Looking Back on 2019
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” – the Apostle John
Memorial Day should always remind us of those who have served and are serving in our armed forces. As we remember our fallen, we should also honor those whose commitment includes laying down their lives if necessary.
First responders is another group whose commitment goes beyond self. They were on the ground regardless of the danger last week as residents throughout Missouri were impacted by recent storms. All our thoughts and prayers go to the residents throughout Missouri who were impacted. Three of my constituents lost their lives when a tornado ripped through the area of Golden City, and the region suffered significant property destruction. Later, an EF3 twister passed through Jefferson City. A number of historic homes near the Capitol building were among the many structures damaged. For information on recovery resources, or direction as to where you can donate or volunteer, please log onto the State Emergency Management Agency’s website at https://sema.dps.mo.gov.
It’s hard to imagine it was little more than a week ago that the Missouri General Assembly concluded its legislative activity for the year. We’ll come back to Jefferson City briefly in September for our annual veto session but, absent any unexpected special session, we’re finished passing laws until January 2020.
Lawmakers passed a statewide budget that spends $14 billion on social services, largely Medicaid. The School Foundation Formula, which funds K-12 classrooms, was fully funded at an ever-increasing level. Missouri will spend more than $6 billion on childhood education, with hardly any money allocated to supporting alternatives to failing public schools. The state’s public colleges and universities will receive $1.3 billion. Transportation accounts for $3 billion. The remaining 20 percent of Missouri’s $29 billion budget will fund all other government programs and services.
The First Regular Session of the 100th General Assembly will likely be remembered most for the strong stance we took in defense of unborn Missourians. House Bill 126, often referred to as “The Heartbeat Bill,” includes provisions that outlaw abortions after eight weeks, 14 weeks, 18 weeks and 20 weeks of fetal development. The bill is drafted so that if one or more of these thresholds is overturned in court, the rest will stand. The bill also prohibits selective abortions due to race or gender or because the child has been diagnosed with Down syndrome. Some have criticized the absence of an exemption for rape or incest. They are forgetting that the bill considers the product of conception, not the means. The unborn bears neither responsibility nor guilt for the means.
Infrastructure investment, one of the governor’s priorities for 2019, was addressed by Senate Concurrent Resolution 14, which authorizes $301 million in bond-based borrowing and 50 million from general revenue to pay for the repair or replacement of distressed bridges throughout Missouri. Twelve bridges in the 31st Senatorial District are scheduled for work under the transportation improvement plan.
House Bill 192 allows parole boards to deviate from mandatory minimum sentences in cases that don’t involve violent or sexual offenses. The bill also prohibits jailing offenders solely for failure to pay fines. Other criminal justice reforms passed this year added more non-violent offenses to the list of charges eligible for expungement from criminal records and allow victims of domestic violence to break their leases if they need to move for personal safety reasons. In addition to the humanitarian aspects of the bill, it should also save the state money without sacrificing public safety.
In other measures, House Bill 220 clarifies Missouri’s tax law so that taxes from wind energy projects will benefit local communities. Among the many provisions of Senate Bill 147 is legislation that allows the operation of a motorcycle without a helmet, so long as the rider carries medical insurance. The same bill also increases the exemption from motor vehicle inspections for new vehicles from five years to 10 years, or 150,000 miles. Finally, Senate Concurrent Resolution 14, which encourages public schools to offer an elective course on the Bible, was approved.
The Legislature passed more than 90 bills and resolutions in 2019. Some of these merit further discussion and elaboration in future legislative reports. In the end, I’m hopeful most will think we did some good for the citizens of Missouri and relatively little harm. If so, it was a relatively good legislative session.
Thank you for reading this legislative report. You can contact my office at (573) 751-2108 if you have any questions. Thank you and we welcome your prayers for the proper application of state government.