Volume 1, Issue 16 – The Week of May 13, 2019
The End of the 2019 Legislative Session
During the final weeks of the legislative session, you never really know what is going to happen. In the countdown to 6 p.m. on the final Friday of session, lawmakers work harder than ever to get their legislation passed and sent off to the governor. As the legislative session comes to a close, debates are had, tensions rise, compromise is often sought, all while the clock ticks toward 6 p.m.
The final week of the legislative session saw the Missouri General Assembly pass Senate Bill 68. This bill contains a wide array of economic development programs meant to help Missouri grow and prosper. Part of the legislation includes tax incentives aimed at getting General Motors to expand their facility in Wentzville. GM has expressed interest in investing $1 billion in Missouri through a facility expansion and by creating hundreds of jobs. To show our state’s commitment to a quality workforce, SB 68 also creates a new program called Fast-Track. This is a scholarship program geared toward adults aged 25 years and older to pursue degrees in high-in-demand fields. Fast-Track is meant to ensure that Missouri’s workforce is prepared to meet the needs of our technology-driven economy. Ultimately, I believe SB 68 provides the best economic development package possible to help our state retain jobs and develop a strong and capable workforce. After being approved by the Missouri Senate, SB 68 now heads to the governor for final approval.
The Missouri Senate also spent a great amount of time discussing perhaps one of the most controversial topics of our time: abortion. House Bill 126 is an abortion omnibus bill containing many provisions restricting abortion access in our state. HB 126 contains a tiered system of abortion bans in the hopes of sustaining legal challenges. The earliest ban on abortion in HB 126 occurs at 8 weeks of pregnancy, with exemptions for medical emergencies. If that provision is struck down in the courts, other abortion bans at 14, 18 and 20 weeks would follow. Some members of the Missouri Senate, including myself, had strong objections to this legislation, believing it threatens a woman’s right to choose and involves government in a deeply personal decision. Members of the Senate spent hours in negotiations trying to find a path forward that avoided a filibuster, as well as the use of a procedural motion that would have immediately ended all debate and forced a vote on the bill. Working through the night and into the early morning of May 16, the Senate reached a compromise on certain sections of the bill, allowing it move forward.
Another bill debated in the final days of session was Senate Bill 147, dealing with motor vehicle registrations. This bill includes a partial repeal of our state’s helmet law for motorcycles. SB 147 allows individuals 18 years and older who have health insurance covering motorcycle accidents to opt to not wear a helmet. I oppose this partial repeal of our state helmet law. By providing exemptions to this law, I believe we are threatening the safety of motorcycle riders. In states where helmet laws were repealed, statistics indicate that those states saw an increase in motorcycle-related accidents and deaths. I believe even a partial repeal of the helmet law is dangerous public policy, and I oppose it.
A lot of legislation moved through the Senate in the final week, including two of my legislative priorities. We were able to pass my Senate Bill 210, dealing with official state designations. This bill names the pawpaw tree as the state fruit tree and the hellbender salamander as the official state endangered species. This legislation has held a special place in my heart, as I have worked with students from the New City School in St. Louis to get it passed. These students, while learning about our great state in the fourth grade, proposed the pawpaw tree to be named as our state fruit tree. I have loved working with these students who are now in the sixth grade, and I am so glad to see all of their hard work pay off with SB 210 now making its way to the governor’s desk.
Another one of my legislative priorities was included in a House bill that was approved by the General Assembly. My Senate Bill 8 & 74 was amended onto House Bill 192 and allows courts to depart from some mandatory minimum prison sentences under certain circumstances. I believe this is an important reform to our state’s criminal justice system. I believe the courts should be able to consider the specifics of the individual case and have more discretion in sentencing than they currently do. A one-size-fits-all approach to the criminal justice system does not work and only harms Missourians. I am glad to see this piece of criminal justice reform make its way through the legislative process and head to the governor for consideration.
Thank you for your interest in the legislative process. I look forward to hearing from you on the issues that are important to you this legislative session. If there is anything my office can do for you, please do not hesitate to contact my office at (573) 751-3599.