Every Day Numbers for the 14th District
CHILDREN & FAMILY SERVICES
Division of Child Support Enforcement
(314) 877-2700
Jewish Family and Children's Services
(314) 993-1000
NAACP - St. Louis County Branch
(314) 389-1552
St. Louis County Human Services
(314) 615-4453
Youth Emergency Services
(314) 862-1334
CONSUMER PROTECTION
Consumer Credit Counseling Services
(314) 647-9004
Consumer
Credit Reports
1-877-322-8228
Missouri Consumer Protection Hotline
1-800-392-8222
Missouri Dept. of Insurance Consumer Information
1-800-726-7390
CRISIS HOTLINES
Youth Emergency Service Hotline
(314) 727-6294
St. Louis Housing Resource Center
(Homeless Hotline)
(314) 802-5444
Life Crisis Services, Inc. (for Adults)
(24-Hour)
(314) 647-4357
Elderly Abuse Hotline
1-800-392-0210
Child Abuse & Neglect Hotline
(24-Hours)
1-800-392-3738
Alcohol Drug Interventions & Drug Treatment Referrals
1-888-762-3750
HEALTH-RELATED SERVICES
Alzheimer's Association
1-800-980-9080
Birth & Death Records
(314) 615-1720
HIGHER EDUCATION
Missouri School for the Blind
(314) 776-4320
Paraquad, Inc.
(314) 289-4200
HOUSING
Beyond Housing
(314) 533-0600
Housing Authority -
St. Louis County
(314) 428-3200
Home Improvement Grants (North County)
(314) 615-8232
PREGNANCY COUNSELING
Abortion Alternatives
(314) 962-5300
Planned Parenthood & Reproductive Health Services of St. Louis
(314) 531-7526
SENIOR CITIZEN SERVICES
Missouri Rx Program
1-800-375-1406
Long-Term Care Information - Ombudsman
(314) 918-8222
Older Adult Community Action Program
(314) 993-2671
Legal Services of Eastern Missouri (Elderly Law Unit)
(314) 534-4200
TOUR THE CAPITAL CITY
State Capitol Tours
(573) 751-2854
TRANSPORTATION
Call-A-Ride
(314) 652-3617
VETERANS BENEFITS
American Red Cross Blood Services
(314) 658-2000
Missouri Veterans Commission
(573) 751-3779
St. Louis County Office of Veterans' Services
(314) 615-4413
VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATIONS
Big Brothers
Big Sisters
(314) 361-5900
Foster Grandparents
(314) 961-8000
ext. 370
Newsletter
January 31, 2013
Friends & Neighbors,
If you would like to learn more about the issues addressed in this newsletter or would like to discuss any matter involving state government, please contact my Capitol office.
Thank you,
Maria Chappelle-Nadal
14th District
| State of the State Address |
On Monday, the governor addressed members of the General Assembly during his annual State of the State Address. He urged lawmakers to expand Medicaid under the provisions of the Affordable Health Care Act and assured lawmakers that the federal government will cover 100 percent of the costs of expanding Medicaid in Missouri for the first three years, and that the state would never pay more than 10 percent of the costs for expansion. The proposed expansion would eventually provide health care coverage to 300,000 uninsured working Missourians.
The governor also called on the General Assembly to increase funding for public education in Missouri by more than $160 million, with more than $100 million dedicated to K-12 schools, $35 million for higher education and $18.5 million to expand early childhood programs such as the Missouri Preschool Program and Head Start. The additional K-12 money would be used to update equipment, train more teachers and lengthen the school year by six days.
The governor also called on lawmakers to help pass a bond issue to improve state mental health facilities, university science buildings and state parks. I also agree with the governor's proposal to increase state spending on domestic violence programs and to pass ethics legislation for politicians to curb the influence of large donations and expanding global trade markets for Missouri exports.
One of the more touching moments from the governor's speech was when he talked about the Partnership for Hope Program, a program that has already helped thousands of people with developmental disabilities live better lives. The governor called for an expansion in funds to the program, which, if fully funded, will help more than 3,500 people with disabilities get better training and more real-world experiences.
The governor introduced the state to Vishal Patel, a 23-year-old from St. Peters who has a rare form of cerebral palsy and gets around in a motorized wheelchair. For years, Vishal had to crawl, or have his parents carry him upstairs in their home just to take a shower. The Partnership for Hope provided Vishal with a roll-in shower, a stair lift, a permanent ramp and physical therapy. But according to a letter he sent to the governor, his real dream was to get a real job.
This valuable program arranged for him to volunteer every Friday at a movie theater in St. Peters, where he did so well, that they offered him that real job. His first day was January 4th.
| My Sponsored Bills |
So far this year I have proposed several pieces of legislation. Here is a list of bills I am sponsoring and co-sponsoring this year. I will continue to keep you up-to-date on the latest progress of these and other important pieces of legislation as session continues.
Sponsored Bills
SB 123 - Modifies provisions relating to taxes on hotels and motels in fourth class cities.
SB 124 - Creates the crimes of failing to stop illegal firearm possession, negligent storage of a firearm, and failure to notify a school of firearm ownership.
SB 168 - Modifies the use of student assessment data when calculating a school district’s performance when a school district receives students as a result of a change in district boundary lines.
SB 169 - Requires certain financial information to be included in a school district’s bond filing and included on the ballot when voters authorize a school district bond issuance.
SB 170 - Allows members of public governmental bodies to cast roll call votes in a meeting if the member is participating via videoconferencing.
SB 171 - Provides that charter school sponsors are responsible for all expenditures associated with the closure of a charter school they sponsor.
SB 172 - Prohibits a workforce development agency from knowingly omitting from any bidding process an entity with whom it has a contract.
SB 198 - Requires, subject to appropriations, an expansion of the variety of kosher foods approved under the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Special Supplemental Food Program.
SB 199 - Requires long-term care facilities to be encouraged to institute policies encouraging familial involvement in the well-being and support of its residents.
SB 200 - Allows school districts and charter schools to establish and implement an age-appropriate curriculum to educate students about domestic violence and teen dating violence prevention.
SB 201 - Enacts a state-wide smoking ban.
SB 202 - Creates a crime for employers who divulge certain personal information of employees and customers.
SB 203 - Repeals provisions relating to unauthorized and unlawfully present aliens.
SJR 13 - Makes St. Louis City a part of St. Louis County.
Co-Sponsored Bills
SB 207 - Allows electric corporations to recover costs for infrastructure replacement projects.
SB 251 - Relating to public assistance fraud and abuse.
SCR 4 - Establishes the Joint Interim Committee on Funding for Elementary and Secondary Education to study the elementary and secondary education foundation formula.
I want to inform you about a scholarship opportunity from the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE). The organization is awarding 10-$1,000 scholarships to qualified applicants. I strongly encourage our students to apply. If you are interested, or know anyone who would be interested in the scholarship, please submit an application. Recipients must attend an accredited four-year college or university. Click here to learn more about the scholarship.
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Chappelle-Nadal Supports Funding for Disparity Study (University City-Patch)
Sen. Chappelle-Nadal Talks Gun Bill During Press Conference (University City-Patch)
'I absolutely applaud your new bill. Aside from the current focus on assault weapons and extended clips, this country needs to get more serious about making people responsible for their choice in exercising the Second Amendment.
In my opinion, the choice to bring a deadly weapon into the home is taken far too lightly by many in the United States and justified by unsound fear of home security. All too often those guns are found by young children with tragic consequences, and the gun owner doesn't feel the consequences of their decisions.
I think your bill is a great first step in looking at alternative and more holistic mechanisms to make people more cognizant of their choices. I also think there's many more we can add such as mandatory prison time if someone is hurt with your gun, home insurance increases for having a gun in the home, and other indirect mechanisms to highlight that gun ownership brings with it inherent risk.
I only hope this country wakes up an realizes it's a frog sitting in a pot on the stove that's been warming for many years. Again, congratulations on progressive thinking and action." - Chris Harvey
"Greetings Maria! Loved your video! Keep up the good work! - Fareedah Sama Sidqui-Muhammad
"There have been occasions where a family member has lost it and killed members of their own family. I don't understand where it would be so wrong to report this information about having a gun and letting the school system know. It is not about your rights; its is about trying to prevent a great horror situation from occurring, and there is nothing you can do after the fact. A lot of times there are no warnings when a person can snap, criminals or what we would call law abiding citizens. Besides, this very action could save us or a member of our family and friends." - Rosa Moore
Friday, Jan. 25 - Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013
Friday, I had a wonderful time at Barack Obama Elementary School where St. Louis Children's Hospital's Safety Street Program donated a gift of $150,947 from Kohl's Department Store. The gift represents a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Kohl's Care Kids' cause merchandise from area stores. The funds will be used to deliver the Safety Street experience to more than 8,500 children in 12 locations in the St. Louis metro area this year.
On Saturday, I attended a very special event. Binyamin Yeshaya Nachamu celebrated his birthday and delivered a speech, "Torah as a Bar Mitzvah," at Young Israel, a St. Louis synagogue. It was great to visit with members of the Jewish community in our district and to learn about their beautiful traditions.
Rep. Margo McNeil, D-Florissant; Sen. Chappelle-Nadal;
Rep. Sharon Pace, D-Northwoods;
Rep. Courtney Allen Curtis, D-Berkeley.