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Nixon hints at veto of bill to triple abortion waiting period

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Governor Jay Nixon (D) has offered a statement on the bill that would increase the waiting period for abortions in Missouri from one day to three.

Nixon writes, “House Bill 1307 will get the same comprehensive review given to all bills that reach my desk. However, it is clear that by failing to include an exception for rape and incest, this extreme proposal would separate Missouri from all but one other state in the nation. I have profound concerns about its impact on women and especially the victims of these heinous crimes.”

Nixon has let previous legislation placing restrictions on abortion become law without taking action on them.

The House voted Wednesday night to complete legislative passage of that bill to the governor.

Legislature puts sales tax increase for transportation to MO voters

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The state legislature is asking Missouri voters if they want to raise the state sales tax to support transportation.

The Senate changed the proposal from a 1-cent sales tax increase to a three-fourths-of-one-cent increase and sent it to the House 22-10. The House on Wednesday approved that 105-43, meaning it will go on the statewide ballot in November unless Governor Nixon sets a special election date for it.

If passed it would generate an estimated $534-million dollars annually, running for ten years beginning in 2015.

The proposal is HJR 68

The Missouri Department of Transportation has said it will soon not have the money for road and bridge maintenance. It has already quit adding new projects to its five-year construction program and suspended a cost-share program, in which the Department split the cost of a project with local governments in the area it would impact.

The Department’s Director, Dave Nichols, issued a statement praising passage of the proposed amendment.

Nichols writes, “Today is a great day for the future of transportation in Missouri. I would like to thank the General Assembly for passing this important legislation that gives Missourians the opportunity to improve our economy and keep our families safe by investing in much-needed transportation improvements.

“We are working with planning partners around the state and representatives from every mode of transportation to determine how this new revenue could best improve our total transportation system. We are ready to deliver the projects and services that Missourians expect and deserve.”

Legislature offers voters an early voting ballot measure

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The state legislature has sent voters a proposal to allow six business days of early voting before general elections. The proposal cleared the House on Wednesday, a day after it was approved in the Senate.

Representative Tony Dugger (R-Hartville) sponsored the early voting proposal in the House. (photo courtesy; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

Representative Tony Dugger (R-Hartville) sponsored the early voting proposal in the House. (photo courtesy; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

The proposal would change the Missouri Constitution to allow voters to mail in ballots or vote in-person during business hours. Early voting would end on the Wednesday before the election.

Democrats in the House say the proposal is a “sham,” and say it is only meant to distract voters in November from a less restricted form of early voting outlined in an initiative petition that is pending with the Secretary of State. Secretary of State Jason Kander (D) has offered similar criticism.

The plan would not require local election authorities to offer early voting if no money is included in the annual state operating budget to reimburse them for it. Democrats are also critical of that provision, saying it allows future legislatures to block early voting by denying such an appropriation.

Republicans defend the plan as a legitimate early voting proposal that would not put a financial burden on local election authorities.

House passes gun nullification legislation

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The state House has passed this year’s attempt at a law to nullify federal gun laws in Missouri. The bill would declare null and void any current or future gun law or regulation that infringes on the right to keep and bear arms.

State representative Doug Funderburk (photo courtesy; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

State representative Doug Funderburk (photo courtesy; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

Representative Doug Funderburk (R-St. Peters) says he has removed a provision that would have caused a law enforcement officer who enforces such a federal law to be prevented from ever being a Missouri law enforcement officer again.

“I don’t want to risk a good law enforcement officer’s career on the potential that they may have made a one-time mistake in the carrying-out of their duties,” says Funderburk.

The legislation is HB 1439

Representative Judy Morgan (D-Kansas City) says the bill is clearly unconstitutional and will be thrown out by courts. She is also concerned about some of the laws it seeks to nullify.

“It’s against federal laws for any person to sell any firearm or ammunition to felons, fugitives from justice, unlawful drug users, anyone who has been committed to a mental institution or anyone who has been convicted in any court of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence,” notes Morgan.

The House’s bill would also let Missourians sue federal workers for enforcing federal laws.

The two chambers have only until Friday evening to agree on a law and send it to the Governor.

Gov. Nixon wants ‘private option’ out of transfer bill, House sponsor says won’t pass Senate without it (VIDEO)

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Governor Jay Nixon (D) has called on House and Senate lawmakers who have worked on a proposed fix to Missouri’s transfer law to remove language that would let local tax dollars pay for students to transfer to private schools.

The legislative conference committee updated the so-called “private option” so that after three years of a school district being unaccredited, private schools would become one of the places its students could transfer, though a public vote could result in that happening earlier.

Nixon says keeping public funds in public schools is a core state belief and is written into Missouri’s Constitution.

He says the legislature’s current proposal, “would destabilize the strong foundation on which public education has stood for generations and open the floodgates to even more radical voucher schemes down the road.”


The House sponsor of transfer legislation, Representative Rick Stream (R-Kirkwood), says he doesn’t think a bill will pass the Senate if it lacks the private school language.

He disagrees with Nixon’s assessment that the Missouri Constitution bars the use of public money in private schools.

“The Constitution says we cannot spend public dollars on religious institutions … religious schools,” says Stream. “I don’t believe that the Constitution says we cannot spend public dollars on private companies or private schools that are nonsectarian. We do that already in the budget. About a third of our budget is public money going to private providers.”

Stream says Nixon has failed to lead on the transfer issue.

“Since this problem started back in June with the last Supreme Court decision the governor has pretty much been out of the picture. He hasn’t offered any solutions, given any advice other than to say once the Senate passed overwhelmingly a bill that had the private option in it that he was going to veto it,” says Stream. “I think the students, the children of those two school districts deserve a little bit more than that from the Governor.”

The House-Senate committee’s proposed law is still being published ahead of being taken up by both chambers to consider passing it to Nixon. They have until Friday evening, the end of the regular session, to pass it.

House-Senate lawmakers finalize compromise transfer proposal

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A House and Senate conference committee has finished its work hammering out a proposed fix to the student transfer law that threatens to bankrupt some Missouri schools.

The proposal would let students in failing schools in unaccredited districts first transfer to better performing schools within that district. If no room is available in those schools, they could transfer to neighboring districts or charter schools. Students in schools that don’t achieve accreditation for three years could also transfer to nonreligious private schools, with local tax dollars covering tuition. That could happen earlier if approved by a public vote.

See our earlier story on the latest changes to the ‘private option’

Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal (D-University City) says the legislation leaves some children out.

“When we decided to only allow children who are in unaccredited buildings in unaccredited districts [transfer,] I think that’s limiting children,” she says. “There are kids who are in unaccredited buildings in accredited districts who are totally ignored in this bill as of now.”

The legislation does not cover transportation costs for students traveling to new schools. Representative Rick Stream (R-Kirkwood) says that could be a barrier for some parents wanting to get their children into better schools immediately, which lawmakers have said is a goal. He would like to have seen transportation covered in the bill, but says it was removed in compromise with the Senate.

“It does certainly limit their options to transfer out of the district to another public school district,” says Stream. “But, we do have in there now the charter options and the private school option in their district, and if our goal is to try to keep students in the district but in a better educational environment, those two options are now there.”

Stream considers whether the updated bill can pass the House.

“We had 91 votes to start with. We may have gained a few from St. Charles. We may have lost a few from the rural areas on the private option vote being constrained, so we’ll see,” says Stream.

The conference committee chairman, Senator David Pearce (R-Warrensburg) says he’s confident as the legislation goes back to both chambers to consider.

“Right now a lot of people aren’t pleased with it,” says Pearce, “so that means we’ve got a pretty good compromise.

Stream doesn’t think the House could muster enough votes to override Governor Jay Nixon (D) if he decides to veto the bill. Nixon has said he can not support anything that involves tax dollars going to private schools.

Legislature proposes regulation of electronic cigarettes

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The Missouri legislature has proposed a ban on the sale of electronic cigarettes to people under 18.

Representative Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia) carried the e-cigarettes bill in the House. (photo courtesy; TIm Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

Representative Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia) carried the e-cigarettes bill in the House. (photo courtesy; TIm Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

The proposal is aimed at preventing young people from being exposed to nicotine. Some lawmakers opposed the proposal saying it doesn’t go far enough.

Representative Jill Schupp (D-St. Louis) wants legislation that will tax e-cigarettes like tobacco products.

“We know for a fact that the way [teens have] stopped smoking cigarettes happens when we increase the tax on cigarettes, we move the cigarettes behind the counter in stores where they are sold,” says Schupp.

Representative David Wood (R-Versailles) talks with the bill’s sponsor, Representative Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia) about why the bill doesn’t treat e-cigarettes like tobacco products.

“You’re trying to take care and protect our children under the age of 18 from a product that could be harmful to them,” says Wood, “but you’re in no way trying to treat it as tobacco no more than we treat Nicorette gum or the patches as tobacco.”

The legislation has been sent to Governor Jay Nixon (D).

The Food and Drug Administration recently announced plans to ban the sales of e-cigarettes to minors and put warning labels on them.

 

Legislature passes parental consent to tan legislation

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The Missouri General Assembly has approved requiring parental consent for anyone under the age of 17 to use tanning beds.

Representative Gary Cross (R-Lee's Summit) has worked for four sessions to pass legislation restricting the use of tanning beds by minors. (photo courtesy; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

Representative Gary Cross (R-Lee’s Summit) has worked for four sessions to pass legislation restricting the use of tanning beds by minors. (photo courtesy; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

The proposal would penalize businesses that let customers under 17 use tanning beds without annual, written parental or guardian consent. It establishes a tiered system of up to $500 fines for first, second and additional offenses.

Backers like Representative Sharon Pace (D-St. Louis) say the bill helps protect young people from skin cancer.

“We do need protections, especially for children … younger generations,” says Pace.

Representative Keith Frederick (R-Rolla) says parents need to be paying attention to what their children are doing with their bodies.

“This [bill] allows parents to have some voice over whether their children expose themselves to carcinogens,” says Frederick.

The proposal, HB 1411, has been sent to Governor Jay Nixon (D).

House Democrats want Medicaid expansion vote before they’ll vote for transportation sales tax hike

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The Missouri House Democrats’ leader says they’re angry about the veto override on a tax cut bill, so much so that they won’t vote for a proposed sales tax hike to support transportation if the Republican House Majority doesn’t bring Medicaid expansion up for a vote.

The situation raises doubt about the fate of the three-quarters-of-a-cent transportation tax that had seemed likely to pass.

The House on Tuesday completed a legislative override of Governor Jay Nixon’s (D) veto of the tax cut legislation, SB 509, that he and House Democrats said was unnecessary and “dangerous,” and puts funding for state programs and services like education in jeopardy. All 108 Republicans in the House voted for the override along with one Democrat, Keith English (Florissant).

“I think right now the caucus feels that it’s awfully hypocritical to be asking for a tax increase when we’ve just cut taxes,” says Minority Floor Leader Jake Hummel (D-St. Louis).

34 House Democrats voted for the transportation tax, HJR 68, when it cleared the House, while 38 Republicans voted against it.

“They have to have our votes to pass it,” says Hummel. “If they’d like to give us a vote on Medicaid maybe we can talk about that.”

Hummel says it is time for Medicaid expansion to be brought to a vote on the House Floor. Last year a bill was debated in the House but withdrawn without a vote.

“If the majority [Republicans want] to vote it down that’s fine, but give us the opportunity,” says Hummel. “This is such a huge coalition across the state. Just give us … give everybody … a chance. Give them a vote. What are [Republicans] worried about? That they don’t have enough people to vote it down?”

House Speaker Tim Jones (R-Eureka) says he had not heard of the Democrats drawing the connection between the transportation sales tax and Medicaid prior to speaking to Missourinet.

“I don’t really see the connectivity between the two,” says Jones, “My gut reaction would be the caucus would not be much interested in a deal of that sort.”

If Republican leadership decides to put Medicaid expansion to a vote, there are some bills that could be potential vehicles for it. Two Senate bills, SB 504 and SB 754, are on the list of Senate Bills ready to be passed out of the House that relate to health care or insurance coverage. Those could potentially have Medicaid language amended to them before a vote.

Another bill, SB 524, was amended in a House Committee to include Medicaid expansion language in an effort led by Representative Chris Molendorp (R-Belton), who has been supportive of expansion. His position has put him at odds with most of his fellow Republicans. Molendorp called the vote, “symbolic,” but the bill could be brought to the floor in the final week.

“It’s that time of year when there are a lot of issues that aren’t related at all that kind of get thrown into the same pot for people to start picking and choosing … they’ll support this if you’ll support that,” says Senator Mike Kehoe (R-Jefferson City), the sponsor of the transportation sales tax bill in the Senate. “It doesn’t surprise me that there are people trying to tie one thing to another.”

Kehoe says he will spend time this weekend talking to legislators about moving the transportation tax forward.  It also has labor support, including from the Laborers Union of Missouri and the United Transportation Union, who testified for it during a House hearing in February.

Hummel says he knows there is union support for the tax, and a need for funding for infrastructure improvements.

“I don’t think a lot of us are happy at what the funding mechanism is for this,” says Hummel. “I’d love to get some kind of compromise between the tax and Medicaid, but just have to see how it goes.”

The proposal was to raise the sales tax one percent for transportation when it left the House but the Senate changed it to the three-quarters-of-a-cent plan.  If it is passed by the legislature it would go to voters in November or at a special election to be called by the governor.

Gov. Nixon issues statement on legislature’s FY15 budget proposal

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Governor Jay Nixon (D) has issued a statement on the legislature’s passage Thursday of its proposed Fiscal Year 2015 budget.

Nixon says lawmakers followed his lead in offering more support for individuals with developmental disabilities and helping more people afford college educations, but criticizes the legislature for not heeding his call to expand Medicaid eligibility to 138-percent of the federal poverty level.

He is also critical of the tiered budget approach legislators took to compensate for the fact that they couldn’t come to agreement with his office on how much revenue the state would bring in, in Fiscal Year 2015.

Nixon’s statement reads:

“‘From making college more affordable to expanding services for Missourians with developmental disabilities, this budget includes many of the priorities I laid out earlier this year,’ Gov. Nixon said. ‘These smart, strategic investments in our future are made possible by an economy that continues to pick up steam.

“The Fiscal Year 2015 budget passed by the General Assembly includes Gov. Nixon’s proposals to eliminate the waiting list for Medicaid in-home developmental disability services, freeze tuition for Missouri undergraduates at public universities for the upcoming school year, and provide additional technology and career-support for staff at the Children’s Division of the Missouri Department of Social Services. The budget also includes the Governor’s plan for a strategic bond issuance to rebuild Fulton State Mental Hospital, the state’s only maximum-security psychiatric facility.

“‘While making progress in many areas, in other respects the legislature missed the mark by failing to make K-12 education the priority and refusing to strengthen Medicaid,’ Gov. Nixon said. ‘Quality public schools are vital to the strength of our communities and the health of our economy, but many in this legislature simply don’t agree. For example, the legislature has chosen to subject K-12 education to a conditional funding mechanism that creates uncertainty for local school districts. In the coming days and weeks, this budget will get a careful, line-by-line review to ensure we maintain fiscal discipline and keep the state moving forward.'”