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.

Senate Considers "Right to Farm" Legislation and Committee Wraps Up Work on Criminal Code Measure

Missouri voters will have an opportunity to enshrine a "right to farm" in the Missouri Constitution. The Senate approved a proposed constitutional amendment this week, House Joint Resolution 11 & 7, which asks voters to affirm that the right of farmers and ranchers to engage in farming and ranching practice will be forever guaranteed in the state. It was discussed on the Senate floor that the resolution was filed in response to the passage of Proposition B in 2010, which established basic standards of care of dogs in large-scale breeding facilities. At the time, Missouri had more "puppy mills" than any other state in the nation.

Senators this week sent a measure to the House which changes eligibility criteria for energy efficiency incentive programs offered by electric companies. Currently, a customer of an electric company is not eligible to receive a monetary incentive offered by the company for an energy efficiency program if the customer has received a Low-Income Housing or Historic Preservation tax credit. Senate Bill 275, sponsored by Sen. Gina Walsh, D-Bellefontaine Neighbors, makes an exception to the restriction for low-income customers.

The Senate gave first-round approval to Senate Bill 251, which has received bi-partisan sponsorship in the upper chamber. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, D-University City, and Sen. Will Kraus, R-Lee's Summit, prohibits recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits from using their electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards in any liquor store, casino, adult-oriented establishment, or in any place or for any item that is primarily marketed for or used by adults 18 or older or is not in the best interest of the card holder's children or household. Public assistance is meant to help struggling families put food on the table and provide shelter, clothing and other basic necessities. Liquor, cigarettes and lottery tickets do not qualify under any circumstance, and taxpayers have a right to know their dollars are being spent wisely.

Another measure, Senate Bill 170, sponsored by Sen. Chappelle-Nadal, received initial-approval this week allows a members of a public governmental body, such as a school board, to cast roll-call votes in a meeting if the members is participating through videoconferencing.

Legislation that would require parents who own firearms to notify their children's schools finally received a committee hearing this week. Senate Bill 124, sponsored by Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, D-University City, also creates the crime of negligent storage of a firearm. The bill intends to keep guns out of the hands of children in our state, especially those in our large urban communities.

In other news, the Senate Judiciary Committee wrapped up hearings this week on a massive rewrite of the Missouri Criminal Code, which was last updated in 1979. Senate Bill 253, sponsored by another KC area lawmaker, Senate Minority Floor Leader Jolie Justus, D-Kansas City, reorganizes our state's criminal code and creates a new class of felony and misdemeanor — a Class E felony and Class D misdemeanor. The chairman of the committee shared with colleagues that the measure should not be rushed through the legislative process. My colleagues and I agree that despite the amount of attention the issue has received over the past year, the legislation and the General Assembly could wait until next year to tackle the overhaul of the criminal code.

There are five weeks remaining in the First Regular Session of the 97th Missouri General Assembly, which ends at 6 p.m. on May 17.

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 (assigned to the House Crime Prevention & Public Safety Committee)
• Senate Bill 225 - Modifies laws regarding educational parental support for higher education (assigned to the Senate Judiciary 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 (assigned to the House Health Insurance Committee)
• 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 - Designates a portion of Interstate 70 in Independence as the "Clinton J. Scott Memorial Highway" (hearing conducted in 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.