It has been another busy month in the legislature. Every representative has their individual slate of bills in which they put their time and energy. This newsletter contains part one of a two part series to present the ideas I have sponsored.
Legislation moves through the process based on a variety of factors such as immediate need, cost of the fiscal note and political considerations. There are bills I file knowing in advance that the state is not in a position to adopt the measure. But each piece of legislation I sponsor has a reason and an intended outcome to benefit Missourians.
If you have any questions about any of these bills please do not hesitate to ask. It is an honor to serve you in our state capitol.
Jason Holsman
Rep. Holsman Appears on Capital Dialogue Television Show
State Representative Jason Holsman (D-KC) joins Rep. Jerry Nolte (R-KC), State Senator Eric Schmidt (R-STL County) and State Senator Tim Green (D-Spanish Lake) with moderator Bob Priddy on the February edition of Capital Dialogue.
The television program is a monthly round table that brings legislators from both sides of the isle together to discuss their positions on pending legislation and issues affecting all Missourians.
To read Holsman's comments and find video timings over specific topics, refer to article located at the bottom of the newsletter.
To watch video: http://dese.mo.gov/divadm/telecom/LVIS.html
Amtrak to the Rescue
On January 31st, 2011 much of Missouri was ravaged by one of the worst winter storms in years. Across the state, Missourians found themselves barraged with anywhere between 15 and 23 inches of snow, making travel seemingly impossible.
Representative Holsman rode the Amtrak River-Runner to the Capitol demonstrating the value of passenger rail.
NFL Blackout Bill
With a NFL lock-out looming HB 619 will provide a "clawback" of tax-payer investment in the sports franchises in the event of an interuption in play.This legislation is similar to House Bill 1986 which prohibits professional sports teams with a home stadium in Missouri from receiving state public funds in the next fiscal year if a broadcast of a home game is blacked out for any reason. If the season is canceled, I will sponsor an amendment to the legislation removing the grandfather protection clause.
For more information and to read the Bill:
House Bill 619
Renewable Energy Committee Hears Prop C Fix
The House Special Committee on Renewable Energy on Tuesday held a hearing on legislation sponsored by State Rep. Jason Holsman that would fix flaws in a voter-approved law to expand and promote renewable energy in Missouri.
Proposition C, which 66 percent of Missouri voters approved in November 2008, requires that minimum percentages of electricity sold in Missouri by investor-owned utilities be derived from renewable sources such as solar, wind, biomass and hydropower. Differences over how certain provisions of the law should be interpreted, however, have kept the measure from being implemented.Renewable Energy
House Bill 613 sponsored by Holsman, D-Kansas City, would clarify that utility companies would only get credit for renewable energy generated and delivered to Missouri customers. Some companies have claimed the existing law allows energy created and sold in other states to count toward its Missouri obligations under Proposition C.
"If this fix doesn't pass, utility companies could have Missouri consumers pick up the tab for renewable energy generated and delivered to California customers," said Holsman, who chairs the House Renewable Energy Committee. "The intent of Missouri voters was to promote renewable energy in Missouri, not other states, and it is my goal to ensure that intent is followed."
The bill also would establish a hard 1 percent annual cap on costs that utilities can pass on to consumers. The change is expected to save ratepayers $1.8 billion from what the Missouri Public Service Commission estimates the existing wording of Proposition C would allow companies to pass on to their Missouri customers.
Industrial Renewable Tax Credit
House Bill 616 will allow an industrial company that installs a renewable energy generator producing between 25,000 and 100,000 kilowatts to be eligible for a one dollar per watt tax credit.
It is necessary to provide our manufacturing base an incentive to develop onsite energy generation which will be an important step to stay competitive in a global market.
For more information and to read the Bill:
House Bill 616
State of the Judiciary Address
During a joint session of the General Assembly in Jefferson City, Mo on Wednesday afternoon, February 9, 2011, Justice of the Supreme Court William Ray Price Jr., of Missouri delivered the State of the Judiciary Address. He focused on two main issues.
The first he discussed was reducing over-incarceration of nonviolent offenders and expanding drug courts and other diversionary and reentry programs to capacity. Over-incarceration costs Missourian taxpayers more and more each year. "Missouri had 5,953 individuals in state prison in 1982; by 2009 the number had grown fivefold to 30,432. In that same time period, from 1982 until 2009, our Department of Corrections budget rose from $55 million to $665 million."
The second issue discussed was the preservation and improvement of Missouri's fair and impartial judiciary system. Price spoke out against suggested changes to the Missouri Plan; changes that pose dangerous threats to the integrity of Missouri's judiciary system.
"Any proposed change to the Missouri Plan should be considered only with the greatest care and caution. I am afraid that it is more likely that any change will bring more harm than good."
Rep. Holsman Appointed to Joint Committee on Gaming and Wagering
On February 16, 2011, State Representative Jason Holsman was appointed by Speaker of the House Steven Tilley to serve on the Joint Committee on Gaming and Wagering.
The committee shall be responsible for, but not limited to, legislative review of all state authorized gaming and wagering activities including proposed constitutional and statutory changes or other pertinent information that may affect the integrity of these activities.
Civil Disaster Response Corps
HB 615 establishes the Civil Disaster Response Corps, Missouri's emergency response group, to be available for call-up by the Government or General Assembly in the event of a state emergency.
Our National Guard Units do a great job of disaster response, but over the past decade they have been stationed in other parts of the world.
The CDRC would train and prepare civilians for disaster response that would not be eligible for federal call up.
For More information and to read the Bill:
House Bill 615
College Tuition Lock
Tuition Lock Legislation provides budget stability for parents paying for college.HB 614 requires public universities in Missouri to lock in the tuition rate for in-state students who remain on full time status.
The benefit will be cost predictability for student loans while encouraging the completion of degree work. If a student leaves full time status they must relock their tuition at the new rate. The universities may still raise tuition on an annual basis.
For more information and to read the Bill:
House Bill 614
Home School Tax Deductions -House Bill 618
HB 618 would authorize a state income tax deduction of up to $500 to a taxpayer for the cost of school supplies and books he or she purchased to home school a child.
Families who chose to home school their children contribute tax dollars to the public schools while saving the district capacity. A deduction for books and supplies is a reasonable return of support.
For more information and to read the Bill:
House Bill 618
Year Round Schooling
As a former teacher for the Kansas City Missouri School District it was evident how much knowledge is lost over a 15 week break.The schools spend the first two weeks distributing books and class schedules while trying to reacclimatize the students to class room discipline. The last two weeks are lost to summer fever.
During the summer many inner-city students go without nutrition and boredom leads to an increase in property damage and vandalism. Nations around the world are better preparing their students for global job competition because their students simply spend more time in school.
For schools deemed un-accredited and provisionally accredited HB 617 requires their respective school boards to set a schedule that reduces the time off between school years to six weeks but allows the flexibility of local control to set the start and end dates.
For more information and to read the Bill:
House Bill 617
Holsman's Capital Dialogue Answers
Topic: Franchise Tax
2:06:00-
Question: How do you feel about the Franchise Tax?
Answer: I'm open to looking to all taxes and seeing what the benefit to the state and the burden on the state for our companies to create jobs would be, but we need to be careful. We have a $500-700 shortfall right now, and if we are going to reduce the state's ability to create revenue, then we need to make sure that we replace it so we don't lose vital services.
6:21:00 -
Question: Is the franchise tax the right tax to cut?
Answer: I think there is room to grow in the state of Missouri for our companies. I don't know that there is academic evidence to support that if we reduce this particular tax that we are going to see the revenue being made up with new job creation. The state of Kansas as an example has increased their sales tax to 6.5 % and ours is 4.225, so over this last year if that 1% they increased determined the market share and the consumers buying goods across state lines, then we have not seen an enormous increase to our bottom lines figures with sales just because they raised that percentage. 70% of our people live on the state line, so I would be really cautious to suggest this particular tax will be the one that we remove that help our companies grow. Again, I am not opposed to it because it is a tax cut, but I want to see the other side of the job numbers and how companies are going to add, how is that revenue going to be made up, and what is our plan if we don't make up that revenue to make sure the citizens still get the services they require.
Topic: Worker's Compensation - Helps people who are injured on the job
14:40:46-
Question: Is Workers Comp an issue divided along party lines?
Answer: No, I think the partisanship in the house has been much better in this session since I have been elected. I think Speaker Tilley has done a good job of reaching across the line and bringing everybody into the conversation, so we start from the position of being involved. On these issues I always looked at what Senator Schmitt had said, capital and labor are a marriage and its really important that we keep them in balance. If we can provide a safety net to where the worker shows up and he's given his all for the employer, if he gets injured, he has remedy and that remedy is something they can count on for their family. That's something I know I am personally and strongly in support of because we need to take care of our labor.
Topic: Jobs and Economic Development - Tie Minimum wage to Federal Level
18:17:20 -
Question: Is this something Democrats can support?
Answer: No. With all of these issues, this issue, right to work, we all want to see job creation, but in our effort to make the state business friendly, we don't have to make it more anti worker. I think that's an important distinction as we go forward. There's no academic evidence I have seen that suggests minimum wage affects job creation in any way, shape, or form. It's one of those things where if you are at that wage when you come in, all of the discretionary goods that you purchase, all of your commodities, such as your toilet paper, paper towels, those prices continue to rise. The voters voted an overwhelmingly 76%. We can't get 76% of Missourians to agree on anything. 76% said "we want to have this minimum wage increase, we want it tied to our cost off living adjustment," and that's their will. And now here we are with issues that are going to try to override their will and tie it to a federal rate. I believe the people of Missouri spoke loud and clear. They want to have a minimum wage increase, and they want to it tied to the cost of living.
22:48:58 -
Question: Should the Legislature override the will of the people?
Answer: First, I would suggest that when dealing with the minimum wage, the robustness and the growth of the middle class is going to grow us out of this. The minimum wage is the floor; it is the bottom of what a wage earner can earn in this state. I think that as they grow, the middle class will grow with it. As the legislature, we are all elected. Each one of us represents roughly in the House 35,000 voters that sent us here. There is a place for the legislature to fix referendums when they are written poorly. For example, we are working on Proposition C and trying to fix the renewable energy in the state. I understand that, but when you have something as clear as an increase in minimum wage and a cola cost of living adjustment with that, those are two fundamental principles of the change. Representative Nolte brought up something that was intricate that had offset unintended consequences, and we addressed that. But this is the guts of the purpose and intent of the bill: increase minimum wage, and tie it to living adjustment. That was not an unintended consequence the voters voted for. I think we have to be very careful and deliberate when we overturn their will, and make sure that when in those instances it's for a reason that was unintended and I don't believe that the cost of living increase was unintended.
Stay Informed
I encourage everyone who reads this publication to also visit the following sites.
For corporate media's take on Missouri Politics
www.johncombest.com
Newsletters from the General Assembly
http://missivesfrommo.blogspot.com/
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