Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr Archives

BREAKING: Parson signs bill to ban abortions at eight weeks

May 24, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

During a bill signing today at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City, Governor Mike Parson signed House Bill 126 into law banning abortions at eight weeks into pregnancies. In a press release, the governor says a coalition of pro-life leaders and legislative members joined him today for the bill signing. The media was not invited.

Governor Mike Parson addresses firefighters during the Missouri State Firefighters Day in Jefferson City on March 6, 2019 (file photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI}

“By signing this bill today, we are sending a strong signal to the nation that, in Missouri, we stand for life, protect women’s health, and advocate for the unborn,” said Parson in a press release. “All life has value and is worth protecting.”

On the last day of the Missouri Legislature’s regular session, the wide-ranging measure passed that bans doctors from doing abortions on women if a fetal heartbeat is heard. Physicians who violate the law face five to fifteen years in prison. It would also forbid doctors from doing abortions if the baby would have Down syndrome or for sex or race-selective abortions.

HB 126 makes exceptions for medical emergencies, but not for rape or incest. Additionally, the legislation requires both parents to be notified if a minor child wants an abortion.

According to Parson, the bill expands the definition of a pregnancy resource center for tax credit purposes to include centers providing assistance to families. It removes the sunset and cumulative tax credit cap beginning in FY 2021 and increases the pregnancy resource center tax credit from 50% to 70% beginning January 1, 2021.

Missouri Republican mega donor David Humphreys said Parson should veto the bill. In an email to the Kansas City Star, the Joplin businessman said he’s opposed to abortion but he supports a woman’s right to choose, particularly in rape or incest cases.

Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, thanked Parson for signing the “Missouri Stands for the Unborn Act”.

“The General Assembly has worked tirelessly over the last few months to send the Governor the boldest and most comprehensive pro-life bill in the country to stand for those without a voice. With today’s signing, Missouri’s law will reflect the values of Missourians across the state that believe every child is a gift from God and deserving of the fundamental Constitutional right to life,” said Haahr.

Senator Jill Schupp, D-Creve Coeur, was on the front lines trying to negotiate with Republicans in her chamber on the bill.

“Governor Parson has outlawed abortion for all women, including victims of rape and incest. He has signed a law to take away a woman’s choice before she even knows she’s pregnant. With this new law, the Governor and his Republican Party have shown they don’t trust women, and are too extreme for most Missourians,” said Schupp in a press release.

M’Evie Mead with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Missouri issued a statement in response to the governor’s action today:

“People need to know that this ban is not in effect — yet. Abortion is still legal in this state and Planned Parenthood Advocates will do everything we can to protect access to abortion in Missouri — and hold these extreme politicians accountable for their attacks on our health care,” said Mead.

St. Louis holds Missouri’s lone abortion clinic.

The bill is expected to be blocked through a court challenge. Otherwise, it would become law on August 28.

Missouri State Representative Roeber still recovering from vehicle crash

May 13, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri House Speaker says a state lawmaker who was seriously injured in a March head-on collision will need to learn to walk again.

State Rep. Rebecca Roeber, R-Lee’s Summit, speaks on the Missouri House floor on May 12, 2017 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, tells Missourinet that State Rep. Rebecca Roeber, R-Lee’s Summit, continues to recover. Roeber is no longer at MU Health Care in Columbia.

“Representative Roeber is now back in the Kansas City area, she continues to receive treatment but at least my understanding is her need for surgeries are done,” Haahr says.

The March collision happened on Highway 50 in west-central Missouri’s Syracuse. The Missouri State Highway Patrol says Roeber crossed the center line on Highway 50 and struck a second vehicle.

Roeber, who was first elected to the House in 2014, chairs the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee. She will not return to the Capitol this session, which ends Friday at 6 p.m.

Meantime, legislation that would allow charter schools to expand to Missouri cities and charter counties with a population larger than 30,000 is finished for the year.

Chairwoman Roeber is the House sponsor. Her bill is House bill 581.

House Speaker Pro Tem John Wiemann, R-O’Fallon, tells Missourinet the bill was removed from the House calendar because of the amount of time it sat in the calendar and was not brought up for debate.

Speaker Haahr told Missourinet recently the bill already faced an uncertain future with Roeber out. He noted that charter school legislation would have probably have had come through the Senate first, where it’s already been filibustered.

“If not, we always have next year to work on that issue,” says Haahr.

Proponents of charter school expansion legislation include the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the organization Excellence in Education in Action. Supporters say school choices benefit all in society and that expansion will give more children an opportunity to attend schools that meet their needs.

Bill opponents include the Missouri School Boards Association and the Missouri State Teachers Association. Opponents say removing students from public education impacts the overall district and that the fiscal impact of charter school expansion will hurt public school funding and programs.

Under current law, charter schools are only allowed in St. Louis, Kansas City and an unaccredited school district. Charter schools are publicly-funded schools which operate independently of traditional public schools.

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.