Volume 2, Issue 4 – The Week of Feb. 17, 2020
Talking Issues on the Senate Floor
It was another busy week in the Missouri Senate, with lawmakers debating new and different topics every day of the week. On the Senate floor, we spent hours discussing legislation ranging from gambling to criminal penalties and education, and even managed to pass a few bills out of the chamber.
Gambling has been a hot topic during the 2020 legislative session. On Feb. 17, the Senate discussed Senate Bill 530, which aims to crack down on illegal gambling. Under this legislation, the Missouri Gaming Commission must establish a contact line to receive reports of suspected illegal gambling activities, and then refer those reports to the Missouri Highway Patrol for investigation. While debating SB 530, an amendment was offered that would expand gambling opportunities in more areas across the state. The Senate is now grappling with the idea of targeting illegal gambling, while expanding gambling at the same time. The proposed amendment is still pending, as the bill was eventually laid over and is now waiting for future debate.
The Senate also briefly discussed another tough on crime piece of legislation this week. Senate Bills 538, 562 & 601 increase a variety of criminal penalties and would allow juveniles to be certified as adults for certain crimes. As this type of legislation continues to come up again and again in the Senate, I will continue to oppose it. I believe we should not be locking up people (especially children) for longer periods of time, but instead, we must work to provide opportunities that address the root cause of crime. This legislation was discussed briefly before being laid over on the informal calendar.
Several hours were also spent discussing the merits of Senate Bill 525, which would create a recovery charter high school in Kansas City for students struggling with substance abuse issues. The bill faced a number of criticisms, including not defining what “recovery” means for these students, allowing out-of-state residents to attend the school and how the expansion of charter schools could affect the state’s ability to fund public education. As with all charter schools, I question why their supporters are okay as long as charter schools are concentrated in urban areas, but vehemently object to placing them throughout the state. Allegedly, many charter schools do not deliver the kind of educational results their supporters claim. Following debate, SB 525 was also laid over.
While the bills above were debated without moving forward, the Senate did manage to approve several other pieces of legislation out of the chamber. For instance, Senate Bill 623 establishes a time frame for when court-appointed guardians ad litem (GALs) are to meet with children in abuse and neglect cases. GALs are there to represent the best interest of the child, so establishing a relationship early on in the court process is important. Meanwhile, Senate Bill 662 allows deer jerky to be donated to food pantries, and Senate Bill 554 seeks to establish training standards for county coroners. All three of these bills were approved by the Senate and now head to the Missouri House of Representatives.
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.