Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz Archives

Final week in Missouri legislative session: Wayfair, gas tax, PDMP and Grain Belt still unresolved

May 9, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Expect some long days and nights at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City this week, with just five days left in the 2021 legislative session. There are still a number of major bills that are pending, including legislation on transportation, prescription drug monitoring, Wayfair legislation and eminent domain.

State Sen. Holly Rehder (R-Scott City) speaks on the Missouri Senate floor in Jefferson City on March 9, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Harrison Sweazea at Senate Communications)

The session ends Friday evening at 6, under the state Constitution.

The gas tax legislation is the top priority for powerful Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz (R-Sullivan). Schatz’s Senate Bill 262 would increase Missouri’s gas tax by 12.5 cents per gallon, by 2025. The increase would be phased in by 2.5 cents each year.

Schatz, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce, the trucking industry and other supporters note Missouri’s 17-cent gas tax has remained the same since 1996. They also note that the state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has had to dip into reserves for federal matching funds. The bill has bipartisan support. Opposition has primarily come from Republicans who oppose new taxes.

Schatz’s bill has received final approval in the Missouri Senate, and has been referred to the House Fiscal Review Committee. He’s hopeful that it will get to the Missouri House floor before Friday’s deadline.

Another key bill we’re watching this week is prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) legislation from State Sen. Holly Rehder (R-Scott City). She’s filed PDMP for the ninth straight year: eight in the House and this year in the Senate. The bill has passed several times over the years, but it’s never been the same version in both chambers.

A PDMP is an electronic database that collects data on controlled substance prescriptions within a state. Missouri is the only state in the nation without a PDMP.

State Rep. J. Eggleston (R-Maysville) speaks on the Missouri House floor on March 4, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Rehder’s Senate Bill 63 would establish the “Joint Oversight Task Force of Prescription Drug Monitoring” within the state Office of Administration. Members would be selected from the Board of Registration for the Healing Arts, the Board of Pharmacy, the Board of Nursing and the Missouri Dental Board.

Rehder’s bill received final approval from the Missouri Senate in early April. It’s waiting for debate in the Missouri House. She and other supporters say 49 states currently have a PDMP, and that informed doctors make better decisions. Opponents, such as State Sen. Mike Moon (R-Ash Grove) worry about potential data breaches.

Another key bill that’s a priority for GOP Governor Mike Parson involves Wayfair. State Sen. Andrew Koenig (R-Manchester) has filed Senate Bill 153. It received final Senate approval in March, and is waiting for debate in the Missouri House. State Rep. J. Eggleston (R-Maysville) is the House sponsor.

Governor Parson called on lawmakers to address Wayfair, during his January State of the State Address.

“I hope the House and Senate will consider legislation to address the unfair advantage online retailers have over small businesses in Missouri,” Parson told lawmakers in January. “I am a strong supporter of lower taxes- in fact, I have signed several tax cuts into law. However, our small businesses, especially in smaller communities, are getting crushed right now because they cannot compete with huge online retailers.”

Another key bill that could hit the Senate floor this week involves eminent domain and the Grain Belt project in rural northern Missouri.

Governor Mike Parson, Congressman Jason Smith (to the governor’s right) and State Sen. Jason Bean (R-Holcomb) discuss the feral hog issue with USDA and the U.S. Forest Service on March 29, 2021 (photo courtesy of the governor’s Twitter page)

State Sen. Jason Bean (R-Holcomb) has filed Senate Bill 508, which has been heard by the Senate Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and Environment Committee. Under the bill, the Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) could not issue a certificate of convenience and necessity for a merchant line, until county commissioners in each county through which the line will be built pass a resolution supporting the project.

Senator Bean’s bill is aimed at Grain Belt, also known as Invenergy. The PSC has approved their request to build, own and manage a high-voltage transmission line across eight northern Missouri counties. Those counties are Buchanan, Clinton, Caldwell, Carroll, Chariton, Randolph, Monroe and Ralls.

The PSC has determined there is a need for the service, and that the service promotes the public interest.

However, the Missouri Farm Bureau, the state’s largest general farm organization, has urged lawmakers to approve Bean’s legislation, saying it’s about protecting private property. Missouri Farm Bureau says using eminent domain for this project sets a dangerous precedent and “makes it easier for our state to become the transmission superhighway for the Green New Deal.”

Invenergy says this would be Missouri’s largest energy infrastructure project, and that it would support 1,500 construction jobs over three years. They also say it would deliver millions of dollars in annual energy savings for 39 Missouri towns, and would improve electric reliability to help avoid future emergency outages.

The Missouri House approved a bill related to Bean’s earlier this session.

One issue that we likely won’t hear much discussion on during the final week is gaming. State Sen. Denny Hoskins (R-Warrensburg), who chairs the Senate Economic Development Committee, told Missourinet last week that he doesn’t see a path forward for any gaming bill this session.

Hoskins: There’s no path forward for any Missouri gaming bill this session

May 6, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Gaming legislation appears to be dead this session, after the recent impasse on video lottery terminal (VLT) legislation in the Missouri Senate.

State Sen. Denny Hoskins (R-Warrensburg) presides over the Missouri Senate on January 19, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Harrison Sweazea of Senate Communications)

Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz (R-Sullivan) tells our Sullivan affiliate KTUI that he has numerous concerns with the gaming bill from fellow State Sen. Denny Hoskins (R-Warrensburg). It’s Senate Bill 98.

“I think there’s a hesitancy especially on my part and the Legislature, to expand gaming and allow the types of machines that are out there that are illegal right now, to continue to grow in number,” Schatz says.

A judge in western Missouri’s Platte County ruled in September that two “no chance” slot machines found at a Parkville convenience store violate state gambling laws. That case could end up at the Missouri Supreme Court in Jefferson City.

As for Senator Denny Hoskins, he tells Missourinet that he doesn’t see a path forward for any gaming bill this session.

“Unfortunately, it appears my gaming bill will not pass this session,” says Hoskins. “It would have provided $200 million for our kids’ schools and veterans homes. After last week’s impasse, I look forward to working with my colleagues in the interim to find a solution to bring Sportsbook and regulated VLTs to Missouri.”

The battle over alleged illegal slot machines in Missouri has pitted two powerful GOP state senators who are normally allies on issues: Pro Tem Dave Schatz and Senate Economic Development Committee Chairman Hoskins. They still agree on many legislative issues, but not this one.

The slot machines are found in places like truck stops, convenience stores and restaurants. Schatz says there are about 20,000 of these slot machines in Missouri. He describes them as “a tax on most poor people.”

“If every one of them generated $100 a day, and again that’s somewhat of a conservative figure, but that’s $2 million a day in revenue that’s three-quarters-of a-billion dollars annually that’s going into those machines. It’s not being taxed, it’s not being regulated, nothing is coming back to the state,” says Schatz.

The Missouri Lottery’s executive director has testified that the slot machines are hurting public education in the Show-Me State. She also testified that there’s a major issue with the slot machines along the I-44 corridor, from St. James to Lebanon.

Senator Hoskins says Senate Bill 98 is the result of five years of work and compromise. He says he’s met with any and every party willing to come to the table, to negotiate a regulatory framework for gaming in Missouri.

Hoskins believes Missourians desire safe, legal and fair gaming opportunities.

What we’re watching this week in the Missouri Legislature: Medicaid expansion debate, budget and daylight saving time bill

April 26, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

You can expect a debate about Medicaid expansion on the Missouri Senate floor in Jefferson City later this week.

Missouri Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo (D-Independence) and other Democratic lawmakers tour a vaccination center at Cerner in North Kansas City in March 2021 (file photo courtesy of Leader Rizzo’s Twitter page)

The Senate is expected to debate the proposed $34.1 billion state operating budget this week. Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz (R-Sullivan) tells Missourinet Sullivan affiliate KTUI that it will take some floor time.

“The budget will be the floor probably on Wednesday, and we will work our way through that. And so that’s normally a fairly long process with a lot of conversation debate,” Pro Tem Schatz says.

Earlier this month, the Missouri House voted to give final approval to a $34.1 billion budget, one that does not contain funding for Medicaid expansion.

In August, 53 percent of Missouri voters approved Medicaid expansion, although it failed in 105 of the state’s 114 counties. The opposition to Medicaid expansion in the Missouri House primarily came from rural GOP lawmakers who represent districts that voted against Medicaid expansion.

Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo (D-Independence) tells Missourinet that the issue will be debated this week, on the Senate floor.

“I fully anticipate that a vote to fund Medicaid expansion will happen on the floor when it comes up for debate,” Leader Rizzo says.

Medicaid is officially known as MO HealthNet, and it’s a federal and state program that assists with medical costs for residents with limited incomes. Medicaid expansion supporters say Amendment Two, the August ballot measure, would help the working poor. They note it would expand Medicaid for residents between the ages of 19 and 64 with an income level at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level.

Medicaid expansion supporters also say that Missouri voters have spoken, in August.

House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith (R-Carthage) and other opponents say Medicaid expansion would help able bodied adults. Smith wants to use $342 million of funding to instead support seniors in nursing homes and to provide care for the developmentally disabled.

Smith’s alternative plan includes $88 million for long-term care in nursing facilities, $15.5 million for k-12 school transportation, $2 million for adult high schools, $11.6 million for the Department of Mental Health (DMH) for alcohol and drug abuse treatment, $53 million to DMH for adult community programs and $30 million for programs like respite care, adult day care and home-delivered meals.

The state Constitution requires Missouri lawmakers to approve a balanced budget, by early May.

State Rep. Chris Sander (R-Lone Jack) testifies before a Missouri House committee in Jefferson City on March 24, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications}

There are just three weeks left in Missouri’s 2021 legislative session, which means floor time in both chambers is critical.

Other bills we’re watching this week in the Legislature involve bipartisan drunk driving legislation and Daylight Saving Time legislation.

The Missouri Senate Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee meets Tuesday morning at 8:30 to hear testimony from State Rep. Bob Bromley (R-Carl Junction), about his DWI legislation. The Missouri House has voted 149-3 to give final approval to the bill, which requires that any person who’s pleaded guilty or been convicted of driving while intoxicated to complete a victim impact program approved by the court.

And the Missouri Senate Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions and Ethics Committee meets Tuesday morning to hear testimony from State Rep. Chris Sander (R-Lone Jack) regarding daylight saving time.

Sander’s bill establishes the “Daylight Savings as New Standard Time Pact,” which would exempt all of Missouri from federal Daylight Saving Time provisions. Under the bill, when a majority of states bordering Missouri have passed legislation entering those states into the pact, each state will switch clocks to Daylight Saving for the final time, and Daylight Saving Time will be eliminated.

The Missouri House has voted 126-16 to give final approval to the Sander legislation.

What we’re watching next week in Missouri Legislature: budget, oversight hearings and MLB antitrust exemption pushback

April 17, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

The proposed state operating budget will be heading to the Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee in Jefferson City next week for daily hearings and for consideration. The state Constitution requires lawmakers to approve a balanced budget by early May.

House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith (R-Carthage) and State Rep. Brad Hudson (R-Cape Fair) have a discussion on the Missouri House floor on April 1, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The Missouri House approved a $34.1 billion state operating budget this month, a budget which does not contain funding for Medicaid expansion. It includes a $76 million increase for foster and adoptive children, including a 45 percent increase to the clothing allowance for foster teens.

Kids Win Missouri policy director Craig Stevenson says the House budget provides unprecedented support for the kinship and foster families who care for the thousands of children in Missouri foster care. The state Department of Social Services (DSS) notes there are currently
13,939 foster care children in Missouri.

“It increases everything from the maintenance, the monthly maintenance payments that foster guardian and adoptive parents get. But then also increases important things like the diaper allowance for people who are caring for infants,” Stevenson told Missourinet this month.

House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith (R-Carthage) tells Missourinet that he will not be testifying before the Senate Appropriations Committee next week. He says Committee Chairman State Sen. Dan Hegeman (R-Cosby) will be the Senate handler.

The House has also approved a budget blueprint from Chairman Smith that directs dollars slated for Medicaid expansion for other programs. Smith says it’s a $342 million bill. That includes $88 million for long-term care in nursing facilities, $15.5 million for k-12 school transportation, $2 million for adult high schools, $11.6 million for the Department of Mental Health (DMH) for alcohol and drug abuse treatment, $53 million to DMH for adult community programs and $30 million for programs like respite care, adult day care and home-delivered meals.

House Special Committee on Government Oversight Chair Rep. Jered Taylor (R-Nixa) speaks on the Missouri House floor in April 2021 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Democrats in the Missouri Senate are expected to try to restore funding for Medicaid expansion, which was approved by 53 percent of Missouri voters in August.

The issue of oversight will also get more attention next week in the Missouri House.

The House Special Committee on Government Oversight plans Monday and Tuesday hearings about operations within the Department of Social Services (DSS) and the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DOLIR). The issues at faith-based boarding schools like the now-defunct Circle of Hope will likely be discussed again.

Prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) legislation will be heard by the Missouri House Veterans Committee on Tuesday afternoon. The committee will hear testimony from bill sponsor State Sen. Holly Rehder (R-Scott City). The Senate has given final approval to PDMP, which is an electronic database that collects data on controlled substance prescriptions within a state. Missouri is the only state in the nation without a PDMP.

Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz (R-Sullivan) supports PDMP, saying it provides a layer of protection against drug and dependency and dangerous drug interactions.

Meantime, the Missouri Senate Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions and Ethics Committee meets Tuesday to hear testimony from State Sen. Rick Brattin (R-Harrisonville) about his resolution, which urges Congress to end Major League Baseball’s (MLB) federal antitrust exemption. Senator Brattin’s resolution is in response to MLB’s decision to move the All-Star game from Atlanta because of Georgia legislation requiring photo ID.

“This is yet another instance of corporate virtue signaling and sports stoking the culture wars in this country,” Brattin said last week. He also says MLB is undercutting the basis of its antitrust exemption. He notes the exemption has been in place since a 1922 U.S. Supreme Court decision.

Critics of the Georgia law say it will make it more difficult for minorities and the elderly to vote.

Missouri’s gasoline tax will also be discussed this week. The Missouri House Transportation Committee meets Wednesday afternoon at 5 to hear testimony from Pro Tem Schatz (R-Sullivan) about his bill, which increases the state’s gasoline tax by 2.5 cents each year, for a total of a 12.5 cent per gallon increase by 2025. The GOP-controlled Missouri Senate has already given final approval to the bill.

Missouri’s 17-cent per gallon gasoline tax has remained the same since 1996.

What we’re watching this week in Missouri Legislature: federal stimulus funding, state budget and workers compensation issues (AUDIO)

April 12, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Testimony involving stimulus dollars under the federal “American Rescue Plan Act of 2021”, alternatives to Medicaid expansion and workers compensation for firefighters and first responders will highlight this week in the Missouri Legislature in Jefferson City.

State Rep. Doug Richey (R-Excelsior Springs) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on March 18, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The 2021 session has about a month to go. The last day of session will be Friday, May 14.

A brand-new Missouri House Subcommittee on Federal Stimulus Spending will meet for the first time Monday morning in Jefferson City. They’ll gavel-in at 11 a.m. Committee Chairman State Rep. Doug Richey (R-Excelsior Springs) is humbled by the appointment.

“It is a committee that will be doing some very important work in terms of vetting both the priorities and the need for these federal stimulus dollars that are yet to even be received,” Richey says.

The subcommittee will hear testimony on Monday about capital improvement needs that could be eligible for federal stimulus funds under the Rescue plan. President Joe Biden (D) signed the bill, and House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith (R-Carthage) has said that he expects Missouri to receive billions of dollars in federal funding.

“There will be opportunity for several one-time appropriations for capital improvements and deferred maintenance that we know exist throughout the state,” says Richey.

He tells Missourinet that examples include universities, public safety, mental health and hospitals and state buildings.

Chairman Richey is emphasizing the importance of due diligence. He tweeted Saturday that “the American Rescue Plan isn’t funded by tax payer dollars, it’s funded by tax payer indebtedness.”

The Medicaid expansion issue will also come up again this week in the Legislature.

The Missouri House Budget Committee is expected to vote Tuesday on a budget blueprint from Chairman Smith, a plan which directs dollars slated for Medicaid expansion for other programs, including MO HealthNet. That’s the state Medicaid program.

Smith outlined the plan last week. House Bill 21, an eight-page bill, is just over $1 billion. $894 million of that would come from federal funds.

Funding includes $26 million for programs like respite care, adult day care and home-delivered meals. Chairman Smith testifies the funding also includes $88.2 million for funding long-term care services for care in nursing facilities. HB 21 also includes $18 million for k-12 public school transportation, and $2 million for adult high schools. It also includes $11.6 million for treatment for alcohol and drug abuse, and $2.2 million for youth community programs. It also provides about $1 million in additional funding for the State Public Defender System.

State Rep. Robert Sauls (D-Independence) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on March 31, 2021 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

House Democrats on the Budget Committee are expected to oppose the plan, saying that 53 percent of Missouri voters approved Medicaid expansion in August. Regardless of the committee vote, the issue will almost certainly be debated again on the House floor soon.

The Missouri House Public Safety Committee will meet Tuesday morning to hear legislation from State Rep. Robert Sauls (D-Independence), which involves workers compensation for firefighters and first responders.

“This is a bill that protects those who protect us. The firefighter cancer presumption bill creates a presumption that if a firefighter develops cancer, he or she got it as a result of the hazardous toxins of which he or she was regularly exposed. There is also a component to PTSD for first responders. I am proud of this bill and it is far overdue,” Sauls tells Missourinet.

Sauls’ House Bill 863 would allow Missouri firefighters and first responders to receive workers compensation for diseases of the heart or cardiovascular system, any infectious diseases, diseases of the body systems or organs from carcinoma, and diseases of the lungs or respiratory tract.

Across the Capitol Rotunda in the Missouri Senate, the chamber is expected to take up legislation involving mechanical contractors early this week. Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz (R-Sullivan) tells Missourinet he expects his Senate Bill 11 to hit the floor on Monday.

Schatz’s bill is called the “Missouri Statewide Mechanical Contractor Licensing Act.” Under the bill, the statewide mechanical license for mechanical contractors would be regulated by the Division of Professional Registration, within the state Department of Commerce and Insurance. The bill creates the Office of Mechanical Contractors, within the division.

Pro Tem Schatz also says education reform legislation could go to the Senate floor this week.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full four-minute interview with Missouri House Subcommittee on Federal Stimulus Spending Chairman Rep. Doug Richey (R-Excelsior Springs), which was recorded on April 9, 2021:

What we’re watching this week in the Missouri Legislature: PDMP, budget, foster care and human cloning

April 5, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Legislation that would create a prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) is expected to receive final approval from the Missouri Senate in Jefferson City on Tuesday.

Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia) tells Missourinet that the PDMP issue should come up tomorrow. That’s when state lawmakers return to Jefferson City, following the Easter break.

State Rep. Robert Sauls (D-Independence) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on March 31, 2021 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The Senate voted to give initial approval to PDMP last week, and it had bipartisan support. Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz (R-Sullivan), who voted for Senate Bill 63, tells Missourinet Sullivan affiliate KTUI that informed doctors make better decisions.

“49 states currently have a PDMP, and actually it just provides a layer of protection against drug and dependency and dangerous drug interactions,” Schatz tells KTUI.

A PDMP is an electronic database that collects data on controlled substance prescriptions within a state. Missouri is the only state in the nation without a PDMP.

Opponents of Senate Bill 63, including State Sen. Mike Moon (R-Ash Grove), worry about potential data breaches.

Pro Tem Schatz also says the state operating budget will get a lot of attention in his chamber during the next five weeks. The House has approved a $34.1 billion budget, that does not include funding for Medicaid expansion. The budget now heads to the Senate.

“The governor had made recommendations. The House has made their modifications to it and now it’s our turn to work through the things that we think are priorities in funding in this state,” says Schatz.

The state Constitution requires Missouri lawmakers to approve a balanced budget, by early May.

State Rep. Sara Walsh (R-Ashland) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on March 22, 2021 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Across the Capitol Rotunda in the Missouri House, the Budget Committee meets Tuesday afternoon at 12:30 to hear testimony from Committee Chairman Cody Smith (R-Carthage) about his budget proposal to use Medicaid expansion funding for other programs.

Medicaid is formally known as MO HealthNet, and it’s a federal and state program that assists with medical costs for residents with limited incomes. 53 percent of Missouri voters approved Medicaid expansion in August, although it failed in 105 of the state’s 114 counties. Rural House members from those districts led the opposition to Medicaid expansion last week. Amendment Two supporters say the measure expands Medicaid for residents between the ages of 19 and 64 with an income level at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level.

Chairman Smith says Medicaid expansion would help able bodied adults, many who choose not to work. He’s filed a bill to use the $1.9 billion to instead support seniors in nursing homes, to provide care for the developmentally disabled and to expand mental health programs. It would also increase k-12 school transportation funding. That proposal will be outlined on Tuesday.

Meantime, the Missouri House Emerging Issues Committee meets Tuesday evening at 5, to hear a foster care proposal from State Rep. Robert Sauls (D-Independence). House Bill 1335 would prevent children from being aged out of foster care during a pandemic.

“During uncertain and difficult times, our most vulnerable children shouldn’t have to worry about homelessness,” Representative Sauls tells Missourinet. “That’s why I sponsored HB 1335. I want to make sure that during a moment of crisis, the children of Missouri have the stability that they need.”

Foster care continues to be a bipartisan issue at the Missouri Capitol. It’s also a top priority for House Speaker Rob Vescovo (R-Arnold).

The human cloning issue will also come up this week in a House committee. The Children and Families Committee will hear testimony on Wednesday morning from State Rep. Sara Walsh (R-Ashland), which would prohibit public expenditure of public funds for research projects involving abortion services and human cloning.

Walsh’s proposal is House Bill 852.

What we’re watching this week in Missouri Legislature: Medicaid expansion, budget, PDMP and proposal to reduce Missouri House’s size

March 29, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

The state operating budget and prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) legislation will likely take center stage in the Missouri Legislature in Jefferson City this week.

Missouri House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, testifies before a House committee in Jefferson City on February 24, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Governor Mike Parson (R) has proposed a $34.1 billion state operating budget. House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith (R-Carthage) tells Missourinet that he hopes to see the House give initial and final approval to the operating budget this week. The state Constitution requires Missouri lawmakers to approve a balanced budget, by early May.

Once the budget goes to the House floor this week, there will likely be a floor debate on the issue of Medicaid expansion.

Medicaid is formally known as MO HealthNet, and it’s a federal and state program that assists with medical costs for residents with limited incomes. 53 percent of Missouri voters approved Medicaid expansion in August, although it failed in 105 of the state’s 114 counties. Amendment Two expands Medicaid for residents between the ages of 19 and 64 with an income level at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level.

Last week the House Budget Committee voted against funding Medicaid expansion. Chairman Smith issued a statement, which says the expansion would help able bodied adults, many who choose not to work. He’s filed a bill to use that money to support seniors in nursing homes, to provide care for the developmentally disabled and to expand mental health programs. Smith also wants to use some of the money for additional public defenders.

During his January State of the State Address, Governor Parson pledged to move forward with implementation of Medicaid expansion, because voters approved it.

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade (D-Springfield) and other House Democrats have called a Statehouse news conference for Monday afternoon at 1 to address the issue. Leader Quade and House Democrats say Missouri voters have spoken. She describes the Budget Committee’s decision as an irresponsible attempt by House Republicans to defund Missouri’s Medicaid program.

State Sen. Holly Rehder (R-Scott City) speaks on the Missouri Senate floor in Jefferson City on March 9, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Harrison Sweazea at Senate Communications)

Across the Capitol Rotunda in the Missouri Senate, PDMP should hit the Senate floor this week. State Sen. Holly Rehder (R-Scott City) has filed PDMP for the ninth straight year. Rehder filed it for the eight years she served in the House. She was elected to the Missouri Senate in November, and has filed Senate Bill 63.

Senator Rehder delivered a passionate speech on the Missouri House floor in May, revealing to colleagues that her late mother and late sister were both sexually assaulted multiple times and that they turned to prescription drugs for their pain.

“I look forward to having that (Senate floor debate) conversation, obviously this is something that (State) Senator Rehder is very passionate about. When she was in the House, I carried that legislation myself (and) tried to find a resolution for that,” Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz (R-Sullivan) told Missourinet last week.

A PDMP is an electronic database that collects data on controlled substance prescriptions within a state. Missouri is the only state in the nation without a PDMP.

Rehder and other supporters say Missouri’s medical professionals must have knowledge of what their patients are on, prior to prescribing more medication. Bill opponents such as State Sen. Mike Moon (R-Ash Grove) worry about potential data breaches involving your prescription information.

While both the Missouri House and Senate approved PDMP in 2020, they approved different versions of the bill.

Pro Tem Schatz says education reform bills will also likely be debated on the floor this week. He also expects some long nights between now and May.

“Not sure exactly the floor schedule, but would anticipate working longer hours from now till session ends,” Schatz tells Missourinet.

Another interesting issue that will be discussed in a Missouri House committee this week involves reducing the Missouri House’s size.

State Rep. Travis Fitzwater (R-Holts Summit) is proposing a constitutional amendment that would reduce the Missouri House from 163 to 136 members. Fitzwater will present his proposal Wednesday afternoon to the House Elections and Elected Officials Committee.

Fitzwater’s proposed House Joint Resolution 34 is similar to his 2019 proposal, which failed. Missouri currently has 197 lawmakers, although there is one House vacancy. Fitzwater says it’s the seventh-largest Legislature in the nation, and that Missouri has more state lawmakers than any of its bordering states.

Missourians ratified a constitutional amendment in 1966, which locked in the number of House seats at 163.

The Missouri House and Senate will both gavel-in Monday afternoon at 4 in Jefferson City.

What we’re watching this week in the Missouri Legislature: budget and preexisting condition legislation (AUDIO)

March 22, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

The state operating budget, a proposed supplemental budget and health-related bills will dominate attention in the second half of Missouri’s legislative session, including this week when lawmakers return to Jefferson City from spring break.

Missouri House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith (R-Carthage) testifies before a House committee in Jefferson City on February 24, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The Missouri House Budget Committee has scheduled Monday and Tuesday hearings at the Statehouse. Governor Mike Parson (R) is recommending a proposed $34.1 billion state operating budget. House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith (R-Carthage) says the plan is for the House to give final approval to that budget, next week.

“If things go according to plan, the second week after we’re back (the week of March 29), we could be looking at perfecting and third-reading the budget and sending it over to the Senate. So, that’s our schedule and we’re on schedule so far and our intention is to try to get it done in time enough to send to the Senate and give them adequate time for their consideration,” Smith told Capitol reporters on March 11, as lawmakers were leaving for spring break.

The state Constitution requires Missouri lawmakers to approve a balanced budget, by early May. House Majority Floor Leader Dean Plocher (R-Des Peres) tells Missourinet that it’s important to give the Budget Committee enough time to do their job, so that is a priority.

The Parson administration is also proposing a $1.67 billion supplemental budget. Much of that involves federal dollars.

Speaking of Leader Plocher, his proposed constitutional amendment involving preexisting conditions will go before a House committee in Jefferson City on Monday afternoon.

The Missouri House Health and Mental Health Policy Committee will hold a public hearing at noon Monday. If lawmakers approve his House Joint Resolution 50, you’ll be voting in 2022 on Plocher’s proposed constitutional amendment requiring health insurers to cover preexisting conditions. Plocher believes the U-S Supreme Court could overturn the Affordable Care Act.

He describes his proposal as principled and bipartisan. Plocher also notes that many Missourians have preexisting conditions.

“I think Missouri’s economy, Missouri’s families and the quality of life is better when we have affordable health insurance,” Plocher told Missourinet in February.

Agriculture is another issue that will get attention this week in the Missouri House. The Missouri House Agriculture Policy Committee will hold a Tuesday morning hearing on legislation from State Rep. Allen Andrews (R-Grant City), involving foreign ownership of farmland.

House Majority Floor Leader Dean Plocher (R-Des Peres) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on May 13, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Representative Andrews is the House Majority Whip. His House Bill 1296 would prohibit citizens of a nation in which an American citizen cannot own real property from buying agricultural real property in Missouri.

Across the Rotunda in the Missouri Senate, President Pro Tem Dave Schatz (R-Sullivan) is praising his Senate colleagues for approving Wayfair legislation and his proposed 12 cent-a-gallon gasoline tax increase bills, before the spring break.

Schatz expects some education reform bills to be debated this week on the Senate floor, and is looking forward to a debate soon on prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) legislation.

Senate Majority Floor Leader Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia) tells Missourinet that he expects PDMP to hit the Senate floor in the first couple of weeks, after lawmakers return from spring break. Schatz notes that he’s personally carried the PDMP bill several times.

He’s working with State Sen. Holly Rehder (R-Scott City), who’s filed the PDMP bill for the ninth straight year. A PDMP is an electronic database that collects data on controlled substance prescriptions within a state.

Rehder and other supporters say Missouri’s medical professionals must have knowledge of what their patients are on, prior to prescribing more medication. Bill opponents, including State Sen. Mike Moon (R-Ash Grove) worry about potential data breaches involving your prescription information.

While both the Missouri House and Senate approved PDMP in 2020, they approved different versions of the bill. Missouri is the only state in the nation without a PDMP.

Pro Tem Schatz is vowing to pass PDMP before he leaves office at the end of 2022. He notes it’s come close several times.

“You know, we made some changes. Obviously at the time, we were not able to get it across the finish line. But I think I’m as optimistic as ever that will occur before I leave the Missouri Senate, I think we’re going to see that,” says Schatz.

Rehder has described her current bill as a compromise bill, that had the support of the majority of Senate and House members in 2020.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz (R-Sullivan), which was recorded on March 19, 2021:

Look for several late nights in Missouri Senate this week; House to begin discussion on congressional redistricting

March 8, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri Senate will likely be in session for some late nights this week in Jefferson City, as lawmakers wrap up the first half of the 2021 legislative session.

Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz speaks to Missourinet in 2020 (January 2020 file photo from Missourinet’s Ashley Byrd)

Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, tells Missourinet Sullivan affiliate KTUI that senators will debate several key issues on the floor this week.

“I think education (school choice legislation), tax policy, motor fuel tax, and again I would anticipate that we will spend several long nights and when we break, people (state senators and staff) will probably be exhausted and ready for a break,” Schatz tells KTUI.

The Pro Tem reiterated that on Saturday to Missourinet. While education reform is a top priority for several GOP state senators, Democrats worry about the impact on public schools.

Increasing transportation funding has been a top priority for Schatz, who notes Missouri’s 17-cent per gallon gasoline tax has remained the same since 1996.

Schatz’s Senate Bill 262 would increase Missouri’s gasoline tax by 15 cents per gallon, by 2027. It also includes a provision for an exemption and refund.

The Missouri House will also be busy this week, both on the floor and in numerous committees.

The House is expected to debate a proposed constitutional amendment this week that involves initiative petitions.

HJR 22 is sponsored by State Rep. J. Eggleston, R-Maysville. If approved by lawmakers this year and if voters approve it, it would require sponsors of initiative petitions proposing constitutional amendments to collect signatures of 12 percent of registered voters in each of Missouri’s eight congressional districts and to submit those petitions to the Legislature for consideration, similar to a bill. The governor’s signature would not be required.

Supporters say the Missouri Constitution is about ten times larger than its federal counterpart, and that many states don’t allow use of initiatives to amend their constitutions. Supporters of Eggleston’s bill include Missouri Farm Bureau and the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association.

Opponents of the Eggleston bill say it would prevent the will of the people from becoming law. They also say the initiative process is difficult as it is. Opponents include the Missouri AFL-CIO and the Missouri Coalition for the Environment.

State Rep. Dan Shaul (R-Imperial), who chairs the Missouri House Special Committee on Redistricting, speaks on the House floor in Jefferson City on May 15, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Congressional redistricting will also be discussed this week in Jefferson City.

The Missouri House Special Committee on Redistricting will hold its organizational meeting Tuesday morning at 9. Congressional redistricting is done every ten years, after the U.S. Census is completed. State Rep. Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, chairs the committee, and State Rep. Jerome Barnes, D-Raytown, is the ranking Democrat.

Chairman Shaul tells Missourinet that Tuesday’s meeting is to let committee members know what expectations are for themselves and for the committee, to help them understand the process. The committee won’t meet again until after the legislative spring break.

Legislation involving the Missouri Lottery will also be heard this week, in committee.

The House General Laws Committee meets Monday evening to hear a bill from State Rep. Jay Mosley, D-Florissant, which would give Missouri Lottery winners the option of not having their names published by the Lottery.

Representative Mosley has filed this bill several times, telling Missourinet last year it’s a safety issue.

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

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

Schatz: Missouri state senators may have some longer evenings to make up for missed snow week; emphasizes safety (AUDIO)

February 17, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s State Senate leader says nothing on the Senate’s agenda this week was time-sensitive or worth lawmakers trying to drive to Jefferson City in snow.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Color Guard presents the flags before the governor’s State of the State Address on January 27, 2021, as Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz (right) observes (file photo courtesy of Governor Parson’s Flickr page)

The Senate has canceled session for the entire week, due to multiple winter storms. Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, says he looked closely at weather forecasts.

“So there was nothing so pressing that it was worth risking members trying to get into the Capitol,” Schatz says.

Missouri state senators will return to Jefferson City on Monday afternoon. Pro Tem Schatz tells Missourinet that senators can make up the missed days later.

“We know that everyday that we do lose is something that will be precious time that would be garnered sometime later in session, but we’ll take that into consideration and we know that we’ll have to move some things, maybe spend some longer evenings there (the Missouri Capitol) in the future to try to make up for some of the lost time,” says Schatz.

The Pro Tem says mild weather will finally return to the Show-Me State next week.

“I think next week we’re looking at temperatures are going to be in the 50s again,” Schatz says. “We go from having this completely minus-zero and below to 50s next week, so that’s Missouri weather for you.”

Schatz says the temperature was minus-4 at his home in eastern Missouri’s Sullivan on Tuesday, with very slick roads.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, which was recorded on February 16, 2021: