Neth: Stressful Yet Exciting Effort On House Floor, Committee Action, Getting To Know…

Each week gets busier and busier, all the while providing for new experiences. This week, I was involved in the floor debate regarding HB 205 - an employment law bill. I proposed an amendment to the bill and was involved in debate on it for several hours. My amendment aimed to prevent discrimination in the workplace and force legislators to write solid legislation that would be easier for laypeople to interpret. After hours of lengthy lawyer-speak from those in opposition to my amendment, my amendment failed and the bill was passed. Some have asked for my opening comments, which you can find at this link.

This was the first time I had spoken on the House floor and it was quite an experience. Although very stressful, it was very exciting as well. The response I received for holding true to my principles made me glad that I spoke up and held my ground.

The legislation is starting to hit the floor pretty heavy now and it is just the start of things to come. I will not lie; at times it is very difficult to keep up with all the material that is presented in the various committees and bills. However, I continue to do my best to sort through the massive amount of information that flows into my office.

You will notice one new addition to our weekly report - "Getting to know..." I hope to use this from time to time to introduce you to people that are making things happen in the Capitol and around our community. I am starting this week with my Legislative Assistant, Bill Musick.

As always, I appreciate any input to help me make better decisions for the people of the 34th District.

Myron

Visitors to the Capitol

Andrea Tinsley, a Liberty native and a graduate student studying Physical Therapy at Missouri Baptist University, stopped by with two of her professors.

At left: Mr. and Mrs. Don Jackson from Freedom Road Riders

Mr. and Mrs. Don Jackson visited our office on their annual tour to the capitol. The Jacksons have been involved with Freedom Road Riders for many years.

Brook Pangburn with Skills USA dropped by my office. She is a student from Liberty.

Paul Harrell visited my office this week. He works with North Kansas City Schools.

At right: Friends from MU Extension

Nancy Mensy, Vern Windsor, and their colleagues with the University of Missouri Extension program stopped in to discuss a variety of issues including funding for the 4H program.

Floor Action

HB 14 and HB 15 were the first budget bills we faced this year. They relate to the supplemental budget. The supplemental budget addresses funds and refunds that have become available this year that we must allocate to various departments by the end of the fiscal year.

We passed HB 205 which will change the way we do employment law in Missouri. I offered an amendment to this bill that would eliminate a section of the law that I felt made the legislation unfair for employees. In addition, I felt the language was poorly written and went well beyond the drafters' intentions. My amendment failed and the bill passed. In my opinion, it will water down our discrimination laws in the state and prevent legitimate suits to be filed against those that practice discrimination. Proponents of HB 205 say it will be good for business in the state. This claim may be true because it protects businesses from being sued for discrimination against their workers. Although I can appreciate the intent of the bill, the practical outcome of the language does more harm than good. We could have done it differently and helped businesses in Missouri just as effectively. I gave it a good shot and gained some clout as a good orator and a principled representative. We will see what the Senate does and if they can improve the bill in any way.

The passage of HB 209 limited nuisance lawsuits against farmers and agriculture in the state. Currently, there exists a situation where lawsuits can be brought forth over and over again for the same offenses, such as odor, etc. The bill still allows for suits to be brought and damages to be paid, but limits how many times an operator can be sued. As one who works in animal agriculture, this bill hit very close to home.

HB 139 is one of my favorite pieces of legislation offered this year. If passed out of the Senate and signed by the Governor, it would require public school and municipal government spending to be posted in an online format that would be easily accessible for Missouri citizens. The Missouri Accountability Portal website shows all the expenditures of every state department. This system would provide an important checkpoint for the citizens and taxpayers. I have been a huge proponent of requiring information relating to the expendature of taxpayer dollars being available to the public without a sunshine request. If this legislation does not pass, and information regarding the expenditure of taxpayer money is withheld, it will continue to be like putting money into a bank and never getting a bank statement.

Finally, House Bill 107 was passed which requires special elections to fill vacancies for the positions of United States Senator, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Auditor, and State Treasurer. Currently, the Governor appoints an individual to fill the vacancy until the next general election. These non-elected officials could stay in power for up to 4 years.

Committee Action

Education

HB 473 - This would expand Charter Schools in Missouri. We heard a lot of testimony addressing the pros and cons of this expansion. My main goal with any legislation of this type is to ensure accountability in the use of funds and student performance.

HB 362 - Establishes a tax credit which could be utilized by children in an Individual Education Program (IEP). This is a very worthy concept, but I feel we need to scrutinize how these funds are used and distributed. I ask for your patience as we discuss this controversial issue. I will be hearing all sides of the debate and would appreciate your measured opinions.

Elections

HJR 16 - This would modify the constitutional requirements that describe how an initiative petition or referendum is placed on the ballot. I am in agreement with this bill because I feel that it has been too easy to place issues on the ballot in the past. Although I agree with the ability for citizens to do file a petition initiative, by setting the threshold too low, we allow too many special interests to pervade our time-honored process.

HB 54 - repeals the requirement to have party emblems on the ballot. This is a holdover from when we used to have strait ticket voting. Party emblems are unnecessary at this point in history.

HB 180 - This would require putting an email field on voter registration forms. Although seemingly not a problem, the issue that arose is that there is nothing in statute today that keeps election authorities from obtaining emails for the purpose of sending information to voters. Some election areas do it already. This is an unneeded law and, quite frankly, typical of a lot of the legislation put forth.

HB 240 - Requires anyone requesting fifty or more voter registration cards to meet certain criteria and give information to the election authorities on themselves and their organization. This type of legislation is good, but there are some loopholes that are not addressed. I agree with the intent and I am working to close the loopholes so we can pass solid and effective legislation.

Financial Institutions

Passed out of committee: HB 50, HB 173, HB 465. No new legislation was discussed in this committee. Please follow the hyperlinks to see descriptions of these bills.

Emerging Issues in Animal Agriculture

HB 458 - This bill proposes to create a Farm Land Trust Board to accept donated land and lease it back to beginning farmers. This is a good idea, but a lot of details need to be worked out.

Community Calendar

Feb 28 - Liberty City Council Meeting

Mar 7 - Jazz on the Square

Mar 10 - Girls Night Out

Mar 23 - Sleeping Beauty - Liberty Performing Arts Center

Click here for a list of events in the area.

Getting to know... Bill Musick

William "Bill" Musick is my right hand in Jefferson City. When you call my office, he is usually your first contact. He worked in his current capacity for three years for former Representative Tim Flook of the 34th District. I was pleased when he decided to stay with the 34th District and work for me on legislation, constituent issues, and general office maintenance.

Prior to working for the House of Representatives, Bill was a Political Science Major at Missouri State University. He has a Minor in Arabic Language and Biology. While he opted to leave his hometown, Columbia, MO, to pursue a college education in Springfield, MO, he returned to Columbia to work for the Missouri House of Representatives in 2007. In 2009, he married Jessi Musick, who is a practicing attorney here in Jefferson City. Together they have one son and another on the way. On the days when the weather is nice, she will walk over here or he will go meet her for lunch and I have to say "ok." How could I possibly deny a man from lunch with his pregnant wife!?!

Bill is an outstanding asset for both my office and our community. He has made great connections with the various state departments and with county level offices so he should be able to assist you in nearly any issue you are having with government. Moreover, when it comes to legislative policy, you can call our Jefferson City office and Bill will give you solid information on specific issues we are discussing in the Missouri House of Representatives.

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It is an honor and privilege to serve the people of the 34th District and the State of Missouri. Let me know how I can better represent you.