Reaching the Halfway Point in the Session
The 2019 legislative session is nearly half over. Lawmakers will take next week off to spend time in their respective districts. When we return to the Capitol, we’ll have a full slate of legislation to consider. To date, more than 570 bills and resolutions have been introduced in the Missouri Senate, while the House of Representatives has drafted about 1,500 separate pieces of legislation. Many of those measures will receive careful consideration before the First Regular Session of the 100th General Assembly adjourns on May 17.
Two bills that I have submitted were heard in committee this week.
Senate Bill 439 raises the cap on Missouri’s linked deposit program, which is administered by the state treasurer’s office. This initiative partners state government resources with local lenders to help grow Missouri farms and small businesses. Money from the state is deposited in a local bank and that money is then loaned to qualifying borrowers at interest rates below typical financing costs.
The state treasurer has recently rebranded the linked deposit program with a new name, Missouri FIRST, or Financing Investment in our Rural, Small Business and Technology communities. Currently, state participation in the program is capped at $720 million. This legislation raises that cap to $800 million, allowing Missouri FIRST to continue as increased demand and rising interest rates push the program closer to its lending ceiling. The bill, which was heard by the Insurance and Banking Committee, also increases the amount of the loan fund that can be allocated to financing small businesses.
About 160 banks participate in the program statewide and the average loan is just under $500,000. Eligible borrowers include farming or livestock operations, agribusinesses, small businesses, multi-tenant developments, residential property developers and others. Local governments may also apply for linked deposit financing.
Another bill I presented this week would require the Children’s Division of the Department of Social Services to attempt to locate adult siblings of children being placed in foster care. Senate Bill 440 declares that adult siblings or parents of siblings shall be given priority when placement determinations are made.
At the heart of this legislation is the belief that the sibling bond is unique and that the connection between siblings should be maintained. Children who have been removed from the custody of their birth parents have the right to be placed with their siblings, whenever possible.
The Seniors, Families and Children Committee heard testimony about the importance of preserving the connections between siblings. One witness, the administrator of an adoption support organization, told the committee that 85 percent of children placed in foster care have brothers or sisters. She said that when foster care alumni are interviewed as adults they often say they lived their entire life with the feeling that some part of them was missing. Even siblings who have never met still have a bond and roots they share.
Often, adoption and foster care are the unfortunate result of dysfunction or trauma within a family. The emotional scars from these situations stay with a child as they grow into adulthood and linger throughout their life. The loss of connection with a sibling is one of the most grievous aspects of the experience. When the state of Missouri steps into a difficult family situation, it has an obligation to minimize the trauma. Keeping siblings together is one important thing the state can do to lessen the damage.
It’s my honor to serve as your senator for the 16th District. If you have questions or need any assistance, please call my office at 573-751-5713 or log onto my webpage at https://www.senate.mo.gov/brown for more information.