Mayer: Clarifying Prop B, Redistricting and a Best Practices Audit

The Missouri General Assembly last week gave its final approval to a measure that would create a new crime targeting unlicensed dog breeders, as well as strengthening the guidelines and increasing the number of inspections of licensed dog breeders in Missouri. The bill now moves to the governor’s desk for his signature.

Many of you know last fall, by a very narrow margin, urban voters in Missouri passed Proposition B — a citizen-led petition against dog breeders in the state of Missouri. It was important the Legislature clarify provisions in Proposition B to allow this industry to continue.

We all want puppies and dogs to be bred and raised under healthy and safe conditions. That is why we have created a new crime and funding mechanism to hire more inspectors to go after and shut down unlicensed breeders in our state. We also build on the will of the people by making sure licensed breeders must follow common-sense guidelines to protect the health and well-being of their dogs and new puppies.

It is estimated there are more than 1,500 unlicensed breeding facilities in Missouri. Senate Bill 113 & 95 makes it a crime to operate without a license, allowing the Attorney General, circuit attorney, or local prosecutor to file charges against offenders. The bill also dramatically increases veterinarian involvement and breeding facilities must keep sale and veterinarian records for two years on every dog. Important to other livestock producers, the measure changes the definition of "pet" to only apply to dogs.

This week the Legislature will continue their work on the congressional redistricting process. This task is especially difficult this year because Missouri has lost a seat of congressional representation as our state’s population grew by only 7 percent in the last census. This takes us from nine to eight seats in the U.S. House. It is our job to decide how to divide the state evenly to reflect shifting populations. Every legislative district will change in some way in order to ensure that each district has 748,615 people, or as close to that number as feasible.

Last week, the Senate adopted a substitute map when debating HB 193, the map submitted by the House. I believe the map adopted by the Senate, of the two, best represents the people of the 8th Congressional District. I would like to see our community mindedness and area values remain intact. I look forward to advancing a map that is fair and equitable and protects the core values of our district. For more details or to view the maps, visit www.oa.mo.gov/bp/redistricting.

In addition, the Senate passed a bill I support last week that now moves to the House for similar consideration. Senate Bill 323 would have the state auditor conduct a one-time comparative audit of several of the largest state agencies in Missouri. Then, the auditor would compare the fiscal practices of these agencies and submit a report recommending cost-saving measures to be used in all state agencies. This comparative audit has the potential to identify millions in taxpayer savings.

Please feel free to contact me throughout the year with any comments, questions, or issues using the information listed below and on my website at www.senate.mo.gov/mayer.