Dempsey: Missouri Senate Completes Successful Legislative Session

Last Friday marked the end of the 2011 regular session of the Legislature in Jefferson City. Looking back over the past five months, I am pleased to report that by the time the final gavel fell, the Senate had accomplished many of our objectives.

One of the main achievements of this session was the passage of a $23 billion state budget. Not only was this budget passed on time and without increasing taxes, it also reflected the Legislature’s strong commitment to education – even in a historically poor economic environment. The same could not be said for some of our sister states who found it necessary to balance their budgets on the backs of their citizens by raising taxes. For example, both Illinois and Connecticut have raised taxes this year.

From the outset, it was our priority to improve Missouri’s economic climate and help create jobs for our citizens. The Senate moved with purpose and speed to pass legislation to do just that by our spring break in mid-April.

One such measure was a bill [SB19] to eliminate regressive double taxation on businesses that will help create much-needed jobs. This bill has been signed by the governor and will soon begin to take effect.

Two other proposals we acted on promptly this session were bills to curb lawsuit abuses against Missouri employers and legislation to protect employees from being sued by their coworkers. Unfortunately, in spite of our work on these measures, they will not ultimately become law this year. The first bill [SB188] was vetoed by the governor and the other [SB8] did not receive a final vote by the Missouri House of Representatives. While these outcomes were disappointing, I am hopeful these subjects can be revisited in the near future.

On the positive side, we were able to hammer out a compromise bill [HB163] that will help restore Missouri’s unemployment fund to solvency. This move will reduce the inevitable pressure by some to increase the fees on Missouri employers, large and small.

We were also able to pass bills [SB3] to shore up the integrity of our elections by requiring voters to show a photo ID – a measure [SJR2] that will be put before voters at the ballot box next year. As part of this effort, we also changed the law to make it more convenient for voters who need to vote prior to Election Day.

In addition, bills were sent to the governor’s desk to prevent late-term abortions in Missouri [HB213], require welfare recipients to be tested for drug use [HB73], and crack down on those who engage in the forced trafficking of other human beings [HB214].

This is only a sampling of the important Legislative proposals that were approved by the House and Senate over the past few months. Space does not permit a more thorough discussion, but I will continue to share highlights of the 2011 session in future columns.

I always appreciate hearing from you. If you have any questions about these or any other issues, please do not hesitate to contact my office.