Missouri House General Laws Committee Archives

Missouri GOP legislator wants to reduce federal safety net program paperwork

March 2, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

The state Legislature is being asked to reduce the amount of paperwork that Missourians must fill out to enroll or renew in federal safety net programs. Representative Mary Elizabeth Coleman, a Republican from the St. Louis suburb of Arnold, has filed a bipartisan bill in response to challenging herself to see what it was like to fill out the application.

Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, R-Arnold (Photo courtesy of Tim Bommel, House Communications)

“I gave up. It was repetitive. It was frustrating,” she says. “There was a lot of legalese. I decided that if as a lawyer and as a state Representative I had a hard time navigating to receive these benefits, then how much more would a family who’s facing a crisis and is really needing to be a recipient of these services, how would they be able to navigate them.”

Depending on which program you’re trying to sign up for, including food stamps, WIC, Medicaid or temporary assistance, the state’s current application is as long as 63 pages. She doesn’t have a magic number of pages she thinks the application should be. Her goal is ultimately to be more user friendly.

“All of those applications should be concise and non-duplicative and all of the legalese should be put onto a separate piece of paper so that’s it’s just really easy to navigate and found online,” says Coleman. “So the idea is that, you know, it’s just a good government kind of clean up thing. It’s not changing who is eligible. It’s not changing should we have these programs. But we do have them and so we need to make it accessible to people.”

Coleman says the paperwork is not as cohesive as it could be. Every time there’s a new federal regulation, the paperwork gets longer.

“The questions aren’t even really complicated,” says Coleman. “It’s just that the directions can be complicated. And so it can be stated more simply. I mean this is one of those things that it’s easier for everybody if we do it this way. It’s going to make it easier for state employees to get the necessary information.”

The Missouri House General Laws Committee voted unanimously in favor of her bipartisan. The legislation, House Bill 1960, is awaiting consideration by the House Rules Committee.

Lawmaker proposing Missouri Lottery winner legislation emphasizes safety (AUDIO)

February 17, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Legislation that would give Missouri Lottery winners the option of not having their names published by the Lottery was heard by a House committee in Jefferson City on Monday.

The Missouri Lottery logo (courtesy of Missouri Lottery)

The bill sponsor, State Rep. Jay Mosley, D-Florissant, tells Missourinet it’s a safety issue.

“I want people to feel safe when they win,” Mosley says. “I want them to experience their winnings in the best possible fashion.”

Mosley testifies Missouri Lottery winners could be targeted by people who read about their win, or approached by family members who want money.

House Bill 1563 would give lottery winners the option of anonymity. Representative Mosley testifies that eight states already allow it, including neighboring Kansas.

“I also feel that we’ll probably keep monies here in the state as well, since Kansas is one of those (eight) anonymous states,” says Mosley.

Mosley emphasizes that winners could still have their names published under his legislation, if they choose to.

“I know there are people out there that want to disclose that information, but most people, from my knowledge, don’t,” Mosley says.

The bill applies to the Missouri Lottery Commission, the state Lottery, lottery and contract employees. Under the bill, “publish” means issuing information or material to the public in printed or electronic form.

His bill would apply to lottery winners of any amount. Under the bill, violators would be charged with a class A misdemeanor.

The House General Laws Committee did not vote on the bill on Monday. The bipartisan legislation was approved unanimously by the committee in 2019.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and State Rep. Jay Mosley, D-Florissant, which was recorded on February 17, 2020 at the Statehouse in Jefferson City:

Both sides on sexual orientation bill pack Missouri Capitol hearing room to testify

May 9, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Legislation adding sexual orientation and gender identity to Missouri’s Human Rights statute was heard Wednesday afternoon by a House committee in Jefferson City. The House General Laws Committee heard about 90 minutes of testimony, before a standing-room only audience.

State Reps. Greg Razer, D-Kansas City, (at right) and Tom Hannegan, R-St. Charles, testify before the Missouri House General Laws Committee on May 8, 2019 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Rep. Greg Razer, D-Kansas City, who is gay, is the bill sponsor. Razer testifies it is not illegal in Missouri or nationally to fire someone for being LGBT.

“It is perfectly fine (under current law) to fire someone from their job, evict them from their home or deny them service say, at a restaurant, simply because you know they are or think they might be LGBT,” Razer says.

Razer says people can lose their homes and their jobs because they are gay or lesbian.

He emphasizes the bill is not special treatment for LGBT people, adding this is the 21st straight year the bill has been filed.

Razer and State Rep. Tom Hannegan, R-St. Charles, have filed the same bill. Hannegan, who is also gay, testifies this is about constitutional rights and about people being equal.

Razer’s House Bill 208 would prohibit discrimination based upon a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

Several religious organizations testified against the bill on Wednesday.

Grandview-based Desert Stream Ministries community outreach coordinator Amanda Smith testified against the bill, saying she identified as a lesbian 12 years ago and dated women. Smith is worried about what will happen next, if the bill passes.

State Rep. Peter Merideth, D-St. Louis, who supports the bill, questioned Smith at the hearing.

“Do you think at that time in your life (12 years ago) while you were going through that period that it would have been okay for a landlord to deny you an apartment because they didn’t like that you identified as male?,” Merideth asked Smith.

“No,” Smith replied.

The Jefferson City-based Missouri Catholic Conference also testified against Razer’s legislation. Catholic Conference executive director Tyler McClay cites religious liberty concerns.

“The concern is regarding faith-based organizations that provide foster care and adoption care services in other states where this law has been passed, they have been shut out of government contracts,” McClay testifies.

The Missouri Baptist Convention also testified against the bill.

Missouri’s oldest business association also testified against the Razer-Hannegan legislation. Associated Industries of Missouri (AIM) President Ray McCarty testifies that creating a new cause of action for sexual orientation and gender identity is troublesome.

“According to the American Psychological Association, sexual orientation really involves your emotional attraction to another person, which is different than other types of protection,” says McCarty.

McCarty also says Missouri lawmakers should wait until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on three cases, cases he says could establish whether existing federal protection against sex discrimination applies to alleged discrimination because of sexual orientation and gender identity.

But Razer says the time to act is now, adding this is not a special law and that this is not a new law.

The St. Louis Regional Chamber and some other business representatives testified for the bill, saying it’s the right thing to do and will also improve the economy. A representative from Monsanto also testified for Razer’s bill.

The House General Laws Committee did not vote on the bill Wednesday, and is not expected to meet again until next week.

The 2019 legislative session ends on May 17. Razer says lawmakers can pass the bill before session ends.

Razer calls on Missouri House Speaker to help pass sexual orientation bill

May 6, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Legislation that adds sexual orientation and gender identity to Missouri’s Human Rights statute is scheduled to be heard Wednesday by a House committee in Jefferson City.

State Rep. Greg Razer, D-Kansas City, speaks on the Missouri House floor on March 28, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, has referred the bill to the House General Laws Committee.

“I do think that the conversation on MONA is a good one for the Legislature to have. I don’t know that the issue is necessarily right, but I think that’s what the committee process is for to work through the issue and figure out if there’s a path forward for it,” Haahr tells the Capitol Press Corps.

The bill is sponsored by State Rep. Greg Razer, D-Kansas City, who is gay. Representative Razer’s legislation would prohibit discrimination based upon a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Discrimination would include unlawful housing practices and the denial of the right to use public accommodations.

Razer spoke at a separate press conference on Thursday, joined by other House Democrats. Razer is calling on Missouri House GOP leaders to speak out against the anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church’s protest last Thursday at the Capitol.

Razer says Westboro protested Thursday against him and other LGBT legislators, and says it’s time to pass House bill 208.

“People can lose their homes, people can lose their jobs, people can be denied service at a restaurant because they are gay or lesbian,” says Razer.

During his press conference, Razer called on Speaker Haahr to use his influence and power, to help pass the legislation. He spent much of the time referencing the Westboro protest.

“LGBT teenagers are five times more likely to commit suicide than their heterosexual counterparts. Yet, what we get from the leadership in this building (Missouri Capitol) is silence and inaction,” Razer says.

Speaker Haahr tells Capitol reporters that Westboro Baptist Church “thrives on the attention we pay them, and so I pay them none.” Haahr also emphasizes he’s referred Razer’s bill to committee for the hearing.

The 2019 legislative session ends on May 17, so timing will be a factor. The state Constitution requires lawmakers to approve a balanced budget by Friday, so the budget will get a lot of attention in both chambers this week.

“We can get this done. We can get this done in two weeks,” Razer says.

House General Laws Committee Chairman Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, tells Missourinet that Razer’s bill is tentatively scheduled to be heard on Wednesday, upon morning adjournment.