During his speech, Justice Teitelman spoke at length about Missouri’s drug courts. These programs offer nonviolent, substance-abusers treatment instead of jail time. According to Justice Tietelman, more than 12,000 criminal defendants have successfully finished treatment programs.  This is an important program as it helps curb overcrowding in our prisons and has been proven to turn around the lives of these offenders. 

I filed two bills in the Senate this week. Senate Bill 188 requires the local prosecutor to receive a copy of the petition for the conditional release of a sexually violent predator in his or her jurisdiction. A number of officials and law enforcement personnel are already notified when sexually violent offenders are released; this would simply add local prosecuting attorneys to the list.  With St. Francois county being home to one of the state’s sexual offender units, I feel that it is only right to notify and include our local officials in these proceedings.  This simple measure will go a long way to ensure that conditional releases are done in a safe and prudent manner on behalf of our communities.

I also filed Senate Bill 189. Under the bill, a tenant has 10 days following a court judgment in a rent possession case to vacate the rental property, file a motion to have the judgment set aside, or request a new trial. If they fail to do any of those things, they can be found guilty of a Class B misdemeanor.

To be clear, this bill will not criminalize people who drop off a rent check a few days late. This bill addresses extreme situations. These cases often involve tenants who haven’t paid rent in months and refuse to leave. Landlords’ only option at that point is a rent possession case, but under current law, there isn’t a penalty to enforce the judgment, and a law without a means of enforcement is little more than a suggestion. The renter can continue staying in the property without facing any consequences. This isn’t right. Landlords are legitimate business owners, and they deserve to have their livelihoods protected.

The Jobs, Economic Development and Local Government Committee met twice this week. On Wednesday, we considered a handful of bills to renew or extend the sunset on the state’s benevolent tax credits. These tax incentives often go to people who donate to charities and non-profit organizations, like food pantries and pregnancy resource centers.

Many Missourians rely on these charitable groups, and these groups in turn rely on donations encouraged through benevolent tax credit programs. According to testimony we heard in committee, Missouri is ranked seventh in the nation for food insecurity, which means families don’t have enough food in their house to feed themselves.

On Thursday, the committee approved the bills to renew the benevolent tax credit programs. Those measures were then combined into a single bill, which I co-sponsored. The legislation may be taken up for debate in the coming weeks. The committee also passed a bill which creates a tax credit to attract amateur sporting events to the state. As I said last week, this legislation would go far in helping communities throughout the state draw more amateur sporting events to their area. The bill was also placed on the calendar for future debate in the Senate chamber.

Two other bills I filed will also be considered by the Financial and Governmental Organizations and Elections Committee next Monday. Senate Bill 58 allows Farmington to put ordinances to a vote of the people before they are finally passed.  In order to bring an ordinance to a vote, a bill that sets forth the ordinance must contain a provision requiring the ordinance to be passed by the vote of the people at the next municipal election, so not all ordinances will be passed in this manner.  Senate Bill 80 removes the requirement that the Missouri Board of Nursing Home Administrators notify applicants by mail when it is time for license renewal. Basically, this bill just allows the board to use more modern means of notifying applicants, such as telephone calls and email. It will also save the state money on postage.

Accountants and CPAs from our district convened in Jefferson City this week for the annual CPA Day. Members of the Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants and members of the Missouri Society of Accountants visited with legislators to let us know how we can improve Missouri law for consumers and businesses. I was happy to meet with them and hear their concerns.

Local nurse practitioners also stopped by my Capitol office this week. I always enjoy seeing people from back home while I’m in Jefferson City. If you or your family plans on coming to the Capitol, please contact my office to arrange a visit.

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