Lichtenegger: Committee Reinstates Meals On Wheels Funding

It has been a busy few weeks here at the Capitol, and I am enjoying the legislative process and embracing its many challenges. In this Capitol Report I would like to update you on several pieces of legislation that have been filed and several that have been passed out of the House.

A good portion of my active legislative life has been the Appropriations Committee of which I am Vic Chair. The 12-member committee has just completed its work for this session, and I am happy to report that the committee reinstated the $1,422,018 budget amount for the Meals on Wheels program! Although our Appropriation-committee recommendation still has to survive the Budget Committee, it is satisfying to know the program’s potential to keep our senior citizens out of nursing homes. It is my hope that the Budget committee members will recognize the program’s value to Missouri taxpayers and make it a priority budget item.

On a more local note, I met with Saxony Lutheran High School Administrator, Craig Ernstmeyer, February 11 to discuss the impact of two planned quarries near the school site. The Strack quarry site-center would be developed 950 yards from the high school and only 320 yards from the school building to the site perimeter. The other proposed quarry, Heartland, will be 450 yards (center-site to school’s building) and 80 yards, site-perimeter to school property line. Another concern Ernstmeyer mentioned is “the fugitive dust with both -individually and collectively- but the Strack proposal is closer to residential and the Heartland one is closer to the school; we typically have a prevailing south wind,” he said.

Recently I filed a bill, HB 591, that would allow the state dental board to issue a limited teaching license to a dentist employed as an instructor in an accredited dental school in Missouri. This bill will help to alleviate the dental instructor shortage.

Legislation passed from the House and now in the Senate

• HB 46 -changes the laws regarding fire sprinkler system installations.
• HB 162 -changes the laws regarding workers’ compensation liability.
• HB 73 & 47 –requires certain applicants for and recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program benefits to be tested for the illegal use of controlled substances.
• HB 163 -changes the laws regarding unemployment compensation in order to receive federal funds and removes the 10-year time limit an obligation under a financial agreement for compensation funds can continue.
• HB 45 -changes the laws regarding the Big Government Get Off My Back Act and provide an income tax deduction for certain small businesses that create new full-time jobs.
• SCR 1 –disapproves a final order of rule making by the Public Service Commission with regards to the Electric Utility Renewable Energy requirements.

Constituent Corner

• February 17 (photo above left) was Municipal League Day at the State Capitol. I met with (left to right) Rodney Bollinger, Jackson Public Utilities Director, Mary Lowry, Jackson City Clerk/Treasurer, Dave Hitt, Jackson Alderman-Ward 2, Barbara Lohr, Jackson Mayor and Tim Welker, Jackson Alderman-Ward 1.
• Emily Holman (photo above right) an 8th grader from Cape Girardeau Junior High presented me with her framed artwork “Stormy Sea”.
• MO DOT news: North & south bound lanes of I-55, Route 61 in Cape Girardeau & Scott Counties will be reduced to a single lane 6 pm to 6 am for construction Feb 25 through March 5.
• This year, every taxpayer with a 2010 Adjusted Gross Income of $58,000 or less may visit www.IRS.gov/efile for free tax preparation software and e-filing. To access this help visit the IRS website, www.IRS.gov, and click on the “Free File” icon. There you will find a list of Free File Alliance member companies and may either choose the one that fits their needs or utilize the “help me find a company” tool. After selecting a company, taxpayers will be transferred to the company's website to prepare, complete and electronically file their federal income tax returns. “The IRS Free File program walks taxpayers through the filing process to make it simple, fast and free,” said Tim Hugo, executive director of the Free File Alliance. “Free File software not only increases accuracy but delivers a quick turn-around on tax refunds, getting it to you in as little as 10 days. Free File Alliance member companies have continually worked with the IRS to strengthen IRS Free File and ensure that it remains both accurate and secure.”