With only four full weeks remaining in the legislative session, the Missouri Senate has been busy debating budgetary issues and bills before the May 16 adjournment. 

Senate Bill 762 passed out of the Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and was placed on the Senate’s informal calendar for possible debate on Monday, April 14.

Senate Bill 821, which adds a motorcycle registration surcharge of $5 to be deposited in the motorcycle safety trust fund, was reported from the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to the Senate on April 10 and placed on the informal calendar for debate on Thursday, April 17.

Senate Bill 887, which requires each public institution of higher education to annually report the institution’s administrative costs as a percent of its operating budget, was placed on the Senate informal calendar for perfection on Thursday, April 17. 

On Monday, April 15, the Missouri Senate held a Memorial Service to honor 60 former senators who have died during the past several decades. In attendance were Gov. Jay Nixon and former Govs. Kit Bond, Roger Wilson and Bob Holden. Candles were lit and roses were placed to honor the former senators commemorated in the ceremony. Recognized for their service to District 19 were Sens. George Spencer, A. Basey Vanlandingham, and Warren Welliver.

On Wednesday, April 16, I had the pleasure of presenting Brian Kinkade to the Senate Gubernatorial Appointments Committee for consideration as Director of the Department of Social Services.

Thank you to the group of University of Missouri scholars from South Korea and Thailand who stopped by my office during their tour of the Capitol on Wednesday, April 16. Best of luck to you in your future endeavors!

On Thursday, April 17, I introduced the Mizzou Wrestling Team on the Senate floor. Freshman J’den Cox entered the MU record books as the youngest Tiger ever to win a national title! Congratulations J’den and congratulations Tigers for capturing your third consecutive Conference title this year

The status of my sponsored legislation for the 2014 session is as follows:

• Senate Bill 498, which would require health insurance navigators to be bonded and create a private cause of action against navigators for the unlawful release of information, awaits committee referral in the House. Representative Kevin Austin is handling the bill in the House for me.
  
  
• Senate Bill 696, which increases the penalties and driver’s license suspension periods for those who fail to yield the right-of-way in certain instances, was approved by the Senate on Thursday, March 27. The bill awaits committee referral in the House.
  
  
• Senate Bill 697, which allows the Department of Revenue to disclose the annual number of cigarettes sales by the tobacco manufacturer, was second read and referred to the Appropriations Committee.  A hearing was held on the bill on Monday, Feb. 10. 
  
  Currently, the Department of Revenue is prohibited from disclosing information relating to a person's tax return, with certain exceptions under Section 32.057, RSMo. This legislation opens the confidentiality section and creates an exception allowing the Department of Revenue to disclose to the public the annual cigarette sales by a tobacco product manufacturer.
  
  The legislation would provide government transparency and availability of data that is otherwise difficult to obtain and readily assemble. Existence of public information may provide state legislators with insight on growth or decline in the state smoking population and its potential effect on future state revenues.

• Senate Bill 733, which reduces the rate of tax on personal income over a period of five years, awaits a final vote in the Senate Ways and Means Committee to proceed to the Senate for possible debate.

• Senate Bill 756, which would modify the elementary and secondary education funding formula by adding an additional weight for gifted education, awaits a hearing in the Education Committee.
  
  
• Senate Bill 762, which defines automobile event data recorder and limits the release of data collected to five circumstances, was passed by Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. It awaits possible debate on the Senate floor.  
  
  
• Currently, trustees of a county hospital formed under Chapter 205 are prohibited from providing health care services or entering into partnerships with other local or county hospitals if such adjoining or nearby counties also have a county hospital.  Under Senate Bill 763, so long as the trustees of such county hospitals provide consent, county hospitals in Boone and Cooper counties shall be allowed to provide such health care services or enter into such partnerships.  The bill awaits a hearing in the Jobs, Economic Development and Local Government Committee.
  
  
• Senate Bill 820, which modifies the formula for determining how much money a tobacco product manufacturer that does not participate in the Master Settlement Agreement will receive back from the escrow fund when the manufacturer is required to deposit money from the sale of cigarettes, was voted out of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, March 25, and awaits possible debate on the Senate floor.
  
  
• Senate Bill 821, which adds a motorcycle registration surcharge of $5 to be deposited in the motorcycle safety trust fund, was voted do pass by the Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Wednesday, March 12. The bill awaits possible debate on the Senate floor.
  
  
• Senate Bill 843, which modifies provisions of the Missouri Sunshine Law, was voted out of the Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee and awaits possible debate on the Senate floor.
  
  
• Senate Bill 855, which allows fire protection district boards to meet without public notice in order to authorize the disbursement of funds for the deployment of certain emergency task forces, awaits a hearing in the Jobs, Economic Development and Local Government Committee.  
  
  
• Senate Bill 861, which establishes certain protections and remedies for consumers who purchase new motorcycles, was heard in the Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment Committee on Tuesday, March 11, and awaits a final vote to proceed to the floor for possible debate.
  
  
• Senate Bill 886, which provides civil actions between a landlord and a tenant are appealable, awaits a hearing in the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee.
  
  
• Senate Bill 887, which requires each public institution of higher education to annually report the institution’s administrative costs as a percent of its operating budget, was voted do pass by the Senate Education Committee and awaits possible debate on the Senate floor.  
  
  
• Senate Bill 898, which allows the Department of Corrections to determine the manner of executions rather than requiring executions be by lethal gas or injection, awaits a hearing in the Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee.
  
  
• Senate Bill 908, which modifies the composition of the University of Missouri Board of Curators, awaits a hearing in the Education Committee.
  
  
• Senate Bill 936, which allows Boone County to adopt, by order or ordinance; regulations to control the minimum standards of occupancy for residential units rented or leased and in additional develop a program for licensing and inspecting the units, awaits a hearing inthe Senate Jobs, Economic Development and Local Government Committee.
  
  
• Senate Bill 937, which allows the county counselor of Boone County to receive $15,000 for duties relating to mental health and mental health facility and an additional amount not to exceed $15,000 for investigative and clerical personnel assisting with such duties, awaits a hearing in the Senate Veterans’ Affairs and Health Committee.  
  
  
• Senate Bill 979, which modifies the eligibility for line of duty compensation for emergency personnel, awaits a hearing in the Small Business, Insurance and Industry Committee.
  
  
• Senate Bill 980, which relates to rehiring retired state employees, was heard in the Senate Seniors, Families and Pensions Committee on Tuesday, April 15.
  
  
• Senate Bill 981, which relates to state contracting, awaits a hearing in the Senate Governmental Accountability and Fiscal Oversight Committee.
  
  
• Senate Bill 982, which relates to penalties for sex offenses, awaits a hearing in the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee.

• Senate Joint Resolution 36, which modifies constitutional provisions regarding the right to keep and bear arms, was voted and passed by the Senate on Thursday, Feb. 20. The bill has been referred to the House Rules Committee.  Representative John Diehl is handling this bill for me in the House.

• Senate Joint Resolution 44 is a constitutional amendment that, if approved by the voters, would require any revenue received by the state in a fiscal year in excess of the amount appropriated for such fiscal year shall be returned to taxpayers in the form of a refundable tax credit.  The bill awaits a vote by the Senate Ways and Means Committee to proceed to the full Senate for possible debate.

• House Bill 2014, the supplemental budget bill, delivered to the governor on Thursday, April 10.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!

Did you know: Easter Edition?

According to a recent study, a whopping 76 percent of Americans eat the ears first on chocolate rabbits?

Dating back to medieval times, the hot cross buns were traditionally eaten on Good Friday, but they are now popular all around the Easter season.  These sweet treats, fragrant with fruit and spices, are marked with a cross, either slashed into the dough before baking, or drizzled on in icing afterwards. 

The history of hot cross buns dates far back to the pre-Christian era. It is thought that they are descendants of the small cakes offered to Eostre, the goddess of spring.  They may have been marked with a cross even in ancient times, to represent the four quarters of the moon.
In later centuries, the church, unable to stamp out ancient pagan traditions, decided instead to "Christianize" the buns by associating the cross with that of Jesus. Paschal bread, made in a round shape, is very popular in Eastern Europe (in Russia it is known as paska). The German Easter loaf is Osterstollen, and in the Netherlands people eat a sweet bread filled with raisins and currants called paasbrod.