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House Republican leader talks Tilley resignation, veto session

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The resignation of Steven Tilley as Speaker of the Missouri House comes as Republicans could try to overturn vetoes on as many as seven bills in the September veto session.

Majority Floor Leader Tim Jones (photo courtesy, Missouri House Communications)

Majority Floor Leader and the likely eventual Speaker, Tim Jones, says he and Tilley discussed whether Tilley’s resignation would hurt the chances of securing any of those overturns.

“We ended up coming to the conclusion that with the bills that are going to be likely available for debate and override, that they’re either going to pass with a clear supermajority or an override is not going to be attainable. It’s not going to come down to one vote.”

Jones says Republicans are looking hard at two House bills for possible override attempts, on bills that passed by large margins.

“The auto tax bill that was sponsored by Representative (Ryan) Silvey. Representative Silvey is advocating very strongly for that to be overridden. There was one other bill that had 108 votes during the session. That was Representative Tom Long’s bill related to child custody. I spoke with Representative Long. He’s going to mull that over and decide whether or not he would like to move forward on that bill.”

See Silvey’s Bill, HB 1329

Jones says five to seven Senate bills could be the subjects of possible override attempts, including SB 749 dealing with health insurance rights.

Tilley says he anticipates being elected speaker at the veto session in September, and again after new lawmakers are sworn in, in January.

House Speaker announces resignation

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House Speaker Steven Tilley

House Speaker Steven Tilley (R-Perryville) has announced he is resigning as Speaker and as a member of the House of Representatives, effective at the end of the day today.

Tilley says he wants to focus more time on his optometry practice, campaign work and spending time with his two daughters. He says he plans to remain active in politics and public policy.

Tilley was elected to the House in 2004 and became speaker in January, 2011. His term would have expired in January.

Speaker Pro-Tem Shane Schoeller will assume the duties of House Speaker upon Tilley’s resignation becoming effective.

Jones wants interim education committee

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The likely next Speaker of the Missouri House wants to see a committee formed to work on education issues in the interim, after some key issues were left on the table in the 2012 session.

Minority Floor Leader Tim Jones

Majority Floor Leader Tim Jones (R-Eureka) says compared to past years when education issues fizzled, the 2012 session was “remarkable” with several passing out of the House.

“We had the charter school bill which became law which I’m very happy with, that became law … We passed the teacher tenure bill. A small step forward but a significant step. It passed the House, it almost got through the Senate. Died on the Senate floor in the last day. A second bill that passed, that school busing transportation bill which is a form of education reform. That also became law.”

Jones wants to keep that momentum going ahead of the 2013 session.

“I would like to see some kind of interim committee or even joint interim committee where the sides could get together and talk about the future. Maybe a little difficult in an election year but this issue is a priority for all Missouri children and families so I’d like to see it happen.”

Jones can’t appoint committees, but Speaker Steven Tilley can. He says if Jones wants to see any interim committees formed, “I’d be open to any suggestions he might have.”

Jones says the foundation formula for public school funding will be a key issue in 2013, but he also wants to see things like tuition tax credits and teacher tenure addressed.

With many faces in the legislature changing, Jones isn’t sure who he wants to chair such an interim committee but he knows who he would want on it: Representatives Steve Cookson (R-Fairdealing), Mike Lair (R-Chillicothe), Mike Cierpiot (R-Lee’s Summit) and Rick Stream (R-Kirkwood) are some names he mentions.

Transportation panel appointment is a return to public work for Jetton (AUDIO)

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A 21-member committee will hold meetings across the state this spring and summer looking into the future of transportation in Missouri. It also marks a return to public service for a former House Speaker a year after pleading guilty to assault.

Former House Speaker Rod Jetton (photo courtesy: Missouri House Communications)

The Blue Ribbon Citizens Committee on Missouri Transportation Needs has been appointed by House Speaker Steven Tilley (R-Perryville), who wants it to look at the state’s transportation needs and look for solutions.

It is co-chaired by a fellow Republican and former House Speaker, Rod Jetton, who says his history of attacking infrastructure issues in Missouri is likely why he got the nod. “I did a walk to Jeff City back then after I was elected, my first year as a new state rep. I fought any new taxes for MODOT … there were some initiatives that year to put some more money there … and then when I was in office we dealed with some bills to reform the Highway Commission, approved some different funding mechanisms … bonding … for MODOT, and then in 2007 as Speaker I did a big statewide tour on transportation.”

Self-described as once being one of the Transportation Department’s strongest critics, Jetton says the agency has come a long way in improving its reputation since 2000, but he says the state has not made a new investment in transportation since Amendment 3.

“We spend more and more money on all kids of crazy programs and things and I don’t know if it really helps our state all that much, and yet there’s no doubt in my mind when we build a bridge or a highway, or even when you talk about a port or other modes of transportation, it’s something you can feel, see, touch and we know that it’s there and what it’s doing for our state.”

Jetton admits some hestitation at accepting the appointment and stepping back into the public spotlight. Last year, he pleaded guilty to a reduced misdemeanor assault charge and was sentenced to probation and paying restitution. The case stemmed from a sexual encounter with a woman in 2009.

In the end, he says he decided to accept the position, calling it an opportunity to do work to benefit the state. “I’ve got children and hopefully will have grandchildren and I want them to travel our roads safely and have jobs.”

The Committee’s meeting schedule is:

Monday, May 14, 1:00 p.m.
MODOT – St. Louis District Transportation Mangement Center
14301 South Outer 40 Road
Chesterfield, MO 63017

Monday, May 21, 1:00 p.m.
MODOT – Northwest District
3602 North Belt Highway
St. Joseph, MO 64506

Monday, June 1, 1:00 p.m.
Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce
202 South John Q Hammons Pkwy
Springfield, MO 65806

Friday, June 29, 10:00 a.m.
Show-Me Center
1333 North Sprigg Street
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701

Monday, July 9, 10:00 a.m.
Activity and Recreation Center (ARC)
1701 West Ash Street
Columbia, MO 65203

Monday, July 23, 10:00 a.m.
MODOT – Northeast District
1711 South Route 61
Hannibal, MO 63401

Monday, August 6, 10:00 a.m.
Gamber Center, Shenendoah Rum
4 SE Independence Avenue
Lee’s Summit, MO 64603

AUDIO:  Hear Mike Lear’s interview with Rod Jetton, 8:27

House budget chairman confident balanced budget will be on time

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A conference committee of the House and Senate could begin meeting as early as today to hash out the two chambers’ differences in the budget. The Chairman of the House Budget Committee says the Senate’s budget proposal is not balanced.

House Budget Committee Chairman Ryan Silvey will be one of the House budget conferees. (photo courtesy, Missouri House Communications)

Ryan Silvey says an amendment offered by Senator Jim Lembke (R-St. Louis) threw the Senate’s proposal off kilter. “Senator Lembke was very clear … there was only $3 million left in the bank and he was very upset there was only $3 million left on the bottom line, and then by the time he got to House Bill 2011, he offered a $10 million dollar amendment. It’s not rocket science to figure out that three minus ten is negative-seven, so they put it out of balance singlehandedly.”

Silvey says what puts the Senate proposal out of balance is the restoration of a $28 million dollar blind medical subsidy fund, which the House proposed cutting. “It’s been our argument all along that it’s not sustainable, so it’s ironic that issue, which has become such a focal point, is what put the budget out of balance.”

Silvey says the two chambers do agree on at least one point. “Clearly the House made higher education a priority. We’re glad that the Senate concurred with that. The Governor’s $106 million cut to higher education is no longer on the table and won’t be discussed in conference.”

The state Constitution requires the budget be balanced and delivered to the Governor by the end of next week. Silvey is confident that will happen. “We’re going to figure out how to clean up the mess and what we can get in conference, but I’m confident that we’ll have conference committee reports on time by the constitutional deadline and that the Governor will get a balanced budget from the general assembly.”

Silvey will be one of the budget conferees for the House. Speaker Steven Tilley (R-Perryville) says he has a good idea who the others will be. “The vice chair of budget, Rick Stream (R-Kirkwood), then you’re going to see the third person from the Republican side be either Lincoln Hough (R-Springfield) from southwest Missouri or Tom Flanigan (R-Carthage) from southwest Missouri as well. On the Democratic side it will almost always be Chris Kelly (D-Columbia) and Sara Lampe (D-Springfield).”

Governor Nixon and House leaders discuss workplace issue legislation, budget

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Governor Jay Nixon has met with leadership in the Missouri House of Representatives to discuss legislative priorities. Several Republicans have said it is the first time they can remember a Governor coming to a meeting of House leadership, and he says it was a productive get-together.

(from left to right) Majority Floor Leader Tim Jones, House Speaker Steven Tilley and Governor Jay Nixon

Republicans in both chambers have said they want to know what the Governor will sign in legislation dealing with workplace issues. Majority Floor Leader Tim Jones (R-Eureka) says Nixon spoke in general terms about those issues, but he feels he has an idea of what the Governor is thinking. “He believes there’s room to come up with a compromise on the second injury fund issue and the co-employee liability issue. I also, though, got the sense on the contrary point that the occupational disease issue to the Governor may be a road block.”

Jones says the House and Senate want all three issues, and a bill passed by the House on Wednesday includes all three.

He says the conversation with the Governor gives him new hope for it. “I think in order for him to sign that bill, that is a vehicle. The Senate now is going to have to do so some hard work in negotiating with the Governor’s office to find the specific language that this Governor will sign.”

House Speaker Steven Tilley (R-Perryville) adds, “My take from the conversation is that the Governor’s willing to work with us and we hope by the end of session we’ll have something that we can pass through both bodies and the Governor will sign.”

The two sides spent a lot of time discussing the budget, which has passed out of the House and is now being worked on by the Senate.

Jones says clearly, the two see differently how it was approached.

“You know the Governor has a different take on working to reduce quasi-entitlement programs. The blind issue came up, also on the issue of removing the “E’s” from different parts of the budget.”

Jones sums up the differences as philosophical, not partisan. “It’s more of a debate between the role and power of the legislature, whose duty it is to pass a budget, and the role and the power of the executive, who has a constitutional duty to then implement that budget.”

Other topics discussed were economic development and the recovery in Joplin from an EF-5 tornado last May. Jones says the meeting lasted until after the House had started its session for the day. Jones says he hopes to see Nixon back at future leadership sessions.

The Governor’s Office declined to speak about the meeting.

House Democrats and Republicans weigh in on new ethics bill

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House Democrats have filed an ethics bill to replace the provisions thrown out by the state Supreme Court, and then some.

House Speaker Steven Tilley and Assistant Minority Floor Leader Tishaura Jones

The bill’s sponsor, Minority Floor Leader Tishaura Jones (D-St. Louis) says the bill is identical to one that passed with bipartisan support out of the 2010 Special Committee on Ethics Reform, which was House BIll 2300. That legislation included the same provisions that were thrown out by the Court, and more.

See the legislation, HB 1939

One additional piece is campaign contribution limits. House Speaker Steven Tilley (R-Perryville) says he would want to see those removed in Committee. “I’ve always been opposed to campaign contribution limits because it leads to what we used to have before, where people would give to committees and then committees would give to other people and it was hard to track the money. The system we’ve got now … there’s openness, there’s transparency and there’s accountability.”

Tilley says there is time for the bill to make it through the process. “If the Senate can get something through that addresses the things that I think really were good as far as from an ethics standpoint, I don’t see a problem with the House passing it.”

Jones says another provision would prohibit the investment of campaign contributions in anything other than interest-bearing checking or savings accounts. “You shouldn’t be able to make money off of it … These are campaign moneys. They should be used for campaigning, not for returns on investments and making money off of it.”

Tilley recently invested $900,000 from his campaign fund in a community bank, but Jones says that provision is not aimed at any one lawmaker. “There are other candidates who currently have moneys in CDs and money market investments, so we’re trying to make the playing field even.”

Tilley doesn’t believe that provision is directed at him. “I don’t think so, because nobody’s made any allegations that I’ve done anything inappropriately or unethically.”

He says he will treat the bill like any other, by referring it to committee and letting it make its way through the process.

At halftime, no education bill on the Missouri House floor (AUDIO)

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House Republicans say they have achieved most of their slate of legislative priorities for the session heading into Spring Break, but House Democrats say one top priority has been absent from floor debate. An education bill has yet to advance out of the committee process.

The House Republican Caucus, lead by House Speaker Steven Tilley, says it has reached most of its legislative goals so far.

House Speaker Steven Tilley (R-Perryville) says those bills are still being worked on but right now there is no consensus in his caucus on them. While leadership in both parties called education a “must pass” issue early on, Tilley now says, “If we can get it done we certainly well and if we can’t, we can’t, and we’ll come back next year and work on it.”

Several GOP leaders said from the outset that they want to package together education issues this year. That could put the issues both parties are concerned with, fixes for the foundation formula and the Turner decision, in a bill with things like tuition tax credits and tenure reform.

Tilley stands by that plan. “Part of the logic between the leadership team is to try and put parts of it together so it actually could cobble together coalitions to get us to 82 (votes in the House).”

Minority Leader Mike Talboy (D-Kansas City) has his own opinion of the Republicans’ motivation. “I realize that they have (St. Louis philanthropist) Rex Sinquefield to answer to, and if Daddy Rex says that something needs to be in there then Daddy Rex is going to get what he wants.”

Minority Floor Leader Mike Talboy is flanked by the House Democratic Caucus after Thursday adjournment heading into Spring Break.

Talboy has said since the beginning of the session that the education issues need to be separated out. “Education of children in this state is more important than creating jobs that we don’t necessarily have an educated workforce to fill if we don’t do something about the education system, and I think that it is offensive to sit there and say that the economic development bills should stand on their own, but that the education bills are not important enough to stand on their own and pass on their own merits.”

Tilley says if an education bill does not pass, the session can still be called a success. “I’m not gonna pin any specific thing on whether it’s a success or a failure. I think you have to look at the session in totality.”

He adds, “But, it certainly would be something I’d like to get done.”

AUDIO:  Listen to the House Republicans media conference, 13:09

AUDIO:  Listen to the House Democrats media conference, 8:24