Senator Bill Eigel Archives

Missouri bills would move some local races and issues to a later election

February 12, 2021 By Alisa Nelson

Local races and issues, like fire district and school board as well as tax increase and bond proposals, could be moved from April to later in the year. Some members of the Missouri Legislature have filed bills this session that aim to make the switch.

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft (file photo courtesy of the Secretary of State’s office)

During a Missouri House Budget Committee hearing this week, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, a Republican, says he has not taken a position on the idea. However, he says there would be savings if the election was moved from April to November.

“You are not having the cost of all the absentee ballots and ballots that you would have had in April,” says Ashcroft. “You would have roughly the same amount in November, but they might be a little bit longer. So, their costs would increase a little bit. But that’s probably a cost decrease. I think there will be a cost decrease if that were to be done. I cannot tell you that it would be substantial. I find it difficult to believe that there would be a cost increase.”

Representative Peggy McGaugh, R-Carrollton, was the longtime Carroll County Clerk in northwest Missouri. She disagrees that there would be a savings.

She goes on to say she is not a fan of making those election changes.

“I think there is going to be a lot of talk about how difficult it would be to put all those layers and all the different races on one ballot,” says McGaugh.

She says voter fatigue is real.

“That occurs when the ballots are so long,” says McGaugh. “And so, the danger is that the lower-level fire districts and the townships, by the time the people have voted for everybody else up above, they’re done. They’re going walk out without voting. So, I think it’s a real danger to the local entities to put them on partisan ballots.”

State Rep. Peggy McGaugh, R-Carrollton, speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on May 13, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

House Bill 920, sponsored by Neosho Republican Representative Ben Baker, would change the election day for the election of political subdivision and special district officers to the first Tuesday after the first Monday from April to November each year.

During a hearing about the bill, supporters said local election turnout is historically low and the measure would boost participation.

Opponents of the bill included Matt Morrow, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce; The City of Springfield; Missouri Municipal League; and Missouri Association of School Administrators. One argument made was election workers would be overwhelmed by the change. Another one was county clerks will have difficulty applying all the configuration of ballots that will be necessary to make sure citizens received the correct ballots for their district.

Senate Bill 414, sponsored by Rick Brattin, R-Harrisonville, has some similar components.

Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring, is proposing SJR 5, a Constitutional amendment that would ask voters to move all elections for local tax increases to a general election.

Missouri K-12 education community buckles up for potential eventful legislative session

January 19, 2021 By Alisa Nelson

The coronavirus pandemic has created a world of challenges for America’s educational system, maybe to the point of driving some members of the Missouri Legislature to put a greater emphasis this session on changes to Missouri K-12 education. In the Senate, roughly 40 bills have been filed so far about K-12 education. The House has more than 30.

Missouri Capitol

Out of the gate, the Missouri Senate Education Committee is scheduled to consider Tuesday two contentious public education topics.

Senate Bill 23 would let parents use tax credits to pay for their kids to attend private school, get tutoring, school supplies, and other educational needs. Supporters refer to this type of legislation as educational savings accounts and opponents call it private school vouchers.

Sen. Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester, is offering the proposal.

“This notion that one school can be all things to all kids is something that is false,” Koenig tells Missourinet. “I have five kids and they all learn differently. The reality is every child is different and every school can’t be everything to every child. It shouldn’t be a situation where you can only move your child if you are rich. And that’s the situation. If you’re are rich, you can pay for private school tuition or move your family into a school district that is better performing.”

Brent Ghan with the Missouri School Boards’ Association (MSBA) says the group strongly opposes such bills.

“What it boils down to in their kind of convoluted schemes essentially to direct taxpayer money to private schools,” he tells Missourinet. “We are not opposed to private schools but we draw the line when private schools receive taxpayer dollars whenever they are not accountable to the public like traditional public schools are.”

Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring, is proposing a similar measure. Both could cost the state up to $50 million annually during a time when Missouri is watching every penny it has.

Eigel’s proposal, Senate Bill 25, also includes provisions that would expand charter schools in any school district located within a charter county as well as in any Missouri city with a population greater than 30,000 people.

Missouri Senate Education Committee Chair Cindy O’Laughlin, R-Shelbina, is an advocate of charter school expansion. Charter schools are public and privately funded schools operating independently of traditional public schools.

“Most people within communities support their school. It’s kind of the center of their community, especially in our rural areas. People feel a lot of pride and loyalty to that school,” she tells Missourinet affiliate KWIX in Moberly. “But there are always going to be some people who just for whatever reason don’t thrive in that particular school and would like to go somewhere else. I believe that parents should have the right to send their child somewhere else if it isn’t working for them in the current school that they are in. So, I think parents need more choice and I think our rural schools need more funding.”

Under current state law, charter schools are allowed in Kansas City, St. Louis, and any unaccredited Missouri public school district.

Ghan says the MSBA wants greater accountability for charter schools.

“Charter schools just don’t play by the same rules as our traditional public schools. They don’t have the same degree of accountability for taxpayer dollars,” he says. “Until we see greater accountability for charter schools, we are going to be very much opposed to their expansion to other districts outside of St. Louis and Kansas City.”

Ghan says another problem MSBA has is charter schools do not have members elected to their boards.

The committee will also hear a bill sponsored by O’Laughlin. Senate Bill 55 would ban any K-12 public school from being a member of a statewide activities association, like MSHSAA, if the school prohibits a home school student from participating in an event or activity offered by a public school.

Tuesday’s hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City.

Missouri Senate debates proposed gas tax hike

February 11, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

State Senators debated last night about a proposed two-cent-per-gallon gas tax increase. Bill sponsor Sen. Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff, also wants to boost the tax on diesel from 17 to 23 cents per gallon.

Missouri Senate debates proposed gas tax hike

“Have you ever heard the term penny wise and a pound foolish,” asks Libla. “Well this takes care of that. We don’t need to be penny wise and a pound foolish any longer. We’re not facing the music. And the fact of the matter is, it’s facing just a little bit of music. We could do a lot. The deal is for those who don’t want to support this, we’re already almost a billion short in MoDOT.”

Sen, Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring, says the bill would overturn a decision by Missouri voters in 2018.

“Unlike SJR38 which we just passed out, this current legislation has no further vote from the people of Missouri,” says Eigel.

The 2018 initiative Eigel is referring to, known as Proposition D, was voted down by a 54 to 46 margin. It would have increased the fuel tax by 2.5 cents annually over four years to help pay for Missouri’s roads and bridges, and Missouri Highway Patrol enforcement. The proposal also asked voters if Missourians awarded Olympic medals should have their medals tax exempt.

The state’s gasoline tax of 17-cents per gallon has not increased since 1996

The Missouri Senate did not vote on the plan.