There's much political news just now that is crucial for informed citizens to discuss, so this may be a longer update than usual. If you don't have time to read this whole issue, scan the section headings which are underlined and in bold type so that you can see which ones most interest and affect you.
House Passes $23.2 Billion Budget With Cuts to Higher Education, Mental Health, Social Services and More
After a relatively short debate that yielded few serious disagreements, the House of Representatives on March 30 granted final approval to its version of the $23.23 billion state operating budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1. The 13 appropriations bills that make up the budget now go to the Senate. The two chambers, both controlled by Republicans, must agree on a unified version of the budget by a constitutional deadline of May 6.
The House version of the budget closely follows the budget recommendations Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon made in January, with most state agencies slated to receive spending cuts of varying degrees. An exception is basic state funding for local public school districts, which would remain flat for the 2012 fiscal year, but it must be noted that the school foundation formula was not fully funded then nor now.
Politicians of all stripes compare the state budget to a family's budget, and my colleague Rep. Margo McNeil made an excellent point by talking about her own family's experience of a spell of unemployment. McNeil said that her family tightened their belt as much as they could, as Missouri does with this budget, but that they also looked for part-time jobs to increase revenue. She went on to talk about collection of sales tax owed on internet sales which some say would bring more than $400 million to Missouri annually.
Barb Shelly of the Kansas City Star makes a similar point in her editorial - http://voices.kansascity.com/entries/state-lawmakers-only-pretend-be-frugal/
For more about the budget see: http://www.missourinet.com/2011/03/29/state-budget-advances-in-house-weighed-down-by-recession-audio/
Legislation Deadline Passes
Friday April 1 was the last date that House members would file bills. More than 1,000 bills have been filed by House members since we convened on Jan. 5. For a full list of the bills that I have sponsored or co-sponsored this year, see: http://www.house.mo.gov/content.aspx?info=/bills111/spon/spn059.htm
On Wednesday, March 30, I filed House Bill 930 which would increase the fairness of Missouri's tax system and bring at least an additional $394 million of revenue to Missouri each year. A press release about this bill and how it works is posted at the Missourians for Tax Justice website: http://missouriansfortaxjustice.org/. It's the second article down, but while you are there, I hope you will take time to read about my other tax reform legislation, HB581 to create a Missouri Earned Income Tax Credit, and HB 637, the Tax Justice for a Healthy Missouri plan.
To read the report from Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy that explains the need for HB 930, please go to their website at: http://www.itepnet.org/pdf/topsyturvy_0311.pdf
Is the Focus "Pro-Business" or "Anti-Worker"?
As the Legislative Session began in 2011, the governor, the Speaker of the House, and the President of the Senate all declared that the focus this year will be Jobs, Jobs, Jobs, as is appropriate with our high unemployment. But instead of addressing our jobs needs, the agenda pushed by House and Senate leaders is "Fix the Six" - a supposed Pro-Business plan which you can read about here:
http://mochamber.com/mx/hm.asp?id=010411fixthesix
But are these the policies that should be pursued to bring a vibrant economy? I believe the answer is clearly no and that the real agenda is anti-worker. House members have already voted to take away the cost of living increase on Missouri's minimum wage increase which the voters overwhelmingly approved. And now more than 10,000 Missourians will soon lose their extended unemployment benefits after a small band of Republican senators blocked final passage of legislation necessary for the state to continue participating in the federally funded program. House Bill 163, which the House of Representatives approved in February on a lopsided 123-14 vote, needed to pass by March 31. Although the bill also enjoyed strong bipartisan support in the Senate, it stalled due to a filibuster led by state Sen. Jim Lembke, R-St. Louis.
Failure to pass the bill means the state is giving up an estimated $105 million in federal money to extend long-term unemployment benefits from 79 weeks to 99 weeks. In addition to the roughly 10,000 Missourians who will immediately lose extended benefits, tens of thousands more people will be affected in the coming months.
The Republican dissidents said refusing the federal funds will send a message to Congress that it needs to reduce spending. Overall no tax money will be saved, however, since Missouri's share of the funds will simply be redistributed to other states. Missouri's unemployment rate stands at about 9.4 percent.
You can read more about this at http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2011/03/31/missouri-drop-extended-benefits-unemployed/
And God bless Sen. Jolie Justus for this passionate speech: http://www.missourinet.com/2011/03/31/senator-challenges-colleagues-audio/
These videos about other parts of the anti-worker agenda may also interest you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ctzznVWS9E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57wEaIyiqMc&NR=1
Fight Back with the National Day of Action- Standing up for Workers' Rights
On Monday, April 4th, 4:30-5:30pm, Communication Workers of America 6300 is hosting this National Day of Action event, in solidarity with Wisconsin and a dozen other states with union-busting political agendas. April 4 was chosen because this is the day Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, while speaking in favor of collective bargaining for sanitation workers in Memphis, TN. Organizers of the event say, "We're standing together- Americans, union members- public and private- against an agenda that is attacking working families. Our message is clear- the attack on the middle class and working families must stop." For more info, see: http://local.we-r-1.org/weareone/events/show/198
Surrounding Our Schools with Care Upate
As in the past, members of the Women Legislators of Missouri are sponsoring a scholarship award for graduating high school senior women in our state. We will be awarding nine $500 scholarships to 2011 graduating women. A recipient will be chosen from each of the nine congressional districts of the state for a scholarship award. The scholarship check will be made payable to the recipient and the higher education institution.
To receive an application, e-mail me at jeanette{dot}oxford{at}house{dot}mo{dot}gov. The applications must be received by noon, April 22, 2011. Applications received after this time and date will not be accepted.
Distressed Areas Land Assemblage Tax Credit Issue Heard in Supreme Court
The Missouri Supreme Court on March 23 heard arguments in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a 2007 state law that provides up to $95 million in state tax credits to real estate developer Paul McKee for a proposed, but as yet unrealized, large-scale redevelopment of an economically distressed area of North St. Louis. The lawsuit contends the tax credit law violates a provision of the Missouri Constitution prohibiting the General Assembly from granting public money, property or credit to any private person, association or corporation.
The Missouri Supreme Court ruled tax credits unconstitutional in the 1987 case Curchin v. Missouri Industrial Development Board based on that same constitutional provision. That decision, however, came at a time when the state had authorized few tax credit programs, which had little impact on the state treasury. The Curchin decision was largely forgotten a decade later when lawmakers began in earnest to enact dozens of new and more costly tax credits that now cost the state around $700 million a year in lost revenue.
In the current case, Manzara v. State of Missouri, Cole County Circuit Court Patricia Joyce last year ruled the plaintiffs lacked the legal standing to challenge the law. Despite dismissing the case on that basis, Joyce went ahead and ruled on the merits anyway, holding that tax credits for private developers are constitutional. Standing was also an issue in Curchin, but the Supreme Court determined that the issues of public importance raised by the case nonetheless merited its review.
Economic development tax credits, such as the one for McKee, who has already collected $28 million of the total he's eligible for, typically provide credits that far exceed the recipients' state tax liability. The recipient sells the credits to third parties, who in essence pay their state taxes, though at a reduced rate, to the credit recipient instead of the state while still discharging their full tax liability up to the amount of the credit. The recipient, in turn, uses the sales proceeds to help finance their development project.
Irene Smith, the attorney for the plaintiffs, said allowing credit recipients to convert the taxes owed by others into financing for private developments is no different than giving them money directly from the state treasury, echoing what the Supreme Court said in Curchin. In defending the law, State Solicitor James Layton said the Curchin precedent was in error and urged the court to overturn it. The court will rule at a later date.
Recognition Received
The Vital Voice publication has recognized Rep. Mike Colona, Sen. Jolie Justus and I in their April "Icons" edition. Read the article at:
http://www.thevitalvoice.com/lifestyle/57-lifestyle/211-gateway-icons-2011
Missouri Interfaith IMPACT has announced that I will receive their "Amos 5:24 Justice Advocate Award." Watch my Facebook page for details about when and where the award presentation will take place.
Milestone in LGBT Health
On March 31, the long-awaited Institute of Medicine Report on LGBT Health was released. This issues a strong call for data collection and increased research on the LGBT population, as well as attention to the true diversity within the LGBT communities. I hope this report will move us toward a new era in public health, where LGBT people receive excellent and culturally appropriate healthcare as well as being at the table for the planning process to improve the current situation. See the press release for the report here: http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=13128
And read the brief summary here: http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2011/The-Health-of-Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-and-Transgender-People/Report-Brief.aspx
Announcements - Beginning with Don't Forget to Vote on April 5!
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Pay day Loans: Pay Back Forever with Panelists:
- Jean Ann Fox: A National Expert on the Pay Day Loan Industry, Financial Services Director for the Consumer Federation of America
- Rep. Mary Still: State Representative from Columbia, MO and sponsor of legislation to regulate the Pay Day Loan industry
- Rob Swearingen: Consumer Attorney at Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
- Jackie Hutchison: Human Development Corporation
Friday, April 15, 2011 from 12:00pm- 2:00pm
At the Highlands Golf Course Banquet Center inside Forest Park
5163 Clayton Ave.
(Inside Forest Park-across the street from the Mounted Police Stables)
Forum is Free, Lunch Buffet is available for $10.
Please RSVP to Christine Woody at christinemasw{at}hotmail{dot}com or 573-690-7662
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Missourians for Tax Justice will meet on Monday, April 18, 10:30 a.m., at the Center for Social Justice, 606 E. Capitol, Jefferson City, MO. We will discuss the plan to eliminate all income and corporate taxes and to replace them with a mega-sales tax on just about everything (rent, medical payments, professional services from bookkeeping to hair styling, etc.). For more information, call 314-771-8882.
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Stonewall Democrats of Eastern Missouri will meet Sunday, April 17, 3 p.m., at the Ethical Society, 9001 Clayton Rd. in St. Louis County, in the Hanke Room. The guest speaker will be Matt Teter, Executive Director of the Democratic Party. Enter from the rear parking lot; using the west-most door, and the Hanke Room is immediately to the right as you enter the building. For more information about Stonewall Democrats of Eastern Missouri, see: http://www.stonewalldemocratsofeasternmissouri.org/mission-by-laws-etc.html
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