of the bill, which is sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Charlie Shields, R-St. Joseph, on March 4.
"With less than three weeks remaining in the legislative session, this bill should move forward in the process, not backward," said state Rep. Terry Witte, D-Vandalia and author of the petition. "The government accountability committee spent weeks crafting a strong bill that members of both parties agreed to. It is well past time for this bill to move forward."
The Rules Committee voted 7-4 on Monday to remand the bill to the original committee. Republicans Rules Committee members said they wanted provisions reinstating campaign contribution limits stripped from the bill. Missouri voters overwhelmingly imposed contribution limits in 1994, but the Republican-controlled General Assembly repealed them in 2008.
"For Republicans on the Rules Committee to send the bill back is a blatant subversion of the committee process," said House Minority Leader Paul LeVota, D-Independence. "As House Speaker Ron Richard said in a recent interview with the Missourinet: 'There is a right way and wrong way to do things around here.' Stalling meaningful ethics reform is the wrong way to do things. Preventing the full House from considering contributions limits and other reforms Missourians want is the wrong way to do things."
Article III, Section 22 of the Missouri Constitution allows 55 House members to remove a bill from committee and place it on the House debate calendar. The provision exists to enable lawmakers to overcome obstruction or stalling of legislation at the committee level. Although lawmakers have the constitutional power to advance bills to the House calendar, under chamber rules House Majority Leader Steve Tilley, R-Perryville, determines what bills are actually debated.
"This bill has been thoroughly vetted and unanimously approved by a House committee. If certain members want provisions added or removed, the best way to do that is on the House floor with all members involved," said House Minority Whip Jeff Roorda, D-Barnhart. "The ball is now in the majority leader's court: He can either allow the House to debate and pass a strong bill or he can do the bidding of wealthy donors who oppose reform. If he chooses the latter, the failure of ethics reform this year will be squarely on his shoulders."
House members also discharged House Bill 2300, another ethics reform measure, from the House Rules Committee, where it has languished without action since March 25.
When asked at a news conference on the first day of the 2010 session what provisions of an ethics reform bill he would support, House Speaker Ron Richard, R-Joplin, said: "I will support whatever comes out of our bipartisan committee - whatever comes out."
"Speaker Richard, without reservation or limitation, said he would support whatever bill came out of the government accountability committee," said Assistant House Minority Leader J.C. Kuessner, D-Eminence. "It is time for the speaker to keep his word and support this bill."
Added state Rep. Jason Kander, D-Kansas City: "I support moving ethics reform forward despite obstacles erected to prevent progress by those who thrive under the current system."
To read the entire Kansas City Star article, click here.
To read the entire Columbia Missourian article, click here.
Read the St. Louis Post Dispatch story:
Article ~ Steve Tilley holds the key to fate of ethics reform bill
To read the St. Joseph New-Press article Click Here.
State Budget Fails to Deliver Financial Stability
The Republican-controlled Missouri House of Representatives today granted final approval to a $23.27 billion state operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year that imposes drastic cuts on nearly every state agency but fails to provide for long-term budget stability, which will necessitate even deeper cuts next year.The final state budget for Fiscal Year 2011, which begins July 1, approved by lawmakers makes nearly $500 million in general revenue cuts from the budget the governor proposed in January. Those cuts are in addition to the $300 million in general revenue cuts recommended by the governor. Despite lawmakers' actions, the governor is expected to be forced to enact further cuts to bring the budget into balance.
Throughout the legislative session, House Democrats called for a balanced approached to break the cycle of declining revenue collections and reductions in vital state services that Missouri has been trapped in for most of the last decade. In particular, House Democrats sought reform of the more than 60 tax credit programs, which costs the state about $600 million a year in lost revenue, and elimination of various special tax exemptions, such as that granted on the purchase of luxury yachts.
"The continuing budget crisis is a manmade disaster created by the General Assembly," said House Minority Leader Paul LeVota, D-Independence. "Years of generous tax breaks for the well-connected have eroded Missouri's tax base to the point where it can no longer pay the bills for basic state services. The Republican-controlled General Assembly chose to ignore this reality, and the people of Missouri will suffer for it."
While the budget freezes basic state funding for local public school districts, it imposes a 50 percent cut in the state reimbursement to districts for student transportation costs and eliminates or reduces funding for other education costs beyond basic state aid.
"The reality is all the cards aren't on the table when it comes to balancing this budget," said state Rep. Sara Lampe, D-Springfield and the ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee. "The Missouri Constitution says that public schools are supposed to be the first priority after payment of the public debt. In reality, tax credits automatically are funded before education or the debt, regardless of whether the state can afford them. This budget does not make public schools a priority."
The budget also assumes that more than a dozen bills that are pending in the General Assembly to create necessary savings budget writers counted on will pass. Many of those bills are stalled in House committees.
"This budget is out of balanced financially, it is out of balance in terms of priority and it is out of balance morally," said House Minority Whip Jeff Roorda, D-Barnhart.
Columbia Missourian article
KRCG-TV story
State Workers will get Truman's Birthday
JEFFERSON CITY, MO. -- A lean budget is forcing lawmakers to make some tough funding choices. One idea in a bill that has already passed the Senate would take away Lincoln and Truman's paid state holidays.We took their concerns of the state workers to the Office of Administration. Officials there say, even if the bill to get rid of the Lincoln and Truman paid holidays passes, state workers would still have next Friday as a paid holiday.
O.A. Officials say there wouldn't be enough time to for a last-minute change of plans.
There is no concrete data on how money eliminating the two days would save the state.
St. Louis Post Dispatch Story
St. Louis Beacon article
Property Tax Rebate Opportunity
The Circuit Breaker property tax rebate is available to certain senior citizens and people who are 100 percent disabled. As of April 9, 2010 DRA has processed $273,184.00 This surpasses last years total by $10,000 and we anticipate another $40-$50,000 additional by years end. There is assistance available to help fill out and file forms as well as determining if you are eligible for the program. You can visit this web page for more information: http://dor.mo.gov/tax/personal/ptc/If there is anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate to contact my office. I enjoy serving my constituents as "their" voice in the Missouri State Capitol.
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