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| January Keaveny Connection | Contact: Stacy Morse — (573) 751-3599 | |
| Studying the Costs of the Death Penalty | ||
| The
2013 legislative session began at
noon on Wednesday, Jan. 9. I'm proud to sponsor legislation (SB
61) this session to require the state auditor to
make a one-time report on the costs of administering the death
penalty in Missouri. I sponsored a similar
bill last year in the upper chamber,
which was voted out of the Senate
Governmental Accountability Committee. The measure would initiate the first comprehensive attempt in the state to determine the cost of administering the death penalty, compared to sentencing individuals to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Missouri has never conducted an official study on the cost of the death penalty. Considering our limited state operating budget and the fact that important resources, such as those for education, are in jeopardy, we need to know how much the death penalty costs taxpayers. According to Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, studies conducted in 12 states showed that the death penalty costs an additional 30 percent, to up to 10 times more than seeking life without parole. In Kansas, for example, state auditors discovered that death penalty cases cost taxpayers more than $500,000 more per case than other murder cases. The death penalty is the ultimate form of punishment in our criminal justice system, one to be taken seriously. We need to know all the facts about capital punishment in our state and whether or not it's the most effective sentence for criminal offenders and taxpayers' wallets. |
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| Seat Belts and Safety on the Road | ||
Seat belt usage in Missouri continues to fall below the national average. According to the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety, Missouri’s seat belt use is 79 percent, compared to the nationwide seat belt use of 84 percent. In addition, current numbers from the Missouri Department of Transportation indicate that, in 2012, 64 percent of more than 800 fatalities in Missouri resulted from not wearing a seat belt. According to the Governor's Highway Safety Association, higher fines are associated with higher seat belt rates, and to increase seat belt use, it's recommended that states impose fines of at least $50 for a seat belt law violation. Seat belts are one of the best ways to help prevent serious injury in an automobile accident — studies show that seat belts can help reduce the risk of fatal injury by as much as 45 percent. It's especially important to be sure our children are buckled up correctly. According to the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety:
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| Administrative Child Support Regulations | ||
SB 69 for the 2013 legislative session. The measure would, among other priorities, grant authority to administrative hearing officers from the Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS) to set aside or correct administrative child support decisions or orders and proposed administrative modifications of a judicial order. Although errors found in child support cases do not happen often — DSS stated that such errors occur only about 1 percent of the time — it would be very helpful if administrative hearing officers could correct these mistakes. Missouri children are our most innocent and vulnerable citizens, and their well-being is always a top priority. |
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| Addressing the Office of the Public Administrator | ||
Currently, citizens of St. Louis, St. Charles, and Jackson counties appoint their public administrators. Under SB 99, the City of St. Louis Public Administrator would be appointed by a majority of the circuit and associate circuit court judges of the 22nd Judicial Circuit. The Office of the Public Administrator was created to serve on behalf of citizens of St. Louis who are brought before the Probate Division of the St. Louis Circuit Court. The public administrator would serve in instances when no one else was qualified and willing to serve — this includes serving as guardian for incapacitated individuals. The City of St. Louis Public Administrator has a heavier caseload and fewer resources than comparable offices in Missouri. Senate Bill 99 would, along with efforts by the Board of Alderman, develop positions for social workers and administrative assistants to handle a caseload of an estimated 425 guardianship files; work that is currently handled on a part-time basis by a few staff. Jackson County, for example, has 18 staff positions to care for 930 cases, while St. Louis County has nine staffers caring for 400 clients. The modest changes initiated by my bill would improve the level of care provided to elderly, mentally ill, and developmentally disabled residents under the guardianship of the public administrator’s office. |
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| Protecting Missourians Facing Bankruptcy | ||
Experts who have looked at our statutes believe inherited IRAs are already considered exempt assets in bankruptcy proceedings, but questions have arisen in other states regarding this particular issue, so I want to clarify state law to insure this retirement income is protected. This bill will update state exemption laws to reflect changes in federal law regarding employer plans. Likewise, money a person has set aside for health care purposes should be exempt from consideration in bankruptcy hearings. Bankruptcy proceedings are means to collect outstanding debts and should not be used as a tool to completely impoverish someone or to jeopardize his or her health. I am grateful for members of the Missouri Bar’s Probate and Trust Committee for bringing the issue to my attention. |
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| Missouri Public Pensions | ||
| To
assist in the long-term sustainability and security of Missouri’s
public pension plans, I will sponsor SB 86 for the 2013 legislative session to clarify provisions
associated with a public pension reform package (SB
406) passed by the Missouri General Assembly in 2007. When
the initiative passed, it incorporated several provisions associated
with pension plan funding, as well as fiduciary responsibility
and education requirements. Current state statute (Section
105.684, RSMo ) prohibits public pension plans from implementing benefit
enhancements beyond the plan’s provisions in effect prior to
Aug. 28, 2007, unless the plan’s funded ratio is at least 80 percent. Senate Bill 86 would clarify that a pension plan’s 80 percent funded requirement for passing new benefit enhancements should be determined by the most recent periodic actuarial valuation to assist in alleviating any uncertainty regarding the timing of a plan’s funded level. This measure will also exempt Missouri’s public pension plans from this funded level requirement when enacting provisions to provide conformance with federal provisions to maintain the plan’s tax exempt status. Missouri’s 128 public pension plans cover more than 500,000 participants. Many of these members do not participate in Social Security and rely on these pension plans as their primary source of retirement income. Continued diligence in pension plan funding and oversight by policymakers will assist in fostering retirement security for past, present, and future public employees. As policymakers across the country continue to face budgetary challenges, while experiencing increased pension plan contribution requirements, it is essential to continue Missouri’s commitment to sound fiscal principles in sustaining retirement security for our teachers, public safety personnel, and all public employees. |
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| Saint Louis Zoo Welcomed Record Number of Guests in 2012 | ||
The Saint Louis Zoo’s new Sea Lion Sound helped contribute to the record number of guests. The exhibit opened June 30 to huge crowds and was very well received. Visitors have the chance to be nose-to-nose with swimming sea lions while walking through the exhibit's transparent tunnel into the sea lion habitat — the first in North America. Located in the center of the zoo, the 1.5-acre habitat and arena for 11 California sea lions includes two state-of-the-art marine mammal exhibits. Dr. Jeffrey P. Bonner, Dana Brown President and CEO of the Saint Louis Zoo, expressed his sincere gratitude to all the zoo's public and private donors, as well as the millions of guests who came to see the animals and exhibits. “We thank all the many people who came to the zoo in 2012,” he said. “We had a terrific year because the greater our attendance, the more people we reach and the greater opportunity we have to engage everyone in conserving animals and their habitats. We are grateful that, with support from our donors and sponsors, we are able to offer so many great attractions, from our new Sea Lion Sound exhibit to Stingrays at Caribbean Cove.” The Saint Louis Zoo is a great place to spend a day as a family, and I hope you'll enjoy and appreciate the many species of animals that are attentively cared for by the zoo staff. For more information, visit www.stlzoo.org. |
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| Wreck Check Car Scan Centers: Ensuring Your Car is Repaired Correctly | ||
On its website, Wreck Check Car Scan Centers provide information regarding:
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