Compelling Testimony
In the Missouri Senate we hear testimony from many experts during committee hearings. Listening to professional advocates discuss details of proposed legislation, it’s easy to fall into the trap of looking at bills in abstract terms, without fully appreciating their effect on everyday Missourians.
Occasionally, we have the privilege to hear from true experts – the people who actually are directly impacted by what we do at the State Capitol. That was the case this week when the Government Reform Committee heard testimony from a group of children who came to Jefferson City in support of Senate Bill 349, which modifies Missouri law regarding reading success programs.
The young students who took turns reading testimony were some of the most compelling witnesses I have heard during my time as a state senator. One by one, they shared moving accounts of the positive ways that reading improvement programs changed their lives. These remarkable youngsters truly brought home the importance of the legislation the committee was considering and provided a powerful reminder of the impact our work has on the lives of Missouri children.
Senate Bill 30, which passed through the Government Reform Committee two weeks ago, was approved by the full Senate this week and sent to the House for consideration. This measure allows a vehicle occupant’s failure to wear a safety belt to be admissible as evidence of the occupant’s own negligence in a lawsuit. In other words, if someone fails to wear a seatbelt, and it contributes to that person’s injury, the jury is entitled to consider that in reducing the money awarded to the person in a lawsuit. The only thing truly surprising about this commonsense legislation is the fact that it was not already the law. Under current law, the majority of a person’s injuries could be caused by the failure to wear a seatbelt, and yet a jury was able to reduce an award in a civil case by only 1 percent. This bill places personal responsibility on those who chose not to wear a seatbelt, without mandating seatbelt usage.
Perhaps one of the easiest legislative decisions I have faced as a senator came as Senate Bill 386 was presented to the Judiciary Committee. This legislation is the result of a situation that arose in northeast Missouri. A proposed day care center sought a license to operate at a location immediately adjacent to a treatment center that houses sexual offenders. Incredibly, the Department of Health and Senior Services has no express authority to deny the license due to the facility’s location. This bill provides the flexibility to stop this sort of situation from occurring, and will protect our children from possible exploitation. I expect it will pass the Senate easily.
Senate Bill 144, which came before the General Laws Committee this week, was another piece of legislation that was easy to support. Anyone with a cell phone knows the frustration of receiving a call that appears to come from a local number, only to be greeted by a telemarketer when we answer the call. This bill adds the practice of call “spoofing” to Missouri’s no-call telemarketing law.
In other legislative activity this week, I was pleased that Senate Bill 265 was passed out of the Education Committee. This is the bill to create a voting student member on the University of Missouri Board of Curators. On a somewhat related note, the governor nominated two northwest Missouri residents to seats on Missouri Western University’s Board of Governors. As the only four-year institution of higher learning located within the 34th Senatorial District, this school is a vital resource for the residents of Platte and Buchanan counties. One of the appointees is a resident of the district, Alan Landes of St. Joseph. These appointments fill vacant seats on the Board of Governors, and couldn’t come at a better time, as the board is currently selecting a new university president.
Finally, I had the privilege of welcoming firefighters from our communities as they came to Jefferson City to be recognized as part of Firefighter Appreciation Day at the Capitol. The governor held a ceremony for firefighters in the Rotunda, and I was able to visit with fire chiefs from the Southern Platte Fire Protection District and the City of Riverside. It’s always an honor to spend time with the brave first responders who do so much to protect us.
It is my great honor to represent the citizens of Platte and Buchanan counties in the Missouri Senate. Please contact my office at 573-751-2183, or visit www.senate.mo.gov/luetkemeyer.