Greetings,

On May 18, the Missouri General Assembly officially concluded the 2018 legislative session, which began in January. In the last few weeks of session, the Senate and House of Representatives managed to pass a number of bills, some of which I support and some with which I disagree. Bills approved by both chambers of the General Assembly will be sent to the governor’s desk for his consideration. If he chooses to veto a bill, it then heads back to the legislature, which can choose to override the veto with a two-thirds vote of both chambers during the annual veto session in September.

I am happy to report that one of the bills I sponsored, Senate Bill 954, received final approval from the legislature on the last day of session — just in time! This proposal would change the law so that those found guilty of an unlawful use of a weapon by carrying a concealed weapon prior to Jan. 1, 2017, when constitutional-carry provisions went into effect in Missouri, can apply for expungement of that infraction from their criminal record. It’s only fair for us to treat all like cases equally; if we’re going to allow constitutional-carry in our state, it should be backdated to apply to past cases, as well. Although I personally do not support constitutional-carry policies, I do support consistent application of the law.

Two other measures I championed, in partnership with two of my House colleagues, were also passed by the General Assembly. One of those bills, House Bill 1517, requires the attorney general and the commissioner of administration to submit monthly reports to the General Assembly of all settlements and judgments paid from the state legal expense fund. This measure will help increase government accountability in the use of taxpayer funds.

The second of those bills, House Bill 1625, establishes the Missouri Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program. As I have written before, this program would provide low-income seniors with vouchers they can use to purchase farm-fresh food at local markets and roadside stands. Not only does this encourage healthy eating, but it also boosts the business of our state’s hardworking farmers. There’s a reason this bill received broad, bipartisan support — it’s a win for everyone involved.

On a less positive note, a few proposals I disagree with also managed to pass through the General Assembly during the final days of session. One of those measures, Senate Concurrent Resolution 49, will move the date of a referendum on previously approved right-to-work legislation from the November ballot to the August ballot. This is a political move, pure and simple. Supporters of right-to-work, the anti-labor union law passed by the General Assembly last year, know more people turn up to vote in the November general election than in the August primaries. By moving the referendum to overturn right-to-work, they hope to protect their legislation from the will of the people.

But I have faith that, no matter when the referendum is held, motivated labor supporters will turn out to see this harmful legislation repealed. After all, labor supporters managed to gather over 300,000 signatures on their petition to call the referendum on repealing right-to-work, while an opposing petition to install right-to-work in the Missouri Constitution, funded by wealthy donors, didn’t even manage to collect the minimum number of signatures required to make the ballot. In the end, democracy will work the way it should.

Below, you will find a chart tracking the final status of every bill I sponsored during the 2018 legislative session. These proposals are important to Missourians of all backgrounds, and I enjoyed discussing the merits of each and every one of them as they made their way through the legislative process.

In addition to the above bills, I was successful in getting language pertaining to school transportation truly agreed to and finally passed as an amendment to House Bill 1606. This language allows Kansas City Public Schools to contract with any municipality, bi-state agency or other governmental entity to transport students to and from school. I believe this will make it easier for our schools to get students where they need to be, safe and on time. It will also grant school districts the flexibility they need to choose the transportation services that make the most sense for their specific neighborhoods.

I also managed to pass pay raises for several positions in the Kansas City Police Department. This language was truly agreed to and finally passed as an amendment to House Bill 2562 — the same bill my “good neighbor” legislation, Senate Bill 780, was attached to. Under the new language, the base salary for many KCPD employees, including lieutenant colonels, majors, captains, sergeants, master patrol officers, master detectives and detectives, will rise by several thousand dollars each. Our fine police force should be rewarded for its hard work in keeping our city safe. I’m truly happy to see these dedicated workers get the raises they deserve.

Please know I value your input, and I invite you to visit my Capitol office if you are ever in Jefferson City. You may access my Senate website at senate.mo.gov/curls.

<< May 14, 2018