Rupp: My History of Protecting Children

Perhaps the biggest impact I’ve had personally this session is legislation that would impact the lives of children. There is no bigger joy in my life than my two kids, and to think that anyone would want to allow any kind of harm to any of these young lives or jeopardize their future in any way is a very sad mark of our society.

That is precisely why it is up to government leaders to do everything they can to make sure our children and their future are safe, and why I never hesitate to use my power as a state senator to do what I can to provide protection for their fragile lives.

My most recent example is an amendment I successfully added to House Bill 1609, a judicial bill I believe has a pretty good chance of becoming law. My amendment basically says that if a child care provider has a pending criminal charge for child abuse or child endangerment, that provider cannot continue to provide child care services until the situation is resolved. It also sets the penalties for breaking this law, and it syncs the same restrictions faced by licensed day-care providers and applies it to unlicensed providers.

This may seem like a no-brainer to most of you, but there is a loophole in the law that unfortunately resulted in a sad consequence in our state. A Missouri family lost their three-month old baby while a daycare provider cared for their little boy. While the provider faced charges of involuntary manslaughter and abuse of a child resulting in death, the family was horrified to learn – as was I – that the unlicensed provider continued to care for other children. With the Senate’s full support of this amendment, I hope we can equalize this law and make sure this type of situation never happens again.

My record on protecting the well-being of children stands for itself. Just this session alone, I have continued to fight for pro-life legislation, autism spectrum disorder health care insurance, charter schools, and early high school graduation. Throughout the last few years, I have passed new laws to reform Missouri’s outdated harassment and stalking laws to protect children from cyber stalkers and increase penalties for adults that prey on children over the internet. I have also increased protections for our children against sexual predators and protected and improved important early intervention services for children with special needs. I want every Missouri child to have the bright and boundless future that they can make for themselves, and I will continue to support legislation that upholds that notion.

This passion might be the father in me, because when I’m faced with tough decisions, I just look around my office at the drawings or photos of my kids, and it never fails to bring clarity. Or maybe it’s the hundreds of children that come to visit me in the Capitol each and every year, who ask me what it takes to do my job.

Wherever that inspiration to protect children comes from, I’m glad it’s there, because it colors everything I do in Jefferson City.

Senator Scott T. Rupp’s Pro-Life Measures Sent to Governor

My pro-life measures, approved by the Senate in April, today passed the House and are now headed to the Governor’s desk.

Senate Bill 793 includes the pro-life provisions included in SB747 that he sponsored this session. These measures include language that prohibits any policies issued within the health insurance exchanges established by the federal health care bill from covering an abortion. The federal bill includes several provisions that threaten the lives of the unborn and would compel Missouri taxpayers to pay for abortion coverage if Missouri did not pass Sen. Rupp’s abortion opt out provision contained in SB793.

SB 793 also contains language that enacts new requirements for women seeking an abortion, such as viewing printed materials that detail the risk of an abortion and an opportunity to hear the unborn child’s heartbeat and view an ultrasound.

Today Missouri continued to be the leader on protecting Life by stopping the federal government from forcing our tax dollars to fund abortions through the federal health care bill,” said Sen. Rupp. “Coupled with ultrasound viewings and other pro-life provisons in the bill, this was a HUGE victory for Life and I am so blessed to have helped make this possible.”

Senator Rupp’s Accountability and Transparency Legislation Passes

My legislation that establishes a joint committee to protect federal stimulus funds from fraud, waste and abuse was adopted into House Bill 1965 and passed yesterday.

My original bill Senate Bill 757, designed to form joint committee made up of House and Senate members to provide oversight of the grants and contracts awarded by federal stimulus funds. The act would also require the governor to submit a daily report of all amounts held from the state operating budget to the Missouri Accountability Portal, as well as the expenses state employees or elected officials turn in for out-of-state travel.

After final approval from the Senate, the legislation would go to the governor for his signature before becoming law.

This bill basically says that as taxpaying citizens, we want to know where federal stimulus funds are going. We’ll make sure that every dollar is accounted for, and stop fraud, waste, and abuse before it happens. This legislation protects the taxpayer and provides governmental accountability.

Autism Insurance Reform Measure Sponsored By Sen. Scott T. Rupp Goes to Governor

Autism insurance reform, which I sponsored, passed the Missouri Legislature, sending legislation to the Governor that will provide coverage to thousands of Missouri families.

I’m very pleased that so many families will now get the coverage they have paid for and deserve. I am grateful for all of their support and encouragement as we continued this fight throughout the last few years. I cannot thank my colleagues in the Legislature enough for seeing the importance of this measure.

House Bill 1311 requires coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders, including coverage for applied behavior analysis, for up to a maximum of $40,000 annually through the age of 18. The bill restricts health carriers from refusing to issue or renew coverage simply because an individual has an autism diagnosis.

By passing this legislation we have made significant improvements for the lives of families dealing with autism. Missouri's law now provides coverage for the therapies that get results, and has the only cost-of-living increase for those therapies in the nation. The people spoke, the legislature listened and our communities and families benefited. This is the way the system is supposed to work. We continued to make Missouri a leader for autism research, treatment and advocacy when this bill was passed on Wednesday.

With the governor’s signature, the measure becomes Missouri law on August 28, 2010, and affects polices starting January 1, 2011.

Senator Scott T. Rupp Hails Passage of “Health Care Freedom Act”

Missouri voters will now be able to make their voices heard on the federal healthcare bill, as the House has approved the “Health Care Freedom Act,” [HB1764] which puts the measure on the August ballot. I sponsored the bill in the Senate that includes the health care provision.

The “Health Care Freedom Act” says that, upon voter approval, no federal law will compel a patient, employer, or health care provider to participate in any government or privately run health care system, nor prohibit a patient or employer from paying directly for legal health care services.

Instead of just sitting back and allowing the federal government to force us to join a health care plan and penalize Missourians for making certain health care choices, this will allow our citizens to vote on the issue. I think the passage of this measure reaffirms the values of our democracy in that it allows the voters of our state to choose what they want for their health care.

I took an oath to protect and defend the constitution and to protect the rights and freedoms of all Missourians. I am proud to have been the Senate handler of this very important legislation that fulfills that oath.

As always, if you have any questions about this week’s column or any other matter involving state government, please do not hesitate to contact me. You can reach my office by phone at (866) 271-2844.