Lichtenegger: Survey Question, Redistricting Reaction,

Spring recess was last week and the House wasted no time in getting back into the swing of things. Since the start of session in January to mid- March, The Missouri House of Representatives has filed 926 bills; 227 of those have had a public hearing and were passed out the committee to which they were referred; and 75 of those were perfected (meaning they were debated and voted upon in the House chambers). You can search for any and all filed House bills by linking here and searching by bill number or subject: Bill Tracker / Search, and for Senate bills: Missouri State Senate.

There will be a Public Hearing on my HB 299 - Land Reclamation Act, April 5, at noon in the Capitol House Hearing Room 7. If you or someone you know testified at the DNR Jan 27 meeting please inform them about the hearing so that can testify on behalf of the bill.

Since I intend to fulfill my campaign promise of “listening to my constituents”, I propose to periodically include in my Capitol Report a survey question of current or upcoming legislation. I will track all feedback and file it with the legislation to which it pertains.

Please respond to the following survey question which pertains to House Bill HCS 131 and Senate Bill SCS 113:

Do you think the House and Senate should modify the language of Prop B? And Why or Why not?

Call 1-573-751-6662 or email your response to my assistant who will track and file all responses: Survey Response

As a result of the 2010 US Census, Missouri’s US Congress will be re-districted. You can follow these links to view the current district-map of Missouri’s 108^th Congressional: Missouri's 108th Congressional Districts and MO Congressional District 8 Map and then compare it to the proposed redistricting map [at right]. I'm not pleased with the current redistricting proposal but, at this point this may be the best we can do. I would rather vote yes than have the issue litigated in court. There remains more work to accomplish in the redistricting process.

The following list represents a few of the most recent House activities:

• House Bill 361 establishes the Missouri Firearms Freedom Act. It passed the House March 28 and was reported to the Senate. This bill: (1) Asserts the right of the State of Missouri to regulate the intrastate use and acquisition of certain firearms pursuant to the reserved powers of the state over intrastate commerce and the right to keep and bear arms; (2) Specifies that certain personal firearms, firearm accessories, or ammunition manufactured in Missouri and that remain in Missouri will not be subject to federal law or regulation; (3) Exempts firearms made for multiple person use; machine guns; firearms that use smokeless powder, not black powder, and have a bore diameter greater than one and one-half inches; and ammunition with a projectile that explodes using an explosion of chemical energy after the projectile leaves the firearm from the provisions of the bill and subjects them to federal regulation; and (4) Requires a firearm manufactured or sold in Missouri under the provisions of the bill to bear the words “Made in Missouri” clearly stamped on a central metallic part.
  
• House Bill 431 implements several provisions in the foster care and adoption system. A few noteworthy are:
  
  • With respect to foster care placement it establishes the following order of the preference for the placement of a child in foster care: grandparents and relatives, a trusted adult who has a pre-existing relationship with the child, and any foster parent who is currently licensed and capable of accepting placement of the child. Any person receiving a preference may be licensed in an expedited manner if a child is placed under the person’s care.
    
  • Regarding sibling placement there is a requirement to make reasonable efforts to place siblings in the same foster care, kinship, guardianship, or adoptive placement unless doing so would be contrary to the safety or well-being of any of the siblings. If siblings are not placed together, the division must make reasonable efforts to provide frequent visitation or other ongoing interaction between the siblings unless this interaction would be contrary to a sibling’s safety or well-being.
    
  • The Missouri State Foster Care and Adoption Board will be established to provide several areas of oversight, consultation and assistance to the department. To read more of its many duties link here: HB 431 bill summary.
    
  • With respect to the foster care case management the Children’s Division within the Department of Social Services must include in any foster care case management contract a provision that all recruitment, licensing, and retention activities for foster and adoptive parents in the areas of the state included in the contract must be provided by the contracted entity. The division is allowed to enter into additional family foster care case and adoptive resources in the areas of the state not already included in a contract.
    
• HB 731 This bill adds citizenship to the information that must be included on a sexual offender registration form and requires the State Highway Patrol to report to the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement or other appropriate federal agency certain information regarding any person on the sexual offender registry who is not a citizen of the United States and to request a determination as to whether the person.
  

Constituent Corner

Follow the links below to view April 5 election sample ballots for the county in which you live:
SAMPLE BALLOT for Cape Girardeau County Elections; SAMPLE BALLOT for Perry County Elections.

MoDOT Contest: Watch for Barrel Bob on Missouri Highways and Win!

The Missouri Department of Transportation is participating in the National Work Zone Awareness Week April 4 - 8. During this event, the Southeast District has planned interactive activities to make people aware of the importance of work zone safety.

Last year “1,033 people were injured in Missouri work zones," says District Engineer Mark Shelton. "Our goal is to educate the public and our employees to ensure everyone gets home safe at the end of each day. Please watch for signs, be alert and don't barrel through work zones."

The Southeast District will hold "Where in the District is Barrel Bob?" contest. Barrel Bob, constructed by Road Runner Safety Services, Inc., is a 10-foot-tall man made of orange construction barrels. Each day he will appear in a new location throughout the14-county district. Photos of Bob will be posted to both Facebook and Twitter. The first person to correctly identify Bob's location will receive a prize, donated by the Southeast Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety.

I will be participating in the week’s events by wearing an orange MoDOT "Arrive Alive" shirt. You can view photos and other information on the Wall of Fame on Flickr. Additional photos will be added to the wall throughout the week. Photos will also be posted on Facebook and Twitter and videos can be viewed on YouTube at www.youtube.com/MoDOTSoutheast.

To get involved, visit www.modot.org/southeast and click on the Facebook or Twitter icons at the top of the page. If you already follow the Southeast District on Facebook or Twitter, continue to check those pages for upcoming announcements about Work Zone Awareness Week. For more information, please contact the MoDOT Customer Service Center at 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (275-6636), or visit www.modot.org/southeast.

Three ways to contact me:

• 201 West Capitol Avenue, Room 409B, Jefferson City, MO 65101-6806;
• 573-751-6662;
• or donna{dot}lichtenegger{at}house{dot}mo{dot}gov