The Missouri Legislature was not in session on Monday, April 21, in observance of the Easter holiday.

The Senate Appropriations Committee has completed its review of House budget bills 2001 through 2013. The budget will move to the Senate floor for debate on Monday afternoon, April 28. The Legislature has until May 9 at 6 p.m. to finalize the budget for Fiscal Year 2015.

On Wednesday, April 23, I introduced the Rock Bridge High School girls basketball team on the Senate floor. The Lady Bruins took first place at the Missouri State High School Activities Association Class 5 State Basketball Championship on March 22, 2014. This is the Lady Bruins’ third consecutive basketball championship. Congratulations Bruins on your impressive accomplishments this season!

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, was referred to the House Health Insurance Committee. 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, awaits debate by the full House.  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.

Thank you for your interest in the issues that affect the citizens of Boone and Cooper counties.  If you have any questions or concerns throughout this session, or plan on coming by the Capitol, please contact my office at (573) 751-3931.

Did you know?

The first National League Baseball game was played on April 22, 1876.  The game was between the Boston Red Stockings and the Philadelphia Athletics.  The Boston Red Stockings beat the Philadelphia Athletics 6-5.