Legislative Actions and Information for the Week of April 9, 2018
| The Missouri Senate continued to move forward this past week. Senator Nasheed and her colleagues passed numerous bills and proposals, sending them to the House of Representatives for consideration. In addition, the Senate Appropriations Committee began discussing and debating the budget approved by the Missouri House.
On The Floor This week, the Missouri Senate approved several pieces of legislation and sent them over to the Missouri House of Representatives. One of these measures addressed the issue of term limits in the General Assembly. Currently, legislators in Missouri can serve a maximum of eight years in the Missouri House of Representatives and a maximum of eight years in the Missouri Senate. Senate Joint Resolution 27 modifies these term limits to allow legislators to serve in either chamber for no more than 16 years combined. This means elected leaders can spend more time in one chamber or the other. Some have argued that modifying term limits allows experienced lawmakers to stay in their preferred chamber longer and pass along their expertise to newer legislators instead of being termed out of office. Senator Nasheed understands the experience argument, however she voted against this proposal because she believes the bill does not apply to lawmakers currently serving in the Missouri General Assembly. According to the legislation, a current member of the General Assembly, who is nearing the end of their 16 years in the two chambers, may be allowed to run again for an additional 16 years under the current language of SJR 27. Senator Nasheed opposes extending term limits for those currently in office. She believes this resolution does not honor the intention of the term limits put in place by Missourians that enacted a constitutional change in 1992. While Sen. Nasheed voted against the measure, the Missouri Senate has approved SRJ 27 by a margin of 20-12. It now heads to the Missouri House for further consideration. While the General Assembly may approve this proposal before the end of the legislative session, it would not become law unless approved by Missouri voters. Bills and Committees Several of Sen. Nasheed’s priorities continued to move through the legislative process this week, either as stand-alone bills or as amendments to other bills. Senate Bill 652 – This legislation allows deputies with the Office of the Sheriff of the City of St. Louis to be Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) certified. This bill was approved by the Missouri Senate, sent to the Missouri House and is awaiting a hearing before the House’s Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee. This legislation also continues to move through the process as an amendment to another bill. Senate Bill 652 was amended onto Senate Bill 966, which contains several provisions dealing with the administration of the state’s criminal justice system. Senate Bill 966 has been sent to the Missouri House and second read. Senate Bill 803 – This bill prohibits the use of shackles on pregnant offenders during transportation, medical visits and labor. Senate Bill 803 was amended onto Senate Bill 870, which was sent to the Missouri House of Representatives and approved by the House Government Efficiency Committee. Senate Bill 870 now heads to the House Rules Committee before proceeding to the House floor for further consideration. Senate Bill 792 – This bill allows those who were forced into sex trafficking and prostitution against their will to apply to have those charges expunged from their records. Senator Nasheed’s SB 792 was amended onto Senate Bill 793, which raises the age of adulthood from 17 to 18 with regard to criminal offenses. This bill was approved by the House Judiciary Committee on April 10. Senate Bill 804 – This proposal reauthorizes the Donated Food Tax Credit until December 31, 2026. This language has been amended onto House Bill 1288, which has been voted out of the Senate’s Fiscal Oversight Committee and is making its way to the Senate floor for discussion and debate. Senate Bill 925 – This legislative proposal addresses property tax issues surrounding urban and community gardens. It has been combined with Senate Bill 627, which has been sent to the Missouri House and heard by the House’s Agriculture Policy committee on April 10. Appropriations The Senate Appropriations Committee has begun to review and revise the $28 billion state budget approved by the Missouri House of Representatives. This committee will carefully analyze the Missouri House’s budget and work to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and benefit all Missourians. Senator Nasheed is hard at work to increase funding for a number of programs and organizations including: apprenticeship programs, Midtown in St. Louis, SLATE Summer Jobs program, Annie Malone Children and Family Services, Crisis Nursery Program and Mission St. Louis. Senator Nasheed strongly supports protecting children and ensuring that Missouri has a well-trained and educated workforce. She will continue to work diligently to ensure that Missouri’s state budget reflects those priorities. Another important priority for Sen. Nasheed is ensuring that Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) receive the funding they deserve. Harris-Stowe State University and Lincoln University are on the bottom of the list when it comes to funding. When the General Assembly cuts higher education funding, it cuts universities and colleges equally across the board. However, when it comes to providing tax dollars to higher education institutions, we fund each university and college differently. Some receive more and others receive less, which has placed Missouri’s HBCUs at a funding disadvantage. Senator Nasheed believes the state needs a clear and consistent funding model for higher education. The General Assembly should not be able to pick and choose whatever they want to give to each university. HBCUs continue to be at the bottom of the funding barrel year after year, and Sen. Nasheed is sick of it. She will fight for HBCUs and their right to have more proportional funding. Other News House Investigative Committee Releases Report The House Special Investigative Committee on Oversight released a report on the allegations facing the governor on Wednesday, April 11. The report provides information on an extramarital affair that the governor had in 2015 before becoming governor. Reaction to the report’s release has varied, with some suggesting the governor step down or floating the idea of possible impeachment. After being briefed on the report, Sen. Nasheed renewed her call for the governor to resign. Meanwhile, the House Special Investigative Committee on Oversight will continue to investigate additional issues surrounding the governor throughout the remaining weeks of the legislative session. The governor is set to stand trial in St. Louis on May 14 for a felony invasion of privacy charge after allegedly photographing his mistress in a state of undress without her permission. Senator Nasheed’s Former Chief of Staff Passes Away Senator Jamilah Nasheed today issued the following statement relating to the passing of Eric Vickers, her former Chief of Staff. “Eric Vickers was a catalyst for change. He was an activist, getting involved in protest and politics at an early age. He knew the world could be a better place if only we’d fight for it. And that’s what he did his entire life. From the streets of St. Louis to Wall Street, he fought for minorities, women, the underprivileged and the voiceless. He was firm in his beliefs, but he also understood the value of compromise and working together for the greater good. He had a true heart of an activist. “In the twenty years I knew him, Eric Vickers was a mentor to me. He encouraged me, educated me, but perhaps most importantly, he challenged me. It was an honor to know him and work alongside him as he fought against oppression wherever it was. I am saddened by his loss, and my heart goes out to his family, but I believe his memory lives on as an example of what it means to be a catalyst for real change. It is my hope that in remembering him, we will remember to be the change that he always strived for.” Eric Vickers was a man of strong Islamic faith who prayed five times a day. His visitation is Saturday, April 14 at 1:00 p.m. at Darul-Islam Masjid, 517 Weidman Rd., Ballwin, MO 63011. Funeral Prayers will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the same address. The burial will be 2:30 p.m. on April 14 at Lakewood Park Cemetery, 7330 Mackenzie Rd., St Louis, MO 63123. |