Website | E-Mail Me | Biography | Newsroom | Subscribe | Unsubscribe February Keaveny Connection Contact: Stacy Morse — (573) 751-3599 Promoting Early Childhood Education Programs Addressing Criminal Procedures Protecting Exotic Animals and the Community Preventing Child Fatalities in Missouri Senator Keaveny Attends Legislative Breakfast Missouri Offers Debit Cards for Tax Refunds Missouri Voters on Health Care Reform Incentives for Investing In Solar Energy Promoting Early Childhood Education Programs According to various studies, including the Perry Preschool Project, programs focused on at-risk families have some of the highest return on investments; such returns can range from $3 to $9 for every dollar invested. In Missouri, we need to emphasize the importance of early childhood education programs and how such programs benefit our children and economy. For the 2013 legislative session, I am sponsoring two bills that address state funding for early childhood education programs. Senate Bill 132 would allow a school district that operates a pre-kindergarten program to receive state funding through the state’s school foundation formula for students between 3 and 5 years of age. Senate Bill 133 is similar, but targets children who are eligible to receive free and reduced-priced lunch. I worked with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in crafting both bills. Click here to listen to my audio interview regarding SB 132. Studies show pre-kindergarten education results in fewer repetitive years in classrooms; repeating grades is a costly expense to state budgets. For Missouri, in particular, DESE cited 24,396 K-12 students who were held back a grade in 2011. At an estimated state support of approximately $3,540 per student, Missouri spent more than $86.3 million for students to repeat grades. Not only is this a poor use of students’ time, but it’s an unacceptable use of our limited budgetary resources. The positive economic impact of pre-kindergarten education is the most apparent when children from low-income families attend the programs. In addition, an analysis conducted by economists at the Minneapolis Federal Reserve found that children who participate in pre-kindergarten education are: Less likely to be involved in crime later in life, More likely to earn higher wages, and More likely to own their own homes. When the governor took the oath of office for his second term, he selected pre-kindergarten education as his first official business. After the swearing-in ceremony, the governor immediately met with early childhood education officials, educators, and advocates to discuss the well-being of Missouri children. Every parent and guardian wishes for their children to be happy, safe, and healthy, and attending early education programs would build for them a solid foundation on which to build a prosperous life. Addressing Criminal Procedures in Missouri I collaborated with experts from the American Bar Association's Assessment on the Death Penalty to craft SB 162. I am sponsoring a measure (SB 162) this session to reform Missouri’s criminal justice system. Restructuring the system would prevent future failures of justice by addressing important issues that have led to wrongful convictions in Missouri. When wrongful convictions happen, it is a travesty, not only for those who are imprisoned, but to the victims, as well. Specifically, my bill would: Require each law enforcement agency that uses eyewitness identification procedures to adopt written rules governing those procedures by Jan. 1, 2014; Allow a person sentenced to death to request the evidence be tested in order to prove that he or she should not be sentenced to death; Strengthen Missouri's existing custodial interrogation recording law; Require preservation of biological evidence gathered during an investigation of certain felonies for as long as an offender remains incarcerated, as well as require that biological evidence gathered during an investigation of first-degree murder be retained until five years after the offender has been executed, or upon being pardoned or otherwise found innocent; and Require certain procedures and guidelines be implemented whenever the leading causes of wrongful convictions — including jailhouse informant testimony — are admitted at trial. Lawmakers have not taken a hard look at our criminal justice system in some time, and, given the number of identified flaws that have come to light in recent years, we must move forward in seeking improvement. Protecting Exotic Animals and the Community I worked with the Saint Louis Zoo in crafting legislation to protect exotic animals in Missouri. To help ensure exotic animals, the Missourians who own them, and the communities in which these animals and their owners reside remain safe, I am sponsoring legislation (SB 149) to create the Nonhuman Primate Act and address the possession of exotic animals in the state. The Nonhuman Primate Act is specific to large Great Apes, orangutans, baboons, and chimpanzees. The act requires Missourians, beginning on Sept. 1, 2014, to register their animal with the Missouri Department of Agriculture and obtain a permit; current law only requires owners to register their primate with the local sheriff. Permit applicants must be at least 21 years old and cannot have violated a state or local animal welfare law, nor pled to or been found guilty of a felony within the last 10 years. To obtain a permit, a person would need to provide information regarding his or her liability insurance coverage for the animal; a recapture plan, should the animal escape; and the animal’s veterinary care. Click here to listen to my audio interview regarding SB 149. According to the U.S. Humane Society, roughly half of the states already prohibit private possession of primates as pets; however, I don’t want to ban responsible Missourians from owning these exotic animals. At the same time, we need clear policy in place to keep individuals and animals safe, and to prevent animals from causing havoc to the public, should it escape. Preventing Child Fatalities in Missouri The Missouri Department of Social Services provides a report on how we can prevent child deaths in Missouri. For those of us who have young ones in our lives, there is no greater priority than their health and safety. To help provide an accurate review of the greatest dangers and vulnerabilities our children face, panels from the Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS) worked together to produce the Missouri Child Fatality Review Program for 2011. The report details the causes of death of newborn children to children age 17. Reading the report is saddening; however, it's important to be educated on how we can best keep our kids out of harms way. The majority of child deaths are from "natural causes," which include illness, prematurity, cardiac conditions, and cancer. In 2011, 209 cases of unintentional injury fatality cases were noted — the leading causes of death were vehicular deaths (37 percent), suffocations (35 percent), and drowning (9 percent). Considering our children's vulnerability in motor vehicles, seat belt use is one of my top legislative priorities. The National SAFE KIDS Campaign reports that young children restrained in child safety seats have an 80 percent lower risk of fatal injury than those who are unrestrained. Click here to listen to my audio interview emphasizing the importance of seat belt use. To read the 2011 DSS report, or reports from previous years, please visit www.dss.mo.gov/re/cfrar.htm. St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association Hosts Legislative Breakfast From left: Chamber Presidential Sponsor Craig Unruh, Vice President of External Affairs for AT&T Missouri; Sen. Keaveny; and Senate Majority Floor Leader Ron Richard. Last month, I attended the St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association's (RCGA) first Legislative Breakfast of 2013. These breakfasts, which are held bi-weekly, are good opportunities for Missouri lawmakers to visit with members of the RCGA. The RCGA has three primary responsibilities: to serve as the regional chamber of commerce for its member companies; serve as the bi-state region’s lead economic development organization; and investigate and support public policy initiatives that help the region thrive and grow. I'm glad to work with members of the RCGA and do my part to bolster economic development in our community. For more about the RCGA, please call (314) 231-5555. Missouri Offers Debit Cards for Tax Refunds The state treasurer recently announced that Missouri taxpayers can now receive tax refunds in the form of a debit card, whether their return is filed on paper or electronically. The new refund option is for taxpayers who file individual income tax returns or Property Tax Credit (PTC) claims. To receive a refund on a debit card, taxpayers need to check the "debit card" box located on the refund line of their 2012 income tax return or PTC claim. After the card is received in the mail, the recipient must activate it by phone or online and create a PIN number. Missourians can still opt to obtain their refund via a paper check or electronic direct deposit into a bank account. You can learn more about receiving your tax refund on a debit card by visiting www.dor.mo.gov. Missouri Voters on Health Care Reform The Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) recently conducted a study to gauge Missourians' attitudes toward health care issues, including the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). The survey was conducted between Oct. 18-24, 2012, and more than 1,400 Missourians participated (all of whom were registered to vote in the 2012 General Election) in the study. Below are some of the key findings: Of those surveyed, 52 percent of Missourians favor Medicaid expansion, while only 18 percent oppose an expansion. The majority of participants want action to ensure access to affordable health care, and believe state government should take a leading role in this endeavor (even if this requires a tax increase). Serious concerns regarding affordable health insurance have remained steady among Missourians since 2007. Among those surveyed, 77 percent of Missourians continue to say they are concerned either "a great deal" or "somewhat" about health insurance. Click here to review the complete report, or visit the Missouri Foundation for Health website at www.mffh.org. Incentives for Investing in Solar Energy Homeowners can take advantage of remarkable incentives for investing in home solar power, including a federal tax credit and a utility rebate. At a time when energy costs are rising, investing in solar power systems is extremely beneficial for Missourians' pocketbooks. According to a renewable energy provider in St. Louis, government and utility programs for clean energy can pay for more than two-thirds of the cost of a solar electric system in Missouri. This applies to homeowners who are serviced by Ameren Missouri or Kansas City Power & Light. The first incentive option for homeowners is a federal tax credit, which allows homeowners to take 30 percent of the cost of their solar electric system directly off their owed amount of taxes. Missourians' other option, a utility rebate, is a cash grant from the utility company of $2 per watt of installed solar power. For an average-sized system of five kilowatts, the cash rebate is approximately $10,000. This rebate is paid directly to the homeowner by check, around 30 to 60 days after the new bi-directional electric meter is installed. To learn more about solar energy, visit the Missouri Solar Energy Industries Association website at www.moseia.com.