This week saw a variety of issues discussed in committee and debated on the Senate floor.
I personally had the opportunity to present several bills I sponsored to committee, including Senate Bill 782. This bill allows a person with a valid concealed carry permit to exercise his or her Second Amendment rights on a public transportation system. You might remember an incident that occurred on the MetroLink last year where a gentleman was badly beaten while riding the train. I believe people should have the ability to protect themselves, and that taxpayer-funded transportation systems should not be disarming law-abiding citizens. Changing the law may also help prevent similar situations from occurring in the future.
This week also saw movement of some of the bills I’ve sponsored. One of these was Senate Bill 771, relating to the use of paper ballots for elections, which was voted out of the Senate Committee on Financial and Governmental Organizations and Elections. We have all heard of numerous high profile computer hacking incidents in the last several years. My bill would require a paper ballot to be the official ballot in elections to ensure the integrity of our election process. I believe there are several benefits to using paper ballots, including the low cost and the ability to have an accurate, auditable record of the election results.
On the Senate floor, I had the opportunity to present Senate Bill 804, which would give Missouri prosecutors an important tool to fight the scourge of human trafficking. The bill adds, as an element to the crime of trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation, advertising the availability of another person for sexual conduct without his or her consent. This legislation, which I’ve mentioned in previous columns, pertains to both the trafficking of children and of adults. The St. Louis area is one of the top 20 regions in the nation in terms of trafficking, given its population and its location along major highways. I applaud the work of Congresswoman Ann Wagner and Representative Elijah Haahr for leading the charge on this legislation, and I am happy we were able to get it moving through the Senate early this Session.
The Senate also continued to debate some of the ethics reform legislation that has moved from the House, including House Bill 1983. This legislation prevents elected officials from acting as paid political consultants. Essentially, it prevents sitting officials from running campaigns for others while the sitting official is in office. Situations like these, which have happened in the past, cause the public to lose trust in their elected officials. I am glad Senators agreed on the need to clean up this practice and were able to move swiftly to pass the legislation.
In addition to the many topics of discussion in committee and on the floor, I had a great time of meeting with constituents from the Second Senatorial District, including Marissa Nadler of Augusta and Kayla Kramer of St. Peters who were in town this week for the Missouri Speech Language Hearing Association’s Legislative Day. I also met with Missouri State University student and constituent from Wentzville, Lucas Cozart. I had the pleasure of meeting with a group of prosecutors from across the state, including our own county prosecutor, Tim Lohmar, to discuss legislative issues of importance to their organization this session. I greatly appreciate the work our prosecutors do to uphold the laws of this state.
Next week will likely see a variety of issues up for discussion on the Senate floor. Some topics on the perfection calendar include changes to transportation funding in the state, legislation often referred to as paycheck protection which would prohibit unions from using a members’ dues for political purposes without their consent, legislation that would require a valid photo ID to vote in the state, and legislation protecting religious liberty, among other topics.
I look forward to the important discussions on these topics and others. Thank you for allowing me to serve you in the Missouri Legislature. It’s an honor and privilege that I take very seriously.
Very Sincerely,
Capitol Visitors- I always enjoy welcoming visitors to my office, most especially constituents from my district.
Contacting Sen. Onder
Throughout this session, I will do my best to keep you informed of our work here in the Capitol. I encourage you to contact my office if you have comments, questions or concerns.
For constituent questions, scheduling and general questions, please contact my Scheduler and Director of Constituent Services Theckla Spainhower at Theckla.Spainhower@senate.mo.gov.
For questions pertaining to legislation, please contact my Chief of Staff and Legislative Director Jennae Neustadt at Jennae.Neustadt@senate.mo.gov.
You can reach my Capitol office at (573) 751-1282. You can also e-mail me personally at Bob.Onder@senate.mo.gov.
I would like to encourage you to sign up for my weekly capitol reports so we can inform you of our work each week. Please email Theckla Spainhower at Theckla.Spainhower@senate.mo.gov to be added to our mailing list.
Thank you again for your support. I look forward to serving you.
Very Sincerely,
Robert F. (Bob) Onder, Jr.