The second regular session of the 99th General Assembly must end by 6 p.m., this Friday. From the first day of session, the Senate devoted it’s time to passing meaningful legislation that would have a positive effect on all Missourians. I am proud to say we passed several pieces of legislation improving our children’s education; strengthening our state’s workforce and increase economic development opportunities throughout the state.
Providing a quality, public school education is a priority of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. We all want to see our schools succeed, and I am proud to say the $28 billion budget passed by my colleagues provides record funding for our state’s public schools. By providing an additional $98 million to the state’s education Foundation Formula, the General Assembly voted to fully fund the formula for a second year in a row. In addition, our budget provides an additional $10 million in school transportation funding for our state’s public schools. In rural school districts, this additional funding is vital to ensuring children safely make it to school. Providing the necessary funding for our schools to succeed is a priority of every member of the Missouri General Assembly. A quality education not only provides Missouri’s children with the foundation they need to succeed, but it plays a major role in ensuring our communities prosper and the overall success of our state. We passed several bills, which will benefit our students for years to come.
Throughout this session, my colleagues and I have approved several bills, which I believe will improve the quality of our state’s public education. Recently, the Missouri Senate gave final approval to legislation intended to attract high paying jobs to Missouri. Senate Bill 894/921, incentivizes high school students to take computer science courses.
This legislation requires new computer science standards to include coding and programming along with guidelines designed for K-12 schools. This will encourage more Missouri students to study computer science by allowing these courses to count toward high school graduation. The bill also creates a certification program for computer science teachers as well as introduces an online program that showcases STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) careers and their impact on today’s economy.
The Missouri General Assembly passed Senate Bill 547, legislation that creates a pilot program that allows farmers to produce and purchase hemp in Missouri. Under the proposal, the Department of Agriculture would regulate the production and marketing of hemp. I believe this proposal will allow us to expand Missouri’s agricultural landscape and provide our farmers with a new source of revenue.
The bill also ensures hemp growers are not subject to federal laws under the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act. Currently, hemp is classified among drugs such as cannabis, despite the fact it contains less than .3 percent of THC. Currently, there are 34 states who have enacted hemp bills, issuing nearly 1,500 licenses to produce the crop. Hemp can be used for a variety of products. For example, hemp is used to create rope, clothing, food and even building materials. Although it is one of the oldest crops known to man, it is unusual because nearly every part of the plant has value. Until recently, hemp was an illegal crop due to its relationship to marijuana, therefore it is important to note that industrial hemp is not the same as marijuana.
Currently, Missouri is one of five states where 17-year-old children can be sent to prison for committing crimes, no matter how minor the offense. Earlier this month, my Senate colleagues and I approved Senate Bill 793, legislation raising the age of adult court jurisdiction from 17 years of age to 18 years.
In Missouri, 17-year-olds can’t vote, they can’t serve on juries and they can’t even buy a lottery ticket. However, our court system automatically tries 17-year-olds as adults, no matter how minor the crime. Missouri’s prison system is not set up to address the needs of children. Offenders who have served their time in our correctional system are three times more likely to return to prison than kids leaving one of our state’s juvenile facilities.
Senate Bill 793 does not prevent the court system from prosecuting 17-year-olds accused of serious crimes as adults. This legislation not only provides numerous economic and practical benefits to our state, but it extends an opportunity for our young people to address issues in their lives while keeping them out of the Department of Corrections’ adult facilities.
In addition, the Missouri Department of Conservation is looking for public feedback as they begin reviewing the regulations regarding gigging on Ozark streams. Please visit https://mdc.mo.gov and click on “Gigging Feedback,” to fill out the short survey, before the commenting period ends June 15.
Thank you for reading this weekly column. Please contact my office at (573) 751-3678 if you have any questions.