Lichtenegger: Big Legislative News, Flooding Claims, MU Extension Office

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

• The BIG legislative news is that HB 193, the long-debated, House-Senate-concurred Congressional Redistricting bill (MAP) that Governor Nixon vetoed Monday was promptly overturned by a 109 to 44 vote in the House, Wednesday May 4. This was a hard vote for a few of our Republican members but, it was really difficult for the four democrats who voted with us. They were placed under tremendous pressure from their party, the Governor and even the White House. I know that the time will come when I will face the pressure of a difficult vote, and I am confident that I will keep the best interest of all Missourians in Mind. This was a great learning experience.
  
  You can link here to read all legislative actions taken on the redistricting bill.
  
• The next BIG news regards the most significant appropriation bills that were Truly Agreed and Finally Passed: those are the 2012 State Budget and the bills that saved the MO RX funding and Meals on Wheels. These two programs are crucial in that they are so important to the welfare of our seniors. So now that these bills are settled, we can now turn our attention to the remaining issues that we have all worked hard on this year.
  
• HB 45 – changes the laws regarding the Big Government Get Off My Back Act and provides an income tax deduction for certain small businesses that create new full-time jobs. This bill passed the House in February and was reported to the Senate where a Committee Substitute later found concurrence in the House and passed April 27. It remains to be delivered to the Governor.
  
• HJR 5 - which has been passed by the House and report to the Senate proposes a constitutional amendment (if approved by voter) which guarantees a citizen’s right to hunt, fish, trap, and harvest wildlife using traditionally approved devices or methods. The control, management, and regulation of all wildlife resources of the state and the administration of all laws regarding these actions is vested in a conservation commission, as provided in Article IV, Section 40, of the Missouri Constitution. Public hunting and fishing must be a preferred means of managing and controlling wildlife, and these provisions cannot be construed to modify any laws regarding trespassing or property rights.
  
• HCR 42 - which the House passed and reported to the Senate, would urge the United States Congress to prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gas emissions or to take action on climate change.
  
• HB 661 - changes the laws regarding debt adjusters. Among its many provisions it:
  
  • Requires a debt adjuster to be bonded for the benefit of any debtor damaged by the debt adjuster’s breach of the debt management or debt settlement plan or for his or her failure to properly administer debtor funds.
    
  • Prohibits a debt adjuster from receiving any payment for any services until and unless he or she has renegotiated, settled, reduced, or otherwise altered the terms of at least one debt under a debt management or debt settlement plan and the debtor has made at least one payment under the plan.
    
  • Requires the fee for settling each individual debt enrolled in a debt settlement plan to be in proportion to the total fee for settling the entire debt and to be a percentage of the amount saved as a result of the settlement.
    

STATE –WIDE NEWS: All affected workers, owners, farmers, employers, and employees in the southeastern part of the state affected by flooding and unable to work should file for regular unemployment benefits. The only way to file an unemployment claim is by phone or by the internet.

Internet: Please visit MO Dept of Labor. The Internet Claim Filing System is available 24 hours a day, except between 11:30 p.m. on Saturday and 12:31 a.m. on Sunday, Central Time.

Telephone: Missouri Unemployment Claims Center Phone number 1-800-320-2519. The telephone filing system is available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Central Time, Monday through Friday, except holidays. The Regional Claims Centers (RCC) answers calls in the order they are received. You must call from a touch-tone phone. Your call will be answered by an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) System. You will be given a menu of services. Once you are on the line to speak with a representative, do not hang up and call back. That will only increase your wait time by putting you again at the back of the call line.

Individuals who have become unemployed as a result of a major disaster and who are not eligible for regular state unemployment insurance benefits may be eligible for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA). Once the Disaster declaration has been confirmed by the President, the public will be notified and only then can applications for DUA can be filed.

For more information on unemployment and updates for jobless disaster victims, visit http://www.labor.mo.gov/DES/notices.asp.

Constituent Corner

You won’t be disappointed if you take the time to explore the MU Extension website where you can get everything from garden, consumer and agriculture news and tips to signing up for continuing education and special events held in your county. For example here is an article from the website about how to save money by cutting gas consumption. In the upper right corner of the website you can search for a subject or county MU Ext office.

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