Fun in the Midst of Hard Work

Here in the Missouri Senate we spent 19 weeks crafting, debating, and ultimately passing nearly 200 pieces of legislation. Many of those measures are no joking matter. The criminal code has not been revised since the 1970s and is now much more up-to-date and relevant thanks to the bipartisan efforts of the Legislature. The first signed piece of legislation this year mandates insurance companies charge cancer patients the same amount of money for oral and intravenous cancer treatments. The list goes on and on. Our accomplishments were many, and for that, we should be proud. This week I would like to highlight some of the lesser known pieces of legislation we passed, but are still important and fill a need.

Summer picnics, church dinners and community meals can continue as they have for years thanks to the passage of Senate Bill 525, which modifies current law in relation to food preparation and production for charitable purposes. This legislation, which I sponsored, allows non-profit organizations and groups to prepare food in their homes, or other private facilities, for distribution to community members at charitable fundraising dinners. The event’s host may inform consumers by a clearly visible placard at the serving location that the food was prepared in a kitchen that is not subject to regulation and inspection by the regulatory body. 

Senate Bill 680, sponsored by Sen. Shalonn “Kiki” Curls, D-Kansas City, will now allow those who receive SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits to be able to purchase fresh items from a farmer’s market once the Department of Social Services has established a pilot program.  The purpose is to provide SNAP participants with access and the ability to afford fresh food when purchasing healthy items at farmers' markets. There will be pilot programs in at least one rural and one urban area. Under the pilot program, such participants will be able to purchase fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and honey with their benefits.

Senate Bill 506, sponsored by Sen. Brian Munzlinger, R-Williamstown, is called the Missouri Dairy Revitalization Act of 2014, which requires the University of Missouri to conduct annual research on the estimated state sales tax revenue generated from dairy products. The estimates sales tax revenue shall be provided to the Department of Agriculture. This legislation also creates the Missouri Dairy Industry Revitalization Fund. This measure also requires the Department of Agriculture to establish a dairy producer insurance premium assistance program for farmers who participate in the federal margin protection program for dairy producers. Participants will be reimbursed for 70 percent of their federal premium payment. The legislation also creates scholarships for college aged students interested in agriculture.  The legislation establishes the Missouri Dairy Scholars Program which creates 80 scholarships for $5,000 each toward tuition at any college or university in Missouri for students in agriculture-related degree programs who make a commitment to work in the agriculture industry.
Of the nearly 200 bills passed by the Legislature many, like the ones mentioned above, still await the governor’s signature before becoming law.

Unclaimed Property
Each year the Missouri treasurer’s office releases a list of items they have determined to be unclaimed property. This year, State Treasurer Clint Zweifel estimates that more than $3,419,231.55 belongs to approximately 6,721 people within the 33rd Senate District.

This property has been turned over to the treasurer’s office by banks, other businesses and insurance companies after the accounts have been deemed inactive and the owner cannot be located. Please visit www.ShowMeMoney.com or write to Clint Zweifel at PO Box 1004, Jefferson City, MO 65102-1004, to determine if you have an unclaimed property.