The Missouri Senate met on September 16 for an attempt to override gubernatorial vetoes of select legislation.

Veto session was held September 16, in Jefferson City. The Missouri General Assembly upheld the veto of Right-to-Work legislation, House Bill 116. I have been closely following the Right-to-Work, minimum wage and unemployment legislation to ensure the actions taken during veto session are the most beneficial for Missourians.

The anti-union Right-to-Work legislation is a national attempt to weaken the bargaining power of workers. This legislation would have endangered job site safety and lowered workers’ wages.  It would have been irresponsible to destroy the institution of organized labor and take money out of the pockets of working families. The vote was 96-63 with 1 absent, 13 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed for an override. 

I am pleased that Missouri will not join the ranks of other states that have allowed Right-to-Work to minimize the hard work of their union employees. The passage of this legislation would have impacted the safety of the workers and been a poor financial decision for Missouri families.

Click here to read the governor's veto letter on HB 116.

The minority party stopped cuts to people on unemployment during session, however, the governor’s veto was overridden. House Bill 150 would have changed the maximum length of state unemployment benefits from 20 weeks to 13 weeks, when the state's unemployment rate drops below 6 percent. Missouri’s unemployment benefit time frame would have been one of the shortest in the nation for the length of time a person can receive unemployment. The unemployment rate must now reach 9 percent for workers to receive 20 weeks of benefits.

Unfortunately the unemployment legislation that was vetoed by the governor was overturned. If this law stands up in court, Missouri will have one of the strictest laws regarding unemployment in the country. However, many lawmakers question the constitutionality of the vote. It is likely legislation will be litigated in the courts because failure of the General Assembly to follow proper procedure enacting a bill. The Senate voted 24-8 Wednesday to override the veto, four months after the House also voted for an override.

During veto session the General Assembly voted to not allow cities and counties to raise the local minimum wage. House Bill 722 bans local cities from setting higher minimum wages than state standards, which is currently $7.65. This legislation also prohibits local governments from banning plastic shopping bags.

The Senate voted 23-9 for the override, and the House voted 114-46. The override of this legislation means the state has the ability to restrict the minimum wage in cities across the state. This means the people in larger cities, with higher costs of living will be forced to earn the same wages as their counterparts who may live in areas with a much lower cost of living.

To view all vetoed legislation, visit www.governor.mo.gov/news/legislative-actions/senate.

The governor signed House Bill 384, establishing a tax amnesty program, which allows delinquent taxpayers to apply for amnesty. Provisions in the law include:

• Tax amnesty payments began on September 1, 2015;
• Pay unpaid taxes by November 30, 2015; and
• Agree to comply with state tax laws for a period of eight years from the date of the agreement. Taxpayers granted amnesty would not “be eligible to participate in any future amnesty for the same type of tax.”

The majority of collected revenue is expected to be from delinquent income and sales tax, although the program is open to all taxes collected by the Missouri Department of Revenue. For more information, visit www.dor.mo.gov or call
(573) 751-7200.

The need for mental health care has quickly outgrown the amount of services available for treatment. Time developing treatment, as well as an overall understanding of the severity of mental health conditions and what those living with these conditions may endure, have caused a spike in patients seeking treatment. The influx in patients has highlighted the fact that there are not enough providers to care for those seeking treatment. This problem is only compounded when the person in need of treatment does not have or cannot afford the health care costs associated with the treatment needed to find them qualified help.

In support of a much-needed regional acute mental health care center, BJC HealthCare assumed operations and ownership of the St. Louis Regional Psychiatric Stabilization Center (PSC). The center is a 25-bed adult inpatient acute psychiatric program located on Delmar Blvd., within the City of St. Louis and the 4th Senatorial District. The facility’s new name will be the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Psychiatric Support Center.

The Psychiatric Support Center will continue to use the PSC’s location on Delmar Blvd., a facility specifically built to meet the needs of psychiatric patients. The Barnes-Jewish Hospital Psychiatric Support Center will continue to provide care as PSC did for psychiatric patients in acute crisis. It is expected that 80 percent of patients treated at this location will continue to be referred from the region’s numerous hospital emergency departments.

For more information on the center contact by e-mail is info@stlpsc.org, or call
(314) 932-7110. The center is located at 5355 Delmar Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63112.

Sen. Keaveny is shown with Rosalyn Fulton of the People's Health Center, near the bubble bus, a popular attraction at the health fair.

On Saturday, August 1, my office partnered with the Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Centers, for our annual Back-to-School Health Fair.

This event helped link thousands of citizens with services they need but may not have known how to access. Each year, our event has grown and again this year I believe we have touched more than 4,000 families in our community, providing services and increasing the awareness of the services that the community needs.

Several organizations attended, offering eye and dental screenings, haircuts, car seat safety checks and more. Information was distributed on managed care plans, mental health services, heart health information, good nutrition, fire safety and much more.

For more information about Puppies for Parole, visit the Department of Corrections website at www.doc.mo.gov/ or the Puppies for Parole Facebook page.

Recently, the Missouri Department of Correction's program, Puppies for Parole, celebrated the adoption of its 3,000th dog. The 3,000th dog adoptee, named Jan, was adopted by a St. Louis-area woman.

The program began in 2010 and is now in 19 of the 20 state prisons run by the Department of Corrections and is supported by donations.

Puppies for Parole has been praised for saving the dogs, many of which have special needs that make them seen as unadoptable by most. The program is also helping the animal shelters by taking in these animals that may be deaf, missing a limb or have medical needs. The dogs have an enormous impact, not only on the handlers, but they walk around common areas, which gives almost all offenders a chance to interact with them.

Department of Corrections staff have reported that not only do the animals bring a source of joy to the institutions, but the eight-week training program helps the offenders set and reach attainable goals, requires them also to accept more responsibility and show they are willing to work hard for a common goal. Offenders are also able to learn a new skill that could help them obtain a job once they are released.

George Lombardi, director of the Department of Corrections, said, "the dogs have a remarkable impact on offenders, improving offender behavior and giving offenders incentive to maintain excellent conduct records. Offenders not directly involved in the program are showing responsibility and selflessness by donating to support our efforts. Staff morale is also enhanced by the presence of the dogs."

Get more information on hunting, fishing, and trapping online at mdc.mo.gov.

As the summer heat begins to disappear, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) expects more Missourians will turn to outdoor activities in the coming months. The department has several new programs, which are sure to make things easier for some outdoors lovers.

Missourians who enjoy taking part in hunting and fishing can now use electronic images of permits on their mobile devices as legal, valid permits. MDC required hunters, fishermen, and trappers to have paper copies of permits on them when taking part in these activities.

For fishing and most hunting permits, an electronic image of the permit - such as a PDF - on a mobile device will be enough to meet the requirement. However, there are exceptions for deer and turkey permits.

Get MO Hunting and learn more about the app at mdc.mo.gov/mobile/mobile-apps.

MDC's St. Louis Regional Office can be reached by calling (636) 441-4554.

Though not usually found in Missouri, armadillos are becoming more and more common in the state. Health and conservation officials warn Missourians not to touch the animals. With increasing frequency in Missouri, armadillos are being seen along the side of a highway or road.

These hard-shelled animals have been known to, and are being faulted for the rise in cases of leprosy in Florida. Health officials have warned that there have been nine cases of leprosy reported in the state so far this year. Usually there are no more than 12, but there have been as few as two. All nine cases are believed to be affecting someone who has had direct contact with one of the animals. There have been no cases of armadillo-transmitted leprosy cases in Missouri. Do not touch the animals. The Missouri Department of Conservation suggests wearing gloves if you must handle armadillos, alive or dead.

Fall Fishing in Forest Park
Location: Dennis & Judith Jones Visitor and Education Center in Forest Park
Date: Wednesday, September 23 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Discover nature while patiently awaiting the big bite. It’s the first day of fall and a great day for fishing. Join in the fun learning how to bait, cast and clean a line. All materials and fishing supplies will be included for the program. Youth ages 10-16 years old are asked to meet at the Forest Park Aquatic Education Lakes. Participants should bring a water bottle and dress to be outdoors. Call (636) 441-4554 to register.

Fishing for Children with Special Needs
Location: August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area
Date: Sunday, September 27 from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Join us for an evening of fishing out at Lake 15! This program is designed for kids ages 7-17 years old with special needs. Volunteers and staff will be ready to lend a helping hand to beginner anglers. Fishing equipment will be provided for participating children only. Our lake has a concrete walkway and dock accessible by people with mobility issues. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Registration begins September 7 and ends September 24. Call (636) 441-4554 to register.