This week the State Board of Education approved new Missouri Learning Standards. Work groups comprised of educators and parents from around the state have worked hard over the past year to create these standards. I was proud that several constituents from my district were chosen to serve on these work groups, and I want to thank them for a job well done. Missouri’s local school districts will now determine curriculum to meet the new standards. As many of you know, this has been a long and contentious process, but I am pleased we were able to come together at all levels to accomplish Missouri Learning Standards.
I am also very pleased to say two of my 2016 priority measures are now in the home stretch and should be heading to the governor’s desk within the next few legislative days. Senate Bill 620, my career and technical education (CTE) bill, is awaiting one final vote in the House, at which point it will be considered truly agreed and finally passed.
Senate Bill 620 seeks to expand CTE programs in Missouri by requiring the state Board of Education to establish minimum graduation requirements for a CTE certificate that a student can earn in addition to their high school diploma. Under SB 620, students entering high school in the 2017-2018 academic year and thereafter will be eligible for a CTE certificate.
Here are just a few of the myriad ways a robust CTE network benefits our state and its citizens. To begin with, CTE programs help prepare students for life after high school by providing them with options: they have the necessary skills to enter the workforce or a technical school or move on to a two- or four-year college or university. CTE programs also yield big returns for states that wisely choose to invest in them. Finally, a strong CTE network ensures Missouri will always have a qualified labor force to fill in-demand jobs in the STEM fields, health care and, especially, the skilled trade sectors, such as utilities and transportation. As I’ve said before, CTE is the new wave of education, and it has been my privilege to be a voice for the CTE community.
On Wednesday, the House voted to pass my telehealth legislation: Senate Bill 621. Since it has been amended, the Senate must give its final approval before it can go to the governor. Telehealth allows doctors to practice remotely, via a computer or telephone connection. This increases the availability of health care in every corner of the state, most especially in rural communities that often do not have as much access to specialists and the most advanced technologies.
In addition to expanding the number of providers and health care sites that are eligible to provide telehealth services, SB 621 also addresses the use of asynchronous store-and-forward technology in the practice of telehealth services for MO HealthNet and establishes a statewide home telemonitoring program for the MO HealthNet program. Expanding telehealth services in Missouri is one of the recommended reforms to come out of the 2013 Interim Committee on Medicaid Transformation and Reform, which I chaired.
Advancing CTE and telehealth in the Show-Me State has been an effort two years in the making, and I am proud of the very real progress we’ve achieved. I sincerely hope the governor sees the same incredible value of these programs and services as I do, and as I know so many of you do as well.
House Bill 1479 is a local-issue bill I am currently handling in the Senate. This legislation changes the time period for candidate filing in cases where a candidate withdraws from the race within two working days prior to the deadline. Filing shall reopen from the first Tuesday after the normal filing deadline until 5 p.m. of the Friday of that same week. A public hearing has been held on HB 1479, and we anticipate it being taken up on the floor here very shortly.
I was happy to once again welcome Mr. Louie Seiberlich with KREI. Louie was at the Capitol this week, conducting interviews with representatives and senators from the area. Louie makes it up to Jefferson City every year, and I certainly do appreciate his dedication to bringing news from the Capitol to folks back home. I also had the pleasure of meeting with a few folks from back home: Cindy O’Neill, Judy and Michael Tilley, and Mike G. Hedrick. Thank you for taking the time to stop by.
Finally, it is with deep sadness that I offer my heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of former Missouri State Senator Carl Vogel, who passed away last Thursday. Over the course of his 20 years in the Legislature, Carl had the chance to know and work with many past and present lawmakers, and I am sincerely thankful to have been one of them. As a public servant, businessman, community leader, veteran, husband, father and friend, he leaves behind a truly impressive legacy. I ask you to please keep the entire Vogel family in your thoughts and prayers and to take a moment to celebrate the life of this great Missourian.
Contact Me
I always appreciate hearing your comments, opinions and concerns. Please feel free to contact me in Jefferson City at (573) 751-4008. You may write me at Gary Romine, Missouri Senate, State Capitol, Jefferson City, MO 65101; or email me at gary.romine@senate.mo.gov; or www.senate.mo.gov/romine.