Carter: Will of the Voters Ignored By House, Local Control, ID Laws Create Paradox

This is my first official legislative report for this legislative session. We are trying a different format this year. I will only be addressing legislation and information which I think directly affects the people of my district. On the right, I have a provided a link to the Missouri House of Representatives web-site if you would like to get more information.

As always, plase feel free to let me know your thoughts.

House Actions of of 2/25/11

# House Bills Filed # of HBs Referred to Committee # HBs Reported Do Pass # HBs Reported Do Pass Consent # HBs Perfected # HBs Third Read # HBs Reported Do Pass in the Senate

714 496 53 31 12 12 0

FLOOR ACTIVITY

House passess HB61 which would lock-in the state minimum wage at the federal level and prevent future inflationary increases. See article below for more information.

House passes HB71, which would allow the City of St. Louis to establish and maintain a municipal police force completely under the city's authority. It passed by a vote of 123-34. See article below for more information.

House Adopts HR39, which calls for Attorney General to file an independent lawsuit or join 20 state attorneys general in their lawsuit challening the constitutionality of the federal health care reform legislation. The resolution passed by a vote of 115-46.

House passes HB73 & 47, which would require certain applicants for and recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program benefits to be tested for the illegal use of controlled substances. It passed by a vote of 116-27. See article below for more information.

House passes HB163, which would change the laws regarding unemployment compensation in order to receive federal funds and removes the 10-year time limit on obligation under a financial agreement for compensation funds can continue. It passed by a vote of 123-14.

HOUSE OVERTURNS WILL OF THE VOTERS ON MISSOURI MINIMUM WAGE LAW

In November, 2006, Missouri voters approved the state's present minimum wage law with the passage of Proposition B. Under the law, the state minimum wage is adjusted each year based on changes in the Consumer Price Index. Because the federal minimum wage supersedes the state wage if it is higher, Missouri again began following the federal wage in July 2009 when it increased to $7.25 an hour, where it remains today.

The Missouri House has voted, 96-61 to overturn the state minimum wage law which had been approved by 76% of Missouri voters. House Bill 61 locks in the state minimum wage at the federal level and prevents future inflationary increases. House Democrats unanimously opposed overturning the will of Missouri voters, while all but eight House Republicans voted for the bill.

Eighteen states, including neighboring Illinois where the wage floor is $8.25 an hour, have minimum wages that exceed the federal minimum. Washinton state has the nationa's highest minimum wage at $8.67 an hour.

HOUSE APPROVES ST. LOUIS POLICE LOCAL CONTROL BILL

The House of Representative voted 123-34 on Feb. 17 to grant first-round approval to legislation that would end 150 years of state control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and restore authority over it to the City of St. Louis. The bill, HB 71, requires a second House vote to advance to the Senate.

The state took over the St. Louis police department during the Civil War in effort by Missouri's pro-Confederacy General Assembly to prevent the department from being used against secessionist sympathizers. Although Missouri's elected state government was ousted in what essentially was a coup shortly thereafter and the war itself ended a few years later, the state has maintained authority over the department ever since.

Opponents of local control, including many St. Louis officers, say the existing system protects the department from political interference by city officials. Supporters, including St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, say the department has been insulated too well, leaving it entirely unaccountable to the people of St. Louis, whose taxes fund the police force. The St. Louis and Kansas City departments receive no operating funds from the state and are the only ones in the state not run by their local municipal governments.

The vote on HB 71 marks the first time in recent memory that a St. Louis police local control bill has been approved by either legislative chamber. But in 1913 a local control bill not only passed both chambers of the General Assembly but was signed by the governor. The bill didn't take effect, however, because opponents successfully circulated a referendum petition to force the measure on to the November 1914 statewide ballot, where it was soundly defeated with just 30 percent of voters favoring local control.

HOUSE ENDORSES DRUG TESTING OF WELFARE RECIPIENTS

The Missouri House of Representatives on Jan. 26 voted 121-37 in favor authorizing drug testing of welfare recipients. Under the bill, those who test positive for illegal drug use would lose their benefits under the federally funded but state administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program for one year. The bill, HB 73, requires a second House vote to advance to the Senate.

Bill supporters say testing would ensure that taxpayers aren't supporting the illegal drug habits of welfare recipients. Opponents say the premise of the bill is based on the unfair and factually unsubstantiated stereotype that a large percentage of welfare recipients use illegal drugs. They also questioned the cost of testing as excessive and said the bill's standards for determining who should be tested are arbitrary.

HOUSE PANEL SUPPORTS GUTTING PROPOSITION B - VOTER-APPROVED LAW

The House Agriculture Policy Committee on Feb. 15 unanimously passed legislation that would repeal key provisions of a new, voter-approved state law enacting strict regulations on dog breeders. The law, which appeared on the November ballot as Proposition B, passed with 51.6 percent voter support.

HB 131 would eliminate requirements that dogs be given clean water, shelter from the elements and adequate rest time between breeding cycles. It would also remove the 50-dog cap on the number of breeding females that a breeder can own. The full House of Representatives must still approve HB 131 before it can advance to the Senate, which is also considering legislation to undo or modify portions of Proposition B.

PHOTO ID REQUIREMENTS COULD CREATE PARADOX

Many Missouri voters soon could find themselves trapped in a paradox in which they need a copy of their birth certificate to obtain a government-issued photo identification card in order to vote but must have a government-issued photo ID to get a copy of their birth certificate.

Legislation moving through both chambers of the General Assembly would require voters to produce a photo ID at their polling place in order to cast a ballot. Majority Republicans enacted a voter ID bill in 2006, but the Missouri Supreme Court found it violated voting rights provisions of the state constitution. The measures being pushed this year include a proposed constitutional amendment that would specifically authorize the General Assembly to require voter photo ID, essentially overriding the court's objections.

One problem with such a requirement, however, is that many Missourians for a variety of reasons beyond their control are unable to obtain the supporting documentation, such as a birth certificate, that in recent years has become necessary to get a driver's license or state-issued non-driver ID. And new Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services regulations that take effect March 1 could add another hurdle by requiring those seeking a copy of their birth certificate to produce a photo ID. For those who don't have a photo ID, the department will allow them to show two forms of ID from other sources, though the department's Web site doesn't state what type of alternative identification is acceptable.

MISSOURI HAD NATION'S THIRD-WORST 2010 JOB LOSS RATE

Employment in Missouri declined by 0.6 percent during 2010 for the third-worst job-loss percentage in the nation, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The only states to fare worse last year were Nevada, where employment dipped by 1.5 percent, and New Jersey, which suffered a 0.8 percent decline. Missouri's unemployment rate in December stood at 9.5 percent.

HUNTING, FISHING PERMITS TO BE AVAILABLE ON-LINE

As of March 1, Missourians will be able to purchase and print hunting, fishing and trapping permits via their home computers. Sportsmen have been able to purchase permits via the Missouri Department of Conservation's Web site since 2002, but the permits were sent by mail up to two weeks later. The department expects the print-your-own system will reduce the agency's permitting costs by about $500,000 a year.

REPRESENTATIVE CHRIS CARTER SPENDS NIGHT IN STATE CAPITOL

Nearly 20 inches of snow fell in Jefferson City on February 1. Interstate 70 was closed statewide for several hours to due to whiteout conditions and heavy snowfall. And the Missouri Capitol was the site of a mass sleepover on Feb. 1 when the blizzard that slammed the state left many lawmakers stranded in the building. According to Chris, there were about 80 people left stranded in the building.

The day before the snow rolled into Missouri, Governor Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency and House and Senate leaders considered canceling legislative proceedings for the week but decided to forge ahead. The next morning when the storm that ultimately would dumped about 18 inches of snow on mid-Missouri finally arrived, legislative leaders reversed course and called off all substantive business until Feb. 7.

By that time, however, many lawmakers found that they not only couldn't get back to their home districts but also were unable to even make it to their apartments in Jefferson City. The State Emergency Management Agency provided blankets and pillows to those stuck in the Capitol.

The House held a regular session on January 31 and February 1, but held only technical sessions on February 2 and 3. Despite the inclement weather, ten House committees held public hearings that week.

It is estimated that roughly 100 million people were affected by the storm system in the U.S., which stretched from Canada to Mexico, leaving the midwest United States under a heavy blanket of snow and ice.

STATE MARKS CENTENIAL OF OLD CAPITOL'S DESTRUCTION

Dozens of fire trucks circled the Missouri Capitol on Feb. 5 with sirens blaring to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the fire that destroyed the previous Capitol building. The fire began when the Capitol's copper-clad pine dome was struck by lightning on the night of Feb. 5, 1911, igniting a blaze could be seen 20 miles away.

The previous Capitol was built in 1840 to replace the first Capitol located in Jefferson City, which in 1837 was also destroyed by fire. Six months after the 1911 fire, Missouri voters approved a $3.5 million bond issue to finance construction of the present Capitol. That building was completed enough to be occupied in 1917 and the first legislative session there was held in 1919. The building was formally dedicated in 1924.

Since that time, the Capitol has seen 96 General Assemblies. Other interesting facts are:

38 people have been inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians. Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) was the first person to be inducted in the Hall on September 8, 1982. Governor Warren Hearnes is the most recent indctee to the Hall. Governor Hearnes was added September 15, 2010. 2006 saw the highest number of inductees including Jack Buck, John Ashcroft, Dale Carnegie and Rose Phillippine Duchesne.

Missouri adopted their official flag on March 22, 1913, almost 100 years after achieving statehood.

The Great Seal was designed by Judge Robert William Wells and adopted in 1822.

AMERICAN RED CROSS

Giving a pint of blood takes relatively little time - usually no more than an hour at an American Red Cross blood donation center or mobile blood drive. Most healthy individuals can donate whole blood up to six times a year or every 56 days. Each whole blood donation can help up to three individuals meaning a single blood donor has the potential to be a hero to 18 individuals per year just by making a habit of donating blood when eligible.

Platelets are a consistent need and can be donated up to 24 times a year. With shelf life of just five days, the Red Cross reminds donors to also consider giving platelets. Call 1-800-RED CROSS to schedule an appointment at one or our following blood donation centers: Lindell- Midtown (Regional Headquarters), 4050 Lindell Blvd. , St. Louis, MO., South County, 9230 Watson Rd., Crestwood, MO, West County, 13369 Olive Street Blvd., Chesterfield, MO. , North County, 3533 Dunn Road, Sugar Pines Plaza, Florissant, MO, St. Charles County, 252 Mid Rivers Ctr, St. Peters, MO 62276 to donate platelets or whole blood.

Who needs blood? As the primary provider of blood and blood products, the Red Cross helps accident victims of course; trauma and disaster victims, anywhere across the U.S. But also leukemia and other cancer patients, newborn babies or their mothers, sickle cell anemia patients, burn victims and many others.

An estimated 38 percent of the population can give blood and only about eight percent do. The Red Cross salutes all those individuals who donate their blood at least once a year to help someone in need. We challenge others to see if they are eligible to give and to join the lifesaving team.

Call 1-800-RED CROSS to make an appointment to donate blood or platelets or go to redcrossblood.org for more information.