Dear Friends:

In an effort to keep you informed about the activities at your state Capitol and how those activities might impact your lives, I am offering a regular electronic newsletter. I will send you information about bills making their way through the legislative process, especially bills that directly impact the lives of Kansas Citians. I welcome your feedback and encourage you to contact my office with any questions or concerns you may have.

Thank you.

Death Penalty and Second Amendment Discussion Take Up Much Time in the Senate

Missouri senators returned to the Capitol after their annual Spring Break and immediately began debating weighty issues such as the death penalty and the Second Amendment. A member of my party, Sen. Joe Keaveny, D-St. Louis, sponsors Senate Bill 61, which requires the Missouri State Auditor to compare the costs of the death penalty versus first-degree murder cases in which the death penalty is not sought. Sen. Keaveny says other states that have studied the issue consistently have found the death penalty costs much more than housing a prisoner for life, and he says Missouri taxpayers need this information in order to make an informed decision whether to abolish the death penalty in Missouri. Maryland's General Assembly recently voted to repeal the death penalty, making it the 18th state to abolish capital punishment.

During floor debate, Sen. Keaveny said the legislation will study what the death penalty costs the state of Missouri and compare it with the other results of first-degree murder in order to find inefficiencies in the legal process that could be improved.

An amendment to SB 61 would require the cost of the audit to be paid for with private funds, including gifts, donations or grants from private sources. However, my colleague did not understand the purpose of the amendment, saying there is not really a good reason to pay for the study with private donations, and he thinks it will taint the results of the study. The measure awaits further debate in the Senate.

Senators gave first-round approval to a proposed constitutional amendment that supporters say will strengthen the Second Amendment in Missouri. Senate Joint Resolution 14, if approved by the General Assembly and by voters, removes language from state statutes stating that the right to keep and bear arms does not justify the wearing of concealed weapons, and that Second Amendment rights in Missouri are "unalienable," which means impossible to take away or to give up.

My colleague, Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, D-University City, said her main concern this legislation session — addressing gun violence in urban communities — has been ignored by her colleagues this session. She then read a lengthy list of Missouri victims of gun violence to drive home the point. Sen. Chappelle-Nadal ended her filibuster after receiving assurances her bill addressing gun violence in urban communities would receive a committee hearing.

The Senate unanimously approved legislation I'm sponsoring this session, which prohibits health carriers from denying coverage for services on the basis that the service was provided through telemedicine if the same service would be covered when delivered in person. Senate Bill 262 prohibits health care services provided through telemedicine to be subjected to higher deductibles, copayments or coinsurance amounts than would be charged if the same health services were provided face-to-face.

The legislation will help spur telemedicine throughout Missouri. For our small, rural communities, some of which do not have a health care facility within a reasonable driving distance, telemedicine has the potential to increase access to health care services for folks all across Missouri. It should make no difference to a health insurance provider whether those health care services are delivered through telemedicine or through face-to-face consultation.

Senators took up legislation suggested by Gov. Nixon this week, which would eliminate the renters' portion of the Senior Citizens Property Tax Credit, known as the "Circuit Breaker" Tax Credit, and create the Missouri Senior Services Protection Fund. The property tax credit for seniors who rent their homes provides up to $750 annually to Missourians 65 and older and those who are 100 percent disabled. Several members of the Senate Minority spoke in opposition to Senate Bill 350, sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Tom Dempsey, R-St. Charles.

I have a fundamental problem with some of the tax breaks we have provided for businesses, while at the same time, we are going to take this away from elderly renters. I support the programs the Missouri Senior Services Fund would pay for, but I disagree with the way they are being funded.

My colleague, Minority Floor Leader Jolie Justus, D-Kansas City, also expressed her opposition to SB 350 during floor debate. She indicates she has a hard time with this piece of legislation, saying it feels like a tax increase for those seniors who've been utilizing the property tax credit program. She supports the programs that would benefit from this new fund, and have been arguing for these programs for years on the floor before her colleagues, but at the end of the day, she says she's going to oppose this measure. For those seniors who are using it, this is the only disposable income they get over the course of the year, and in their eyes, this is a tax increase.

The Circuit Breaker tax credit was created in 1973 to help seniors who were struggling financially to remain in their homes. Recipients must earn less than $27,500 per year if single, or less than $29,500 if married and filing jointly.

The Missouri General Assembly will observe the Easter Holiday Monday, April 1, and lawmakers will return to the Capitol on Tuesday, April 2.

Status of Sen. Curls' Sponsored Legislation

The following are measures I have filed this session (notes last legislative action):

• Senate Bill 151 - Changes the notice requirement to a tenant in a foreclosure action from 10 to 90 days (assigned to the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee)
• Senate Bill 152 - Allows judges to suspend the imposition of an adult criminal sentence for juvenile offenders (assigned to the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee)
• Senate Bill 153 - Requires a non-custodial parent to pay child support until the child reaches 22 instead of 21 years of age (assigned to the Senate Seniors, Families and Pensions Committee)
• Senate Bill 223 - Modifies provisions of the Public School Retirement System of Kansas City (hearing conducted in the Senate Seniors, Families and Pensions Committee)
• Senate Bill 224 - Increases the maximum salaries that may be paid to the members of the Kansas City Police Department and provides that actions taken against the police chief are subject to review (passed by the Senate and delivered to the House)
• Senate Bill 225 - Modifies laws regarding educational parental support for higher education (assigned to the Senate Judicial and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee)
• Senate Bill 262 - Prohibits heath carriers from denying coverage for a health care service on the basis that the service was provided through telemedicine if the same service would be covered when delivered in person (passed by Senate and delivered to the House)
• Senate Bill 263 - Creates the crimes of assault of an employee of a mass transit system while in the scope of his or her duties in the first, second and their degree (assigned to the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee)
• Senate Bill 346 - Modifies the eligibility requirements for food stamp assistance (hearing conducted in the Senate Governmental Accountability & Fiscal Oversight Committee)
• Senate Bill 388 - Regulates certain contracts for the sale of residential real estate (assigned to the Senate Financial and Governmental Organizations and Elections Committee)
• Senate Bill 389 - Provides a process for the Parole Board to review the case histories of offenders serving more than 15 years in prison and recommend clemency or allow release on parole (assigned to the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee)
• Senate Bill 422 - Relating to the designation of highways (assigned to the Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee)
• Senate Joint Resolution 11 - Upon voter approval, increases the amount of time for repaying the Budget Reserve Fund when monies from this fund are appropriated due to a disaster or the governor's reduction of the state's expenditures (assigned to Senate Ways and Means Committee)
• Senate Joint Resolution 20 - Upon voter approval, authorizes the creation of Show-Me Small Business Districts (assigned to the Senate Jobs, Economic Development and Local Government Committee)

To read more about my legislative actions in the Missouri Senate, visit my Senate website at www.senate.mo.gov/curls and click on the various informative links, which include my news releases, under my Media tab.