Counting Down the Weeks
Legislative activity continues in Jefferson City as the General Assembly begins the final weeks of the 2019 session. A number of important Senate bills already passed out of the chamber, while House bills occupy our attention in committee hearings. With just four weeks remaining in the session, we have begun looking for opportunities to incorporate our legislation into other bills as amendments.
In the Senate Judiciary Committee this week, we heard testimony on House Bill 113, which allows parole boards to deviate from minimum sentencing guidelines for certain non-violent offenders. This criminal justice reform legislation has wide bipartisan support and has been endorsed by prosecutors, corrections officials and the governor’s office.
The committee offered a substitute version of the legislation that incorporates a number of priorities for the Corrections Department, including a ban on drone flights over prisons and prohibitions against bringing certain communications devices into correctional facilities. The revised bill also adds measures that address carjacking and trespassing onto critical infrastructure facilities, such as public utilities.
A casual observer of floor debate in the Senate this week might become confused, as legislators launched extended filibusters. During a filibuster, legislators speak at length – sometimes discussing the legislation at hand, but other times expounding on seemingly unrelated topics. These protracted conversations can carry on late into the evening. In one instance this week, lawmakers talked until after 2 a.m.
The name filibuster dates to the days of the pirates. In legislative terms, a filibuster can be an attack on legislation, with the aim of stopping a bill. In the Missouri Senate, a filibuster is more often a tactic to force negotiation on a bill.
By design and tradition, the Missouri Senate is a deliberative body. All members are provided the opportunity to speak. Only rarely is debate cut short before everyone has been heard.
GOOD NEWS ON JOBS
Missourians received some good news this week from the Missouri Department of Economic Development. The March 2019 jobs report shows unemployment in the state continues to remain below the national average. Last month 3.3 percent of Missourians were unemployed, compared to 3.8 percent nationwide. This is the 32nd straight month that Missouri has outperformed the nation.
Non-farm employment in Missouri increased by 4,700 jobs in March, bringing the seasonally adjusted job estimate to 2,897,400, according to the report. More than 10,000 jobs have been added in Missouri during the past year. Professional and technical jobs have increased 4.9 percent, while manufacturing jobs grew by 2.4 percent.
PUTTING A FACE ON OPIOID ADDICTION
I applaud Missouri’s attorney general for the attention he’s brought to the opioid crisis in our state. The attorney general is asking Missourians to visit his department’s website and share stories of how opioid addiction has impacted their lives and those around them. The first-hand accounts he gathers may be used in lawsuits brought against manufacturers of these dangerous drugs.
The attorney general’s announcement provided startling statistics that illustrate the scope of this crisis. He reports that 951 Missourians died from opioid overdoses in 2017; that’s one of every 65 deaths in the state. More people die from opioids than are killed in car accidents. During the same period, more than 8,000 emergency room visits were due to opioid misuse.
U.S. Senator Roy Blunt was also in Jefferson City this week to speak to our Republican Caucus. Among other issues, he stressed the importance of the General Assembly passing a statewide prescription drug monitoring program, or “PDMP.” Senate Bill 155, my legislation to establish such a program in Missouri, has been placed on the calendar and can be brought up for debate by the full senate at any time. Missouri is currently the only state in America that lacks a statewide prescription drug monitoring program. Establishing a database of narcotic prescriptions will provide a powerful tool for pharmacists and physicians to spot signs of opioid abuse and refer patients to appropriate treatment and intervention.
It is my great honor to represent the citizens of Buchanan and Platte counties in the Missouri Senate. Please contact my office at 573-751-2183, or visit www.senate.mo.gov/luetkemeyer.