General Column

Week of March 30, 2009

Health Care Insurance Plan Earns First-Round Senate Approval

Power Plant Bill Passed by Senate Committee

JEFFERSON CITY — Senators gave preliminary approval this week to a plan that would provide health coverage to approximately 35,000 uninsured, low-income Missourians.

Senate Bill 306 , sponsored by Sen. Tom Dempsey (R-St. Charles), establishes the Show-Me Health Coverage Plan, which would provide health care coverage through the private insurance market to low-income Missourians. Coverage for the first 35,000 participants would be funded by federal funds and existing tax dollars that currently go to pay hospitals for the care of the uninsured.

The measure would pay the premiums for health insurance for working parents who earn up to the federal poverty level, or $22,050 for a family of four. It would also provide coverage to individuals making up to 50 percent of the federal poverty level, or $5,415. The program could potentially expand to include those with higher incomes in the future.  

A controversial bill that would determine how utilities can pay for the costs of building a new power plant gained ground this week as it was passed out of the Senate Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment Committee on Tuesday. Senate Bill 228 , sponsored by Sen. Delbert Scott (R-Lowry City), would repeal the state’s current construction work in progress law (CWIP) that bars investor-owned utilities from charging customers for costs associated with building a new power plant before the facility starts producing electricity.

If passed, it would allow eligible power plants—such as those that produce nuclear energy—to pass off project costs to customers through rate increases prior to the new plant going online.

Eligible power plants include plants that generate electricity from renewable sources and plants that meet certain large capacity criteria that are also intended to reduce carbon emissions.

Senate Bill 141 , sponsored by Sen. Jeff Smith (D-St. Louis), received a final vote of approval on Thursday. The measure, which protects men from false paternity, requires that a presumed father must be notified of any civil proceedings used to determine paternity and informs him of his right to contest the presumption of paternity and request genetic testing.

Under the bill, the court is required to grant relief and set aside the previous judgment of paternity and child support if a genetic test disproves paternity. The court also must eliminate remaining child support payments, expunge any criminal non-support records, and order the Department of Health and Senior Services to modify the child’s birth certificate.  

Senate Bill 406 , sponsored by Sen. Scott, received a final vote of approval on Thursday. The measure gives prescriptive authority to physician assistants who meet certain requirements, and allows them to prescribe Schedule III, IV, or V controlled substances.

Also receiving final Senate approval on Thursday was Senate Joint Resolution 3 , sponsored by Sen. Jason Crowell (R-Cape Girardeau). The resolution seeks to create an exception to the constitutional ban on retroactive laws for the purpose of allowing sex offender laws to apply retrospectively. If passed through the Legislature, and then approved by voters, the constitutional amendment would require all sex offenders to register with the state, even if they committed the crime before the sex offender registry law was enacted in 1995.

The amendment would also apply to any law restricting sex offenders from residing within a certain distance of a school or child-care facility, and any laws requiring felons to have a biological sample collected for purposes of DNA analysis.

Senate Bill 291 , an omnibus education bill sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Charlie Shields (R-St. Joseph), received a second passing vote on Thursday. The measure was also passed with an emergency clause that allows it to take effect immediately upon receiving the governor’s signature, should it first be passed in the House. It allows schools to offer virtual courses, establishes teacher performance standards and allows for more effective distribution of money for the school funding formula. 

Listen to the Senate Minute’s report on SB 291.

Senate Bill 207 , sponsored by Sen. Scott T. Rupp (R-Wentzville), received a first-round vote of approval on Wednesday. The legislation would ensure Missourians are notified by businesses when their personal or financial information has been breached, a situation that could lead to identity theft and financial harm. Businesses would be required to disclose the type of information compromised, discuss the steps being taken to protect further breaches and provide them with advice and contact information. Another Senate vote sends it to the House for similar consideration.

The Senate Health, Mental Health, Seniors and Families Committee voted out a handful of bills this week that are now eligible for debate on the Senate floor. Senate Bill 375 , sponsored by Sen. Rob Mayer (R-Dexter), requires health insurance companies to cover routine costs incurred by cancer patients participating in Phase I clinical treatment trials.

Senate Bill 536 , sponsored by Sen. Yvonne Wilson (D-Kansas City), establishes a Foster Care and Adoptive Parents Recruitment and Retention Fund for the purpose of promoting foster care and adoption promotion recruitment programs. It also creates a check-off on the Missouri individual and corporate income tax forms for contributions to the fund.

Senate Bill 538 , sponsored by Sen. Norma Champion (R-Springfield), puts into law the current practice of granting a monthly personal needs allowance for residents in long-term care facilities. Currently, the allowance is $30 per year. The bill would eventually increase the amount to $50 per year.

Senators once again debated the jobs bill, and discussion on Senate Bill 45 , sponsored by Sen. David Pearce (R-Warrensburg), went late into the night on Tuesday. The measure, which expands the Quality Jobs Act, also adds end dates to most tax credit programs in existence; further restricts the Missouri Development Finance Board’s ability to issue tax credits; and caps historic preservation tax credits at $125 million. Senators will likely continue debate next week.

Listen to the Senate Minute’s report on SB 45.

The Senate Appropriations Committee is working on the budget after the House last week passed all 13 budget bills. The committee will draft its version of the budget, which will be sent to the Senate floor for debate in the coming weeks. The Legislature is constitutionally required to pass the budget by May 8 this year.

The Missouri Senate will reconvene at 4 p.m. Monday, April 6, 2009. The First Regular Session of the 95th Missouri General Assembly will run through Friday, May 15, 2009.

The Missouri Senate General Column is written on a weekly basis. To follow these and other issues being addressed by the Missouri Senate, visit www.senate.mo.gov . Visitors can track legislation as it passes through the General Assembly, learn more about their Senate district, and listen to streaming audio of legislative debate as it happens. For more legislative news, please visit Senate Communications online. There you will find various audio and video programs, such as:

Subscribe / Unsubscribe

-END-