Gatschenberger: Legislative Update Points 17-26 and Fun Facts

17. Deadly Force to Protect Unborn Children

House Bill 2081 specifies that a pregnant woman may use deadly force to protect her unborn child if she reasonably believes that deadly force is necessary. The bill comes in response to a Michigan case where a pregnant woman was convicted of manslaughter for killing her boyfriend in defense of her unborn child. The case caused controversy in the Michigan state legislature, as members debated whether Michigan law allowed the woman to claim that she acted in self defense of her unborn child. The court later overturned the conviction and Michigan legislators passed a bill similar to House Bill 2081.

18. Child Abuse Medical Resource Centers and SAFE CARE

House Bill 2270 aims to improve health care for child victims of sexual abuse by educating more health care professionals on how to interact with abuse victims. The 17 medical resource centers that belong to the Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Child Abuse Resource Education (SAFE CARE) network will provide training for medical professionals on how to evaluate and communicate with child victims, and will provide evaluation services for victims as well. The legislation also will allow doctors at these facilities to get a second opinion by consulting with other doctors using advanced video technology. Currently, doctors are barred from sharing information about their patients with anyone, excluding law enforcement. This legislation comes as a response to the lack of health care professionals trained to evaluate child sexual assault victims in Missouri.

19. Girl Scout Day

Senate Bill 649 establishes Girl Scout Day in recognition of the Girl Scout program, which celebrates its 100^th anniversary in 2012. The bill requires the governor to issue a proclamation each year setting apart May 12 as Girl Scout Day. The legislation also recommends that the people of Missouri observe the day in recognition of the Girl Scout program that "seeks to promote the social welfare of young women, build self-esteem, and teach values such as honesty, fairness, courage, compassion, character, sisterhood, confidence and citizenship through activities including camping, community service, learning first aid, and earning badges by acquiring practical skills."

20. Mental Health Safety

Senate Bill 744 creates the crime of endangering the life of any person in a secured mental health facility. The bill applies to crimes against other patients, visitors and Department of Mental Health employees. The crime created by the bill is the equivalent of the current crime of endangerment by a criminal offender against a Department of Corrections employee. In addition, the legislation will particularly punish violent sexual predators who knowingly cause workers or visitors to come into contact with various bodily fluids, such as blood, urine or seminal fluid. These offenders will be charged with a class D felony, which carries maximum penalties of four years in prison or a $5,000 fine. Offenders guilty of the crime who are infected with HIV or hepatitis B or C, will be charged with a class C felony, which has a maximum prison term of seven years.

21. Urban Farming

House Bill 1848 creates a Joint Committee on Urban Farming to explore ways to provide inner city residents with improved access to healthy food. The 10-member committee is charged with studying and making recommendations regarding the impact of urban farm cooperatives, vertical farming, and sustainable living communities. The committee will also examine various trends in urban farming; existing resources and capacity; the impact on affected communities; and any needed legislation, policies, or regulations.

22. Public Meeting Notice

Senate Bill 851 requires earlier notice for certain public meetings. The legislation requires four days notice for meetings on tax increases, eminent domain issues, zoning, tax increment financing and sales taxes. Currently, the law requires 24 hours notice before a public meeting is held. The bill also requires each public meeting to include time for public comment and prohibits governing bodies from voting on tax issues unless proper notice is given.

23. Sale for Resale Tax

Senate Bill 928 clarifies that certain purchases made for resale are not to be considered as retail items subject to sales and use tax when the subsequent sale is taxed in the state or another state, is for resale, is excluded from tax, is subject to tax but is exempt, or is exempt in another state where the subsequent sale occurs. The bill comes in response to two Missouri Supreme Court decisions that resulted in sellers being forced to pay sales tax on items they purchase for resale to tax exempt entities. Before the ruling, resellers were able to purchase goods to be sold to exempt entities tax-free.

24. Using Gambling Chips on Gaming Boats for Food and Drink

Senate Bill 984 will allow patrons of excursion gambling boats to use their casino chips to pay for food and drinks. Under current law, patrons of casinos must use cash to buy food and drinks from wait staff. In order to stay competitive with other states who allow casino patrons to pay for food and beverages with chips, the legislation will modify state law to allow casino chips to be used to purchase these items while on the gaming floor of excursion gambling boats.

25. Agriculture Land Assessment

Senate Concurrent Resolution 35 rejected a recommendation by the State Tax Commission that would have increased property taxes on Missouri's best agricultural land. In December of 2009, the State Tax Commission recommended increasing the productive values for the highest quality of agricultural land. The productive values are used to determine the amount of property tax paid by land owners. The commission's proposal would have raised taxes on the most productive agricultural land, which generally consists of cropland, by 30 percent and decreased taxes on less productive land. The changes would have resulted in an 11 percent tax increase statewide. The tax changes would have taken effect in 2011 if the House and Senate had not approved the resolution rejecting the commission's recommendation.

26. Bingo

Senate Bill 940 loosens restrictions on bingo to allow charitable organizations to raise additional funds for community service projects.

Under the bill, organizations with abbreviated licenses will be able to conduct bingo games up to 15 times annually. The previous annual limit was four games. In addition, organizations with full licenses will be able to conduct bingo games twice a week instead of once a week. The bill also increases the number of hours that bingo games can be in operation. Current law prohibits bingo games between midnight and 10 a.m. Senate Bill 940 changes the prohibited hours of operation to between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. In addition, the bill increases the amount of revenue that can be used for advertising purposes.

Similar legislation was passed last year but vetoed by the governor because of a provision that repealed the two-tenths-cent sales tax on pull-tab cards and bingo cards sold by charitable organizations conducting bingo games. SB 940 does not contain that provision.

STAY IN TOUCH

As always, please let me know your thoughts about these or other matters of concern by calling my office at: (573) 751-3572 or by emailing me at chuck{dot}gatschenberger{at}house{dot}mo{dot}gov

FUN FACTS

Time to bake a pie! Gooseberries ripen through mid-July and Elderberries begin blooming.

Get outside and enjoy the blooms… Lady's slipper orchids, Tulip poplar trees & Butterfly weed… and watch for the hummers… (the bird type that is)… they're quick!

Tim Jones: House Republicans Lead Ethics Reform Efforts, Health Care Freedom Act Returns To House

Brilliant sunshine and cooler temperatures prevailed during this entire second to last week of Session.  Calm weather belied the passionate and intemperate moods within the confines of the House and Senate Chambers as both bodies worked several days late into the evening and night hours.  Major pieces of historic legislation moved closer to passage as hope lifted relating to subjects such as the Health Care Freedom Act, Telecommunications Access Rate Reform and Government Accountability and Ethics Reform…the end of Session draws ever nigh…

I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man." –George Washington

House Republicans Lead the Way on Ethics Reform

After making ethics reform a top priority for the 2010 Legislative Session, House Republicans delivered today on our pledge to restore integrity to state government by giving initial approval to Senate Bill 844, a sweeping overhaul of Missouri's ethics laws.  Unfortunately, while House Republicans voted unanimously for it, House Democrats failed to recognize the need for ethics reform and voted unanimously against it.  While we have spent most of the session carefully working to craft common-sense reforms, Democrats have, throughout the current legislative session, used the ethics reform debate to play politics with this extremely important issue.

The proposal comprehensively addresses the many concerns raised this year following the ethical and legal troubles of a number of Democrat elected officials in Missouri.  We believe that there must be public trust in elected officials for state government to work effectively.  Because of this, we have spent months carefully crafting ethics reform legislation that will overhaul the existing ethics laws and add new penalties, restrictions, and reforms that will help eliminate and appropriately punish unethical and illegal behavior by Missouri's elected officials.

While the proposal contains numerous important provisions, some of the most important measures would:

• place a two year moratorium on legislators becoming lobbyists,
• require elected officials and certain staff members to submit to an annual drug test,
• place a reasonable cap on campaign contributions and make the process more transparent,
• add the act of using a political appointment to bribe an elected official to the crime of corruption,
• require political appointees to disclose campaign contributions,
• create a felony crime for obstructing a Missouri Ethics Commission investigation,
• require forfeiture of state benefits for those elected officials convicted of a felony,
• place a cap on lobbyist gifts for elected officials,
• and finally force an end to the fee office patronage system.

We made ethics reform a priority of the 2010 Legislative Session because we take the trust that is placed in us by Missouri voters very seriously.  Today, with the initial passage of these measures, House Republicans, without the support of House Democrats, led the way on ethics and government accountability reform by passing the strongest, most comprehensive bill in our state's history to restore accountability in state government and forever change the way business is done in Jefferson City.

HEALTH CARE FREEDOM ACT PASSES THE SENATE & RETURNS TO HOUSE FOR FINAL PASSAGE!

As many of you know, I am the chief sponsor of HJR 57, the "Health Care Freedom Act".  Unfortunately, the Health Care Freedom Act had been filibustered for nearly the entire Session by a small group of liberal, left wing Senators.  It is extremely difficult to break a filibuster in our State Senate and a Senator risks great peril to their future effectiveness in serving their constituents if they attempt to permanently break a filibuster and do not succeed.  Fortunately, due to the courageous work of two of my Senate colleagues and friends, Senator Jane Cunningham and Senator Jim Lembke, the Senate succeeded in voting out a version of the Health Care Freedom Act and sending it back to the House for final passage. Although the Senate version is not as strong or wide-ranging as I had wished, in the legislative process I have learned that you must make lemonade out of lemons every day and that the perfect cannot be the enemy of the good.  We will pass a version of the Health Care Freedom Act, Missouri voters will have the opportunity to cast their vote this August in the FIRST voter referendum on ObamaCare in the nation and the voice of the PEOPLE of the State of Missouri will be heard loud and clear in Washington D.C.  Most importantly, this version of the HCFA will spark the constitutional show down that we all are ready and willing to have between the rights of the States and the overbearing hostility of the federal government relating to YOUR health care freedom choices and rights.  We could not have made it to this point without the help of THOUSANDS of Missouri patriots and tea party groups who led the way during this fight to keep our freedoms.  Thank you all very much for your continued support of this very important legislation, and I will continue to keep you posted on its progress!

Legislation That Has PASSED the General Assembly

The House Truly Agreed and Finally Passed the following Senate Bills. These bills have been sent to the Governor for signature or veto. The Governor has until July 14^th to sign or veto the bills.

• SB 928, which would modify provisions of law regarding the sales tax treatment of sales for resale.
• SB 984, which would repeal the provision of law which makes it a class B misdemeanor for any gaming licensee to exchange tokens, chips, or other forms of credit used on gambling games for anything of value.

The Senate Truly Agreed and Finally Passed the following House Bills:

• HB 1270, which would change the name of the Crippled Children's Service to the Children's Special Health Care Needs Service and specifies the services are for a child who has a physical disability or special health care need.
• HB 1840, which would change the membership of the Rice Advisory Council and creates the Missouri Rice Certification Fund.
• HB 1898, which would establish the Women's Heart Health Program to provide heart disease risk screenings to certain uninsured and underinsured women.
• HB 2081, which would specify 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 2182, which would specify that, as used in Missouri statutes, "agritourism" means the act of visiting a working farm or any agricultural operation for the enjoyment, education, training, or involvement in its activities.
• HCS SB 851 requires the governing body of any county, city, town, or village or any entity created by these political subdivisions to give notice four business days prior to voting on certain items.

Tim's Legislative Platform for 2010

I have sponsored and filed sixteen individual pieces of legislation this Session.  I have co-sponsored numerous other bills.  To review all of the bills that I have sponsored or co-sponsored, please follow this link:  http://www.house.mo.gov/content.aspx?info=/bills101/spon/spn089.htm.  This week, the General Assembly passed my Telecommunications Access Rates Reform Bill [HB1750] that will begin to provide major benefits for all consumers!

Personal News & Notes

The last week of Session will be the most exhausting and frantic and we will spend long days on the House Floor and running back and forth to the Senate.  Bills will fly back and forth between the Chambers and everyone will be searching for a good legislative vehicle on which to complete their priorities.  I want to thank all of the great folks who support me back home as we become fully immersed in our work at the Capitol during these final days of the 2^nd Regular Session of the 95^th General Assembly, especially my family and my colleagues at my law firm, DosterUllom.  It is hard to believe that in two weeks, the Session will be over and summer will be upon us!

Feel Free to Contact Us!

If my extremely dedicated (and very busy!) Legislator Assistant, Jody Williams, or I can be of any assistance throughout the year, please do not hesitate to contact us at 573.751.0562 or by email at jody{dot}williams{at}house{dot}mo{dot}gov or at tim{dot}jones{at}house{dot}mo{dot}gov.  We have had many visitors to the Capitol so far this year; if your travels find you anywhere in or around Jefferson City, please do not hesitate to stop by and visit us in Room 114!  Until our next report, I remain, in your service.

Gatschenberger: Wentzville's Child Center Celebrates $75,000 Grant, May Town Hall Meeting, Legislative Update

The Child Center helps victims recover from abuse

Photo courtesy Suburban Journal

From left: Missouri Foundation for Health public policy liaison Michelle Miller, The Child Center Executive Director Ellen Teller, state Rep. Chuck Gatschenberger and Sarah Gentry, health policy fellow for MFH, celebrate a grant awarded to The Child Center.

The Child Center in Wentzville is celebrating a $75,000 basic support grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health.

The child advocacy center provides forensic interviewing and counseling services to children who have been victims of abuse or witnessed violence. The center also provides school-based abuse prevention and education programs, and parent education seminars.

The grant will help the center continue to provide those services, especially therapy and interviews. The center operates on money from grants, fundraisers and donations.

Behind Representative Gatschenberger is "The Giving Wall", decorated with a mural of children, surrounded by colorful tiles.  These tiles make up The Giving Wall, a fundraiser for the Child Center where a donor can purchase a tile for $100 or $500, decorate it and have it displayed at the center.  To purchase a tile call Ellen Teller, the center's executive director at 636-332-0899.

You may also set up a tour by calling Ellen to see what times are good.  Personally, we purchased one of the large tiles.  Once you take the tour, let me know how you like our tile.   I challenge you to buy a tile of your own!

Please be my guest!

What:  Town Hall Meeting
When:  May 19^th – 7:00 pm
Where:  Lake St. Louis City Hall, 200 Civic Center Drive
Why: Larry Schepker, Director of House Appropriations, will present the 2011 State of Missouri Budget and answer questions regarding reductions in funding.

Representative Brian Nieves will be speaking on what is happening with our State Sovereignty.

I hope to see you there!

For questions on the content of this meeting you may contact my Capitol office at (573) 751-3572 or e-mail me at Chuck{dot}Gatschenberger{at}house{dot}mo{dot}gov

Legislative Update

Missouri Legislature Passes Balanced Budget, Without Raising Taxes

This week, we passed a balanced budget, approving funding to run critical functions of state government without a tax increase.  Thirteen budget bills totaling $23.1 billion for the fiscal year beginning July 1 were agreed upon by both chambers and will be sent to the Governor for final approval.

Together with the Senate, we shaved a total of $484 million from the Governor's proposed budget, making the tough decisions necessary to keep Missouri afloat in our harsh economy.

Unlike the federal government, we managed to look at each budget item, line by line, and responsibly make the reductions needed to uphold vital programs.  We were also able to trim down those items that we could live without, even though it wasn't an easy process.

I am pleased to report that we voted to maintain the school funding formula at its current levels. In addition, Missouri's K-12 schools will receive the same level of funding in the 2011 Fiscal Year as they did this year.  We also approved $37.5 million for the Career Ladder program that pays teachers for extra work such as afterschool tutoring.  The funding would pay teachers for work that has already been completed during the 2010 Fiscal Year.

The largest savings, anticipated to be millions, came from looking at  state departments and identifying how they may run more efficiently by eliminating more than 1,000 government jobs, including taxpayer-funded lobbyists and items like equipment, travel and expenses.

We completed the budget more than one week in advance of the deadline set by the state constitution, which is something we haven't seen for many, many years.  I am extremely proud of the work of our budget chairman, Representative Allen Icet, R – Wildwood, and his budget committee for their longstanding dedication to this process.

Because we continued down a fiscally-conservative path while balancing our state's budget, we are able to keep Missouri in a leadership position when it comes to being financially stable.  While other states across the nation are struggling miserably to keep afloat, Missouri is ahead of the game and operating the best we can considering declining state revenues.

House of Representatives Pay Tribute to Veterans and Recognize Central Missouri Honor Flight

On Tuesday, nearly 200 veterans gathered in the House Chamber and were recognized and honored by our members.  This particular group has been given the opportunity to participate in the Central Missouri Honor Flight, which is an outstanding non-profit organization that flies veterans to Washington, DC to view their memorials.

This organization was created solely to honor America's veterans for their sacrifices.  Since its inception in January 2009, Central Missouri Honor Flight has raised more than $350,000 and taken 465 World War II heroes to our nation's capitol in eight memorable day-long trips. The group transports our heroes to Washington, DC, to visit and reflect at their memorials.  Top priority is given to senior veterans, WWII survivors, along with other veterans who may be terminally ill.

Right now, things aren't easy across our state.  As legislators, we have faced hard decisions, but nothing we will ever endure will be as difficult as the long days and nights our war veterans faced as they served, sacrificed and bled for this land.  There is no doubt that our service pales in comparison to what our veterans have done for us, but there is one thing we know: we are here, because our veterans were there.  I challenge all of us to never forget their fight, and always hold on to their honorable service in our hearts.

It was a true privilege to have these American heroes in the State Capitol.  I highly commend the Central Missouri Honor Flight for their tireless efforts to give back to these individuals who have sacrificed so much for our freedom.

House Passes Bill Promoting Tax Credits for Pregnancy Resource Donators

House Bill 2252, sponsored by Representative Sally Faith, R – St. Charles, extends the sunset period for tax credits given to those who donate to pregnancy resource centers.  This bill passed through the house and has been sent to the Senate for final approval.

Pregnancy Resource Centers, located all across our state, are vital for individuals and families who are either expecting a child or who already have children and need help.

These centers provide counseling to women and men who are going through difficult pregnancy situations or post-pregnancy situations.

They also provide supplies like diapers and formula to those in need.

By offering free pregnancy testing, counselors at Pregnancy Resource Centers are able to inform expecting mothers and families about life options for their unborn.

For years, Missouri has provided benevolent tax credits to those who donate to these centers, and House Bill 2252 extends the period of these tax credits until the year 2022.

With these vital donations, Pregnancy Resource Centers are able to run their offices, provide supplies for families in need and give counseling and support to those who need it most.

House Gives Final Approval to Tax Reform, Job Retaining Legislation

Recent Missouri Supreme Court decisions have put Missouri employers that do business with tax exempt organizations in a costly position, holding that a company selling products to a local government or tax exempt entity could not consider the sale a retail sale, and therefore, could not claim the sale for resale exclusion.

Senate Bill 928, which was passed out of the House this week, reverses that Supreme Court decision, seeking to benefit Missouri business and keep them competitive with those in other states.

The bill does this by excluding resale items from sales and use tax if sold to a tax-exempt entity.  This would include school districts, cities, counties and the state.

Job retention is a huge priority, considering our economy is down and businesses tend to locate to states that offer them the best incentives at the most competitive prices.  Through Senate Bill 928, we will be able to retain businesses in our state and provide Missourians with jobs.

Arizona and National Immigration Policy

By David Webber

In the long run, perhaps a decade from now, it will be good that the Arizona state legislature adopted, and the governor signed on April 23, the new immigration law making it a crime to be in that state without being a legal immigrant.  It will be even better that large protests took place around the United States over this past weekend.

Supporters of the Arizona law argue the state had to act because the federal government had failed to enforce existing immigration laws with devastating social and criminal consequence in Arizona. Opponents said the law would lead to racial profiling and spread fear in immigrant communities.

My first reaction was similar to those protestors who call for social justice.  Over the course of last week, however, my thinking kept returning to the question, "What else will cause this issue to be addressed?"   If Arizona had not acted, Congress and the president might not ever deal with the continual flow of illegal immigrants and the ensuing human tragedies.

Many states have passed symbolic resolutions opposing the recent federal health care reform, last year's federal stimulus and the No Child Left Behind Act, but they have not taken attention-grabbing action to force national policy-makers to step up and address immigration problems.  Immigration reform is long overdue.  It is clear that the national government has not controlled immigration through our southern border, leaving local and state governments to struggle with problems above their Constitutional pay grade.

Immigration policy is highly controversial, combining elements of respect for law, community impacts, human rights, family unification and economic repercussions for the agricultural, hospitality and childcare industries.  Restrictions on hiring illegal immigrants will affect food prices.  Add to all this the deep regional differences in familiarity and political concern and the result has been a national political stalemate for about two decades.

Part of American political culture is that the US is a land of immigrants where all peoples can achieve their dreams and live happily ever after. Except for Native Americans, all of us are from immigrant families.  Economic prosperity, political freedom and quality of life make this an attractive place to live.  However, the US cannot allow all those who wish to become permanent residents to do so.  For one, illegal immigration complicates US security efforts.

The current immigration debate is fueled by illegal immigration, mostly from Mexico. It is estimated there are about 10-12 (some say 20) million illegal immigrants in US, with a 500,000 to 1 million increase each year, according to the Center for Immigration Studies.

While the illegal immigration problem is more intense in the Southwest and major cities, even communities in other states have faced poor and unsafe housing conditions, social service and health problems and economic consequences due to illegal immigration.  Employers in agriculture and construction industries have the incentive to hire undocumented workers at the expense of the other potential workers, local communities and the exploited workers themselves—although they are undoubtedly better off than in their native communities.

The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 made it illegal to hire or recruit illegal immigrants. This act granted amnesty to illegal immigrants and temporary resident status if they had lived here for four years.

In 2005, the US House passed a bill stressing border protection and immigration and a year later the US Senate passed a more "comprehensive" bill that included a path for illegal immigrants to gain citizenship.  Neither became law because the difference could not be reconciled in conference committee.  Congress need to try harder!

It would seem that reasonable members of Congress could agree that the US-Mexican border needs to be secured, that employers who hire illegal workers need to be punished and that wages in Mexico need to be increased. Additionally, US citizenship laws should be changed so that US-born children of non-citizens are not US citizens.  It is more difficult to decide how illegal immigrants now living in US should be dealt with—but there is no value in putting off that decision.
 
The American public should be concerned with civil rights abuses in Arizona just as we should be shocked at the number of peoople who have drowned trying to swim the "All American Canal" to freedom and the substandard conditions in which most undocumented workers live and work. This is a continuing crisis that won't be solved by moral outrage. We should not boycott Arizona, we should encourage and demand that Congress take action.

Representative Parkinson, R - St. Charles, has filed basically the same bill [HB2449] here that passed in Arizona.  Good job Mark!

Want to Track Legislation?

Go to: www.house.mo.gov/billcentral.aspx?pid=26 where you can search by bill number; keyword; sponsor or co-sponsor.

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House and Senate Joint Bill Tracking Bill Number / Keyword / Sponsor-CoSponsor (Help) Search: Enter Bill Number (ex: HB1206), keyword , sponsor, or co-sponsor last name and click "search" tab Year / Type: 2010 Basic Advanced Bill Summaries 2009 Basic Advanced Bill Summaries 2008 Basic Advanced Bill Summaries 2007 1st Extraordinary Basic Advanced Bill Summaries 2007 Basic Advanced Bill Summaries 2006 Basic Advanced Bill Summaries 2005 1st Extraordinary Basic Advanced Bill Summaries 2005 Basic Advanced Bill Summaries 2004 Basic Advanced Bill Summaries 2003 Basic Advanced Bill Summaries 2003 1st Extraordinary Basic Advanced Bill Summaries 2003 2nd Extraordinary Basic Advanced Bill Summaries 2002 Basic Advanced Bill Summaries 2001 Basic Advanced Bill Summaries Spec01 Basic Advanced Bill Summaries 2000 Basic Advanced 1999 Basic Advanced 1998 Basic Advanced 1997 Basic Advanced 1996 Basic Advanced 1995 Basic Advanced Full Search Search Type: All Words Any Words Boolean Expression Exact Expression Natural Language Sort Order: Search Rank Document Title Last Modified Ascending Descending

STAY IN TOUCH

As always, please let me know your thoughts about these or other matters of concern by calling my office at: (573) 751-3572 or by emailing me at chuck{dot}gatschenberger{at}house{dot}mo{dot}gov

FUN FACTS

Whatever you do…. DON'T FORGET MOTHER'S DAY… Sunday, May 9^th!

Plant corn when white oak leaves are the size of a squirrel's ear!

Two of Missouri's State Emblems are in bloom…  the White Hawthorn is our Floral Emblem... and the State Tree… the Flowering Dogwood.  Get out and enjoy them!

Nance: S-CHIP Enrollment Encouraged, Senate Bills Approved By House, In The District

"State finances are still in rough shape, but in early April someone paid their taxes. It resulted in $121 million to the treasury. Thank goodness for capitalism."

At The Capitol

I was able to amend two bills with legislation to have DESE and Social Services to work together for the benefit of kids that qualify for S-CHIP. Thousand of kids qualify but have not been signed up for the program. The amendment gives an excellent opportunity for parents to provide coverage for their children.

I have attached a comparison of education funding for 2010and 2011.

The House Truly Agreed and Finally Passed the following Senate Bills. These bills require only the governor's signature. The governor has until July 14^th to sign or veto.

• SB 928, which would modify provisions of law regarding the sales tax treatment of sales for resale.
• SB 984, which would repeal the provision of law which makes it a class B misdemeanor for any gaming licensee to exchange tokens, chips, or other forms of credit used on gambling games for anything of value.

The Senate Truly Agreed and Finally Passed the following House Bills:

• HB 1270, which would change the name of the Crippled Children's Service to the Children's Special Health Care Needs Service and specifies the services are for a child who has a physical disability or special health care need.
• HB 1840, which would change the membership of the Rice Advisory Council and creates the Missouri Rice Certification Fund.
• HB 1898, which would establish the Women's Heart Health Program to provide heart disease risk screenings to certain uninsured and underinsured women.
• HB 2081, which would specify 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 2182, which would specify that, as used in Missouri statutes, "agritourism" means the act of visiting a working farm or any agricultural operation for the enjoyment, education, training, or involvement in its activities.
• HCS SB 851 requires the governing body of any county, city, town, or village or any entity created by these political subdivisions to give notice four business days prior to voting on certain items.

In the District

In addition to the Mushroom Festival this past week end, I attended the Job Corps Open House. I have been fortunate to work with the Center over the last 30 years. The Corps gives an opportunity for job training and placement to many of our youth. They do much more than job training.

Teacher Nancy Herring and the Hardin Central 4^th graders [at left] visited the Capitol on Wednesday. I appreciate their yearly trip to see how government works.

If there are any bills that you want information on by bill number or subject, you can access information from the following sites:
House Bills www.house.mo.gov
Senate Bills www.senate.mo.gov.

"No gift to your mother can ever equal her gift to you –life" –Author unknown

Happy Mother's Day!

Joe Smith: House Gives Final Approval to Tax Reform, Job Retaining Legislation

Recent Missouri Supreme Court decisions have put Missouri employers that do business with tax exempt organizations in a costly position, holding that a company selling products to a local government or tax exempt entity could not consider the sale a retail sale, and therefore, could not claim the sale for resale exclusion.

Senate Bill 928, which was passed out of the House this week, reverses that Supreme Court decision, seeking to benefit Missouri business and keep them competitive with those in other states. The bill does this by excluding resale items from sales and use tax if sold to a tax-exempt entity. This would include school districts, cities, counties and the state. The bill also has a provision which establishes similar tax increases for theater or theme park tickets that are sold by ticket brokers and a resale tax exemption on sporting clays that are resold at sporting club events.

Job retention is a huge priority, considering our economy is down and businesses tend to locate to states that offer them the best incentives at the most competitive prices. Through Senate Bill 928, we will be able to retain businesses in our state and provide Missourians with jobs.

The bill gained nearly unanimous support in the House and we hope that the Governor will not delay in signing this bill.

Tilley: Two Bills That Encourage Job Creation

A huge sigh of relief came out of Jefferson City this week as we finished work on the state budget. While not everyone, including myself, was entirely happy with the way things finished, we have to do with less these days. Our state revenue numbers continue to be anemic, but we have seen some positive signs that things may be rebounding.

Because of the rough environment, we have continued to maintain job creation as our main focus. The fastest and perhaps only way we are going to get our economy rolling again is when more Missourians find work. I think it’s also important that not only do we advocate for new jobs or business expansions, but that the jobs we create are good family supporting jobs.

In addition to passing the budget this week we took up two different bills that focused specifically on creating family supporting jobs. The first, SB 773, was a proposal we were able to use as a legislative vehicle for a manufacturing jobs act. Under the manufacturing proposal the state would provide incentives to manufacturing based companies that add new jobs, pay salaries at or above the industry average wage, and offer to pay for 50% of a healthcare package for the employee. These are exactly the type of jobs we should welcome in Missouri because they can support a family and we have been told Ford Motor Company will most likely use this proposal to expand their plant in Claycomo, Missouri.

The second proposal, SB 928, helped create jobs in another way. In SB 928 existing businesses were protected from a court decision that would have started taxing goods that government’s or municipalities purchase. In the past these items have been exempted because often times they are very large purchases. The best examples we heard were the airplanes and fighter jets that Boeing builds in St. Louis. If SB 928 wasn’t signed Boeing would have had to scale back production in St. Louis or look for doing any future expansions somewhere else. We need the type of jobs that Boeing provides. The men and woman who work at that manufacturing facility are highly trained and educated people that mean a great deal not only to our state, but also to our country.

There are just two more weeks of the legislative session left and finishing the budget was a big accomplishment, despite some tough decisions. As we proceed into the last two weeks of the legislative session we will continue to keep our focus on jobs, but there will be several things we can still accomplish to make state government more responsible, more transparent, more accountable, and more efficient.