This week, the Appropriations Committee began the Senate mark-up of the 2014 budget bills received from the House of Representatives.  The committee is doing due diligence to try to fund critical programs and pass a fiscally responsible budget as required by the Missouri Constitution.

On Wednesday (4-10), House Bill 4, the budget bill which appropriates funds for the Missouri Department of Revenue, was heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee. Due to the committee’s dedication in preserving the privacy rights of Missourians, members are reviewing each item, line by line, to fund the Department of Revenue’s request for next year’s budget. House Bill 4 will not be passed out of committee until the members are satisfied with the funding sources.

In addition, let me express my thanks to all who have sent e-mails on the release of personal information by the Department of Revenue to the federal government. As an update, I wanted to share two articles recapping the issues with the Department of Revenue.  The first article appeared in the Columbia Daily Tribune on April 10, and the second article appeared in the St. Louis Post Dispatch at April 11. I will continue to work diligently on these issues and keep you informed as more facts are uncovered.

Shown above, Sen. Schaefer accepts an award from the Boys and Girls Club of the Columbia area on Wednesday, April 10.

Many citizens visited the Capitol this week for their Legislative Days.  I want to thank all that stopped in my office with their groups. 

On Monday (4-8), fourth graders from Ridgeway Elementary, Fairview School and Christian Fellowship School toured the State Capitol and other points of interest in Jefferson City.  It is great to see the youth of my district learning the governmental history of Missouri.

On Wednesday (4-10), I was honored to receive an award from the Boys and Girls Club of the Columbia area.  Thank you for this honor.

The current status of my proposed legislation for this session is as follows:

• Senate Bill 226, which would modify the standards for determining when a person is in need of mental health detention and evaluation, is on the Senate’s formal calendar for perfection.
• House Bill 55, which I am handling for Rep. Flanigan, creates a tax amnesty program; it is on the formal calendar of House Bills for third reading in the Senate.
• Senate Bill 13, an act that would change solid waste language, is on the Senate’s informal calendar for perfection.
• Senate Bill 82, which deals with a possible lieutenant governor vacancy, is on the Senate’s informal calendar for perfection.
• Senate Bill 81, which gives the courts discretion to award attorney’s fees, was passed out of the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee and awaits placement on the Senate calendar for possible debate.  
• Senate Bill 97, which modifies the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, was referred to the General Laws Committee and awaits a hearing.
• Senate Bill 98, which modifies provisions relating to animal shelter fees, was referred to the Agriculture Committee and awaits a hearing.
• Senate Bill 122, which modifies the state’s Sunshine Law, was approved by the Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee and is awaiting placement on the Senate calendar.
• Senate Bill 130, which increases the penalties and driver’s license suspension periods for those who fail to yield the right-of-way in certain instances, was passed out of the Senate Transportation Committee and is awaiting placement on the Senate calendar.
• Senate Bill 244, which modifies provisions relating to the registering and issuance of death certificates, was voted out of the Financial and Government Organizations and Elections Committee and awaits placement on Senate calendar.
• Senate Bill 320, which makes changes to the composition of the University of Missouri Board of Curators, was referred to the Financial and Governmental Organizations and Elections Committee and awaits a hearing.
• Senate Bill 321, which creates a home inspector licensing board and procedures for licensing home inspectors, was referred to the Financial and Governmental Organizations and Elections Committee and awaits hearing.
• Senate Bill 462, which authorizes circuit clerks to collect a surcharge for processing garnishments, was heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 2 and awaits a final vote from members for placement on the Senate calendar.
• Senate Bill 464, which requires approval by the General Assembly before the Board of Public Buildings may issue revenue bonds for state office buildings, was referred to the Appropriations Committee.  
• Senate Bill 465, which creates a tax amnesty program for state taxes, was referred to the Appropriations Committee.
• Senate Bill 466, which requires that all donation receptacles have the name and contact information of the owner, was heard in the General Laws Committee and awaits a final vote to be placed on the Senate calendar for possible debate.  
• Senate Bill 467, which requires the General Assembly to consider youth smoking statistics when appropriating money from the Life Sciences Research Fund, was heard in the General Laws Committee and awaits approval to be placed on the Senate calendar for possible debate.
• Senate Bill 468, which allows a local hospital to abolish the current property taxes to fund the hospital in order to establish a sales tax to fund such operations, was heard in the Ways and Means Committee and awaits approval from committee members to be placed on the Senate calendar.  
• Senate Joint Resolution 3, which, if approved by voters, would allow the issuance of state bonds for various infrastructure projects, was heard in the Appropriations Committee and awaits placement on the Senate calendar for possible debate.  
• Senate Bill 463, which allows Boone County to adopt regulations to control the standards for residential units and develop a program for licensing and inspecting the units, was heard in the Jobs, Economic Development and Local Government Committee on Wednesday, April 10.

The following bills have been approved by the Senate and are now moving through the House:

• Senate Bill 12, which provides immunity from civil liability for court appointed attorneys, was referred to the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, April 3, and awaits a hearing.
• Senate Bill 72, which designates the month of May as “Motorcycle Awareness Month,” was referred to the House Tourism and Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday, April 3.  
• Senate Bill 73, which prohibits law enforcement from specifically targeting motorcycles in roadside checkpoints of road block patterns, was referred to the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, April 3.
• Senate Bill 121, which modifies provisions relating to liquor control laws, was heard in the House General Laws Committee on Tuesday, April 9.
• Senate Bill 193, which establishes the Advisory Council on the Education of Gifted and Talented Children, was referred to the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee on Wednesday, April 3.
• Senate Joint Resolution 14, which, if approved by voters, would reaffirm Missourians’ Second Amendment rights, was second read in the House and awaits referral to a committee.

Did you know...?

Missouri gets its name from a tribe of Sioux Indians called the Missouris. The word "Missouri" has often been construed to mean "muddy water," but the Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology has stated it means "town of the large canoes," and authorities have said the Indian syllables from which the word comes mean "wooden canoe people" or "he of the big canoe."

Thank you for your continued interest in the issues that affect the citizens of Boone and Cooper counties. If you have any questions or concerns throughout this session, please contact my office.