Kraus: Standing on Principle

You may have seen my name in the news recently when the Speaker of the House removed me from the Job Creation and Economic Development Committee.  I wanted to take this opportunity to explain.

Standing on principle, I refused to guarantee House leadership my vote on a bill to be brought before the committee before the bill was even heard or discussed.  My firm stand caused me to be removed from the committee ten minutes before it began. The vote in question was the committee vote on the Manufacturing Jobs Act, which proposes to allow companies up to $10 million per year in tax incentives.

Work in committee is to hash out the specifics of a bill, hear both sides, and decide if a bill is good for the taxpayers or not.  I was in Jefferson City, ready to listen, but I was told to vote 'yes' regardless of testimony and discussion and without knowing the final language of the bill. That is too much like business-as-usual in Washington, D.C.  I simply couldn't guarantee to vote yes or no.

On June 30, the newspaper in Jefferson City, the News-Tribune, reported on the story and had this to say about my removal on its editorial page, "A lawmaker elected to represent constituents doesn't deserve to be benched for pledging to listen to reasoned debate and cast an informed vote on an issue.  Those are the types of abuses that give politics a bad name."

In good conscience, I can't just be a 'yes' man for House leadership and forego thinking about what is best for my constituents.

According to the Speaker's office, other members were removed from a committee because they were not present at the Capitol to vote.  For more information, you can click on this link to an article by the Associated Press:  Kraus Removed from Special Session Committee.

I-470/US50 Half-Diamond Interchange Ready for Public Use

Traffic operations at Interstate-470 and US 50 in Lee's Summit will soon flow easier and smoother now that the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) completed the Split-Diamond Interchange in this busy area of Lee's Summit. The Half-Diamond Interchanges at Pryor Road and Blue Parkway were finished last year, and now traffic will be able to access each end with the use of the new connector roads that opened Monday, June 28.

The connectors officially complete this $45 million project that was designed to improve traffic operations for the more than 130,000 vehicles that use the junction of I-470 and Routes US 50/MO350. Spanning U.S. 50 and MO 350, these roads join the two half-diamond interchanges, creating what is commonly referred to as a Split-Diamond Interchange.  Motorists traveling on I-470 will now have access to each area of the completed interchange, allowing for more efficient travel and traffic congestion relief throughout the area.

Gov. Nixon Signs Bills into Law

Governor Nixon has signed the following bills into law.  For more detailed information about each bill, please click on the bill number and you will be taken to the state website where the bill and other pertinent information is posted.  In my next newsletter, I'll have information on other bill signings.

HB 1965 - Repeals various expired provisions of law, changes the laws regarding certain state publications, and establishes a joint committee on Missouri's future and a committee on accountability

HB 1643 - Changes the laws regarding certain documents recorded with the county recorder of deeds

HB 2070 - Changes the laws regarding joint central fire and emergency dispatching services taxes

HB 1868 - Changes the laws regarding keys to the Capitol dome, state agencies, and MO HealthNet claims and establishes the Joint Committee on the Reduction and Reorganization of Programs within State Government

SB 649 -Requires the Governor to issue an annual proclamation designating March 12th as "Girl Scout Day"

HB 1662 - Authorizes the State Veterinarian to restrict the movement of animals or birds under investigation for the presence or suspected presence of a toxin

SB 808 - Modifies compensation and continuing education requirements for public administrators

SB 1007 - Amends various requirements for public assistance programs administered by the state

SB 842 - Modifies provisions relating to public assistance programs administered by the state

SB 739 - Modifies the provisions governing fire department employee residency requirements

HB 2081 - Specifies that a pregnant woman may use deadly force if she reasonably believes that deadly force is necessary to protect her unborn child against death, serious physical injury, or any forcible felony

HB 1898 -Establishes the Women's Heart Health Program to provide heart disease risk screenings to certain uninsured and underinsured women

SB 586 - Regulates sexually oriented businesses

Engler: The 2010 Session Concludes

The legislative session ended at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 14^th.  It was a tough year, with budget concerns and declining revenue guiding a lot of our work.  We worked to decrease the size of state government while also passing legislation to improve the lives of Missourians.  The 2010 legislative session included both wins and losses, but ultimately, I am pleased with the work we were able to complete.

Autism Insurance Reform

The General Assembly passed House Bill 1311, guaranteeing health carriers will provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders.  Out of the top 10 childhood neurobiological disorders, autism is the only one that is not covered by health insurance in our state.  This means that families are paying for health insurance while still having to pay out-of-pocket for autism therapies.  The bill requires most health carriers that issue or renew health benefit plans to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of individuals with autism. It would restrict health carriers from refusing to issue or renew coverage based solely on the fact of an autism diagnosis. The insurance coverage includes a physician or psychiatrist's referral of ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) therapy — up to $40,000 per year for individuals younger than 19. A cost-of-living adjustment has been included to adjust the cap for therapy services in coming years.

Ethics Reform

The Legislature also approved Senate Bill 844, a bill focused on setting higher ethics standards in Missouri politics. The bill gives flexibility and teeth to the Missouri Ethics Commission by allowing it to investigate ethics violations without an outside complaint first being filed, and makes it a crime to obstruct an ethics investigation.  In order to end even the appearance of "pay-to-play" politics, the bill requires contributions of more than $500 to incumbent officials and their challengers during the legislative session to be electronically reported within 48 hours. The bill also makes clear that no statewide elected official or lawmaker can offer someone a job in exchange for his or her official vote and limits the transferring of contributions among most campaign committees.  The legislation brings a new level of accountability and transparency to the political process so that Missourians will have confidence in the motives of their elected officials.

Rebooting Government

This year, the Senate leader launched an initiative to reduce the size of state government. Ideas were collected from the public, and my fellow senators and I met in working groups to talk about ways to cut costs and streamline government. Several of these ideas resulted in legislation that passed this session, including:

• Senate Bill 1007, reins in $20 million in Medicaid costs.
• House Bill 1965, eliminates the printing of state manuals (Blue Books) and State Statute books for a cost-savings of $1.7 million dollars in printing and postage.
• House Bill 1868, merges the highway patrol and water patrol for nearly $1 million in savings.

Even in the final hours of session, we pushed to approve additional priority legislation, but the final gavel fell without the passage of some of these bills.  We had hoped to pass a jobs bill this session to encourage economic growth while also reducing the cost of state incentives.  We also worked on ways to make the state's pension system more efficient and cost-effective.  These bills did not succeed, and I am concerned that, without these cost-cutting measures, the state will need to make even more serious spending cuts in the coming year.

Most of the bills passed during this legislative session will go into effect on August 28^th.  The governor has until July 14 to veto legislation or else it goes into effect.  You can see a list of bills that have been agreed to by the Legislature here.