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“Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of meeting with local St. Louis hair braiders in support of House Bill 230. I first began supporting this issue in 2011 when I introduced a similar bill during my time as a representative in the Missouri House. I believe that individuals making a living off of the skills of hair braiding should not be required to obtain the unrelated trainings offered in cosmetology schools. I am not alone in this belief; it has bipartisan support.
Later in the week, on Thursday, Feb. 8, various groups and organizations traveled to Jeff City to speak about many important issues.
Members of the Missouri Arts Council visited my office to advocate for their budgetary needs. As a strong supporter of the arts, I understand their frustration with the recent budget cuts. We must support participation in the arts among our youth and within the city of St. Louis.
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America was also in attendance to lobby legislators for smart and necessary gun safety and increased background checks. The nonpartisan group was created in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. With the present contested issue of members on the other side about current security measures in Jeff City, and those members’ push for the allowance of guns in the Capitol building, we have to push — more now than ever — for gun safety.
Thursday, Feb. 8, was also Lincoln University Day at the Capitol. The presence of dozens of Lincoln alum, including former legislators and current staff, promoted the great educational opportunities offered at Lincoln University. We enjoyed delicious food, jazz music and the spirited individuals at the Capitol on behalf of the university. Blue Tiger Pride!” – Sen. Nasheed
On the Floor
On Tuesday, Feb. 7, the President Pro-Tempore proposed Senate Resolution 197, which would allow senators to change the order of business during legislative session. A member of the minority caucus offered an amendment to the proposal of the President Pro-Tempore. The amendment was adopted by the Senate by a vote of 18-15. Following the adoption, the President Pro-Tempore withdrew his resolution. It may be heard on the floor at a later date.
Bills & Committee
On Wednesday, Feb. 8, Senate Bill 190 was heard in the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment. The bill was passed out of committee by a vote of 8-1 and will be placed on the legislative calendar.
SB 190 — This act would modify provisions relating to ratemaking for public utilities. This bill will have a positive effect on the city of St. Louis through allowing public utilities to expand and meet consumers’ needs quickly and efficiently while finding innovative ways to maintain or lower costs.
SB 341 — This bill would raise the offense of patronizing a prostitute from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class E felony when the individual whom the offender patronizes is between the ages of 14 and 18. It would also raise the offense of patronizing a prostitute from a class E felony to a Class D felony when the individual who the offender patronizes is 14 years old or younger. The act would require any person convicted of patronizing a prostitute, when the person patronized is under the age of 18, to register as a sex offender. This bill is scheduled for a hearing in the Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee at 2 p.m. on Monday, Feb.13, 2017.
“Last month during the Second Annual Sex Trafficking Awareness Day, the people — senators, staff and guests — in this building, the Capitol, witnessed how much support there is for the Legislature to stop the exploitation of our most vulnerable: our children,” Sen. Nasheed said. “And I think the fact that the Judiciary Committee will hear my bill is indicative of the strong support it has.”
Other News
Opponents seek to force vote on ‘Right-to-Work’
Hours after the governor signed a so-called “Right-to-Work” bill into law on Feb. 6, the Missouri AFL-CIO filed a referendum petition that would require a statewide vote on the measure before it can take effect. Labor groups are also pursuing a proposed constitutional amendment that would prohibit the General Assembly from enacting Right-to-Work laws in the future.
Right-to-Work opponents have until Aug. 28 – the day the measure takes effect – to submit petitions signed by roughly 100,000 registered Missouri voters. If they do so, the Right-to-Work measure will automatically go on the November 2018 statewide ballot and won’t take effect unless voters approve it.
Senate Bill 19 would make it a crime — punishable by jail time — for business owners to negotiate labor contracts that requires workers to pay dues for the union representation they receive. Lawmakers from the minority party sought to include a provision placing the bill on the statewide ballot. But the majority party blocked that effort, leaving the referendum petition as the only option to give voters a say on the issue.
The referendum petition is a rarely used process similar to the more common initiative petition. But while an initiative petition bypasses lawmakers by proposing legislation before voters for their approval, a referendum petition takes an act of the General Assembly and forces a statewide vote on it.
The last time a referendum petition was successfully employed to force a vote was on House Bill 695, a bill lawmakers enacted in 1981 to allow larger trucks on Missouri highways. The bill went on the April 1982 ballot as Proposition A, which was rejected by 53.3 percent of voters.
In addition to submitting the SB 19 referendum petition, labor groups are circulating an initiative petition for a proposed constitutional amendment to block future Right-to-Work legislation. The issue last went before voters in 1978 when 60 percent rejected Amendment 23, which sought to constitutionally mandate Right-to-Work.
House sends another anti-labor bill to the Senate
The House of Representatives on Feb. 9 voted 95-60 to advance legislation that would make it more difficult and costly for labor unions to collect membership dues. The measure, House Bill 251, went to the Senate on a largely party-line vote with the majority party generally in support and nearly every member of the minority party in opposition.
Last year, the previous governor, a Democrat, vetoed a similar bill, and the Republican-controlled Legislature fell one Senate vote short of overriding the veto. The current governor, a Republican, has generally been supportive of anti-labor proposals.
HB 251 would impose new procedural barriers to the efficient and timely collection of union dues by requiring workers to reauthorize payroll deductions for union dues more frequently.
State Supreme Court Vacancy Draws 31 Applicants
Thirty-one lawyers have applied for the Missouri Supreme Court vacancy created by the Nov. 29 death of Judge Richard Teitelman, the Appellate Judicial Commission announced on Feb. 7. The commission will interview the applicants on Feb. 28 and March 1, and then select three finalists to submit to the governor, who must choose one of them or forfeit the decision to the commission.
The applicants include two members of the Missouri Court of Appeals and 10 state trial judges, the bulk of whom are Republican. The selection commission consists of Supreme Court Chief Justice Patricia Breckenridge, a Republican appointee; three lawyers elected by members of the Missouri Bar and three non-lawyers chosen by the last governor, a Democrat.
Our current governor, a Republican, has called for eliminating the commission and allowing the governor to appoint whomever he wants to judicial vacancies, but such a change would require a voter-approved constitutional amendment. In 2012, 76 percent of voters rejected the most recent attempt to change Missouri’s judicial selection process.
Net state revenue up 3 percent so far in FY 2017
Net year-to-date state general revenue collections increased 3 percent through the first seven months of the 2017 fiscal year, compared to the same period in FY 2016, going from $4.96 billion last year to $5.11 billion this year. Net collections for January 2017 increased 7.1 percent, compared to those for January 2016, going from $791.6 million to $848.1 million.