First Extraordinary Session of the
96th General Assembly Draws to a Close

JEFFERSON CITY — Eleven days before the constitutional deadline to wrap up the First Extraordinary Session of the 96th General Assembly, the Senate adjourned sine die on Tuesday, Oct. 25. Lawmakers will return to Jefferson City on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012, for the Second Regular Session of the 96th General Assembly.

On Aug. 22, the governor called lawmakers for a special session, which began Tuesday, Sept. 6, to focus on economic development, job creation, as well as other measures. During special session, numerous bills were introduced that addressed similar matters considered during the 2011 regular session. In the end, the Legislature successfully ushered two measures past the legislative finish line.

Special Session Measures Signed by the Governor

Protecting Public School Students

Senate Bill 1, sponsored by Sen. Jane Cunningham, R-Chesterfield, was introduced on the first day of special session and signed by the governor on Friday, Oct. 21. The measure will take effect 90 days after adjournment of special session.

The legislation evolved after an injunction issued by a Missouri judge prevented a provision in the already signed SB 54 (passed during the 2011 regular session) from taking effect. Senate Bill 54, also known as the “Amy Hestir Student Protection Act,” is designed to prevent sexual abuse from occurring between public school students and school district employees. The provision in question stated that teachers weren’t allowed to establish, maintain, or use a work-related website to communicate with students unless it was available to school administrators and the child's parent or guardian.

With an objective to clear up confusion displayed by concerned parties, SB 1 states that school districts must submit written policies concerning student-employee communication by March 1, 2012, with emphasis on the school district’s stance regarding the use of electronic media and the Internet for communication. The goals of these policies are to prevent inappropriate communication from occurring between public school employees and children.

In addition, by July 1, 2012, every Missouri school district must include in its teacher/employee training a component that provides up-to-date and reliable information on identifying signs of sexual abuse in children, and danger signals of potentially abusive relationships between children and adults.

Click here to listen to “The Senate Minute” from Sept. 13, which highlights SB 1 receiving first-round approval from the Legislature. Lawmakers featured in this report include Sen. Cunningham and Sen. Jolie Justus, D-Kansas City.

Missouri Science and Innovation Reinvestment Act

Another special session bill to receive the governor’s stamp of approval is SB 7, sponsored by Senate Leader Robert N. Mayer, R-Dexter. With a purpose to attract science and innovation companies to Missouri, bill will create the Missouri Science and Innovation Reinvestment Act, popularly known as MOSIRA.

Under MOSIRA, funds appropriated by the General Assembly from the Life Sciences Research Trust Fund will be appropriated to the Life Sciences Research Board to increase the quality and capacity of scientific research at public and private non-profit institutions.

Although SB 7 states that it would take effect only after the passage of SB 8 (which was not passed by the Legislature), Missouri courts will examine the contingency clause in the legislation.

Similarly with SB 1, MOSIRA will also take effect 90 days after adjournment of special session.

Click here to listen to “This Week in the Missouri Senate” from Sept. 23, which highlights the day SB 1 and SB 7 were sent to the governor’s desk. Senator Mayer; Senate Minority Floor Leader Victor Callahan, D-Independence; and Senate Majority Floor Leader Tom Dempsey, R-St. Charles, are featured in this report.

Economic Development and Tax Credit Reform

One of the most talked-about measures during special session was SB 8, which was introduced on Sept. 6 and sponsored by Sen. Mayer.

After negotiations regarding the bill were accomplished in the Senate (including several amendments that were adopted and added to the legislation), the bill went to the full House for consideration on Sept. 14. The Senate version of the bill included provisions that would:

• Create an international trade hub at the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, allowing $60 million in incentives for freight-forwarders to direct cargo traffic to the airport.
• Establish sunsets on numerous tax credit programs (including low-income housing and historic preservation programs), allowing lawmakers to review the quality and efficiency of various programs.
• Attract sporting events to the state of Missouri.
• Form the “Compete Missouri” program, which would have combined six existing business incentive programs to attract the interest of companies willing to expand business and create jobs in Missouri.
• Save Missouri taxpayers nearly $1 billion over a period of 15 years by reining in unnecessary tax credit spending. 

After House members passed their version of SB 8, the legislation was brought before the Senate — it contained several adopted amendments that significantly altered the bill and did not include the seven-year sunsets the Senate wanted on low-income housing and historic preservation tax programs. The Senate then made a request to the House that it pass its version of SB 8. However, members were not able to see eye-to-eye, thus drawing special session to a close.

Many senators have made it their intention to focus on job creation during the 2012 regular session, which will commence in January. On Dec. 1, legislation prefiled by lawmakers will receive their numbers and await their debut in the chamber.

Click here to listen to “This Week in the Missouri Senate” from Oct. 27, which recaps legislative actions during special session. Featured in this report are Sen. Mayer and Sen. Joe Keaveny, D-St. Louis.

To learn more about legislation filed during special session, visit the Missouri Senate website at www.senate.mo.gov and click on “Special Session Information” under the “Legislation” tab at the top of the page.

Members Named to Joint Interim Committee on State Employee Wages

With a mission to advocate for Missouri’s thousands of state employees, the Joint Interim Committee on State Employee Wages was created during the 2011 regular session. Recently, senators were appointed to the board, including Sen. Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City; and Sen. John Lamping, R-Ladue.

The panel’s creation was part of a provision found in House Concurrent Resolution 32, which was adopted in May. The resolution states that Missouri’s 57,000 state employees rank 50th out of the 50 states in their annual compensation. The resolution goes on to say that the average state employee in Missouri earned 26 percent less that the average state employee in the United States.

Committee members are responsible for:

• Comparing the wages of Missouri state employees to the wages state employees earn in other states;
• Studying and developing strategies for increasing the wages of Missouri state employees;
• Reporting its recommendations to the Senate Appropriations Committee and the House Budget Committee by Dec. 31, 2011;
• And considering any other matter the committee deems necessary.

 The committee conducted its first organizational meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 26, at the State Capitol. To review the schedule of future committee hearings, visit www.senate.mo.gov and click on the Senate Hearing Schedule link.

To follow these and other issues facing the Missouri Senate, visit www.senate.mo.gov. Visitors can track legislation as it passes through the General Assembly, learn more about their district, or, when the Legislature is in session, listen to streaming audio of legislative debate as it happens. For more legislative news, please visit the Senate Newsroom. There you will find various audio and video programs and other services, such as:  

• Missouri Legislative Update (MLU) – A video program produced periodically throughout the year that provides an overview of the news in the Missouri Senate and House of Representatives. The program features news interviews with lawmakers and stories on issues concerning Missourians.

• Capital Dialogue – Missourinet's Bob Priddy hosts this monthly half-hour roundtable program bringing legislators together from the Missouri Senate and House of Representatives from different political parties to discuss their positions on specific issues and legislation.

• This Week in the Missouri Senate – A weekly five-minute audio program that wraps up the week’s news in the Missouri Senate. Programs are posted online every Friday in .mp3 format.

• Senate Minute – A condensed, one-minute audio report of current Senate news. Programs are posted in .mp3 format and are available through podcast.

• Daily Audio / Video Clips – Throughout the year, the Senate Newsroom posts broadcast-quality audio and video highlights from Senate committee hearings, floor debate, press conferences and other legislative events.  Please note: Clips linked to this Capitol Briefing are only available for the legislative week referenced in the publication.

• Daily News Clips – The Senate Newsroom compiles daily news clips from various print and online publications that cover issues relating to the Legislature and state government. An archive of past clips is maintained online and is offered as a subscription service.

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