Senators returned to Jefferson City this week hoping to accomplish a great deal before the legislative spring break.

On Monday evening, Senators debated Senate Bill 29.  The bill would allow public employee labor unions to withhold fees from public employee paychecks only upon the written consent of the employee.  The act would also require the public employee's annual consent for public employee labor unions to use fees and dues for political purposes, and states that the employee must authorize the amount to be used for political contributions to be transferred to the labor union's continuing committee. Finally, the bill states that the authorization of, or refraining from authorizing any amount, shall have no effect on employment. The debate lasted well into the early morning hours on Tuesday before it was officially perfected, giving it first-round approval in the Senate.

Senators returned Tuesday morning to debate Senate Joint Resolution 16, a resolution sponsored by Sen. Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City.  The constitutional proposal, if approved by Missouri voters, would raise the state sales and use tax by one percent for a period of ten years.  The proceeds from the resolution are slated to be used for transportation purposes. Ninety percent would be deposited into a newly created trust fund known as the “Transportation Sales Tax Fund.”  Those monies may be used for purposes associated with the highway system.  The other money will be evenly split between the County Aid Transportation Fund and the Municipal Aid Transportation Fund. The resolution requires the one percent sales and use tax to expire in ten years unless the sales and use tax is renewed by voters.

On Tuesday afternoon, Senators gave final approval to Senate Bill 26, a measure that would make changes to Missouri’s tax code.  The bill raises the sales and use tax by .1 percent each year for five years while reducing the maximum tax rate on personal income by .75 percent over a period of 5 years. This act also requires the Missouri Department of Revenue to enter into the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement.  The bill is a culmination of the work the Senate Ways & Means Committee undertook this session to examine and make changes to Missouri’s tax structure.

Wednesday morning, the Senate Seniors, Families & Pensions Committee met to hear Senate Bill 223, legislation sponsored by Sen. Shalonn "Kiki" Curls, D-Kansas City.  The bill makes changes to the Public School Retirement System of Kansas City by modifying normal retirement eligibility and the benefit multiplier for employees hired on or after Jan. 1, 2014 and modifies the employer/employee contribution rates from 7.5 percent of pay to an actuarially determined rate not less than 7.5% and not greater than 9 percent.  The committee also voted on Senate Bill 205, a bill that requires children older than 15 years of age who are in the foster care system or the Division of Youth Services program within the Children's Division of the Department of Social Services to receive a visit to a state university or community or technical college in Missouri before being adopted or terminated by foster care or completing the division's custody or training.  The bill was voted out of committee and now heads to the Senate floor for full debate.

This week also marked the first week of several bills making it through the General Assembly and onto the governor’s desk. Senate Bill 20, legislation that renews and extends many of the benevolent tax credit programs, officially passed both chambers.  The bill extends the sunset on the Public Safety Officer Surviving Spouse tax credit program, creates the Champion for Children tax credit that benefits child advocacy and crisis care centers and reauthorizes the tax credit for donations to food pantries and pregnancy resource centers, among other provisions. 

Senate Bill 10 also passed both chambers and now makes its way to the governor’s desk.  The legislation creates a tax credit for sports commissions, certain nonprofit organizations, counties, and municipalities to offset expenses incurred in attracting amateur sporting events to the state. The tax credit will be equal to the lesser of five dollars for each admission ticket sold for the event or one hundred percent of eligible expenses incurred. The program has a cap of $3 million and provides that the tax credits are fully transferable.

Aside from all of our work on the Senate floor, I also had the pleasure of welcoming a large number of constituents to Jefferson City this week.  Several hospice care teams from across the St. Louis area traveled to the Capitol for their lobby day, as did groups with the Alzheimer’s Association, members of the SEIU and representatives from the Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition. 

I also had an opportunity this week to recognize several students with resolutions.  High School Junior Aly Alexander was recognized by my office with a resolution for being named a Joanne Breckenridge Scholar.  Aly attends Kennedy Catholic High School in St. Louis where she is a member of her school’s soccer team, lead editor of the entertainment section of her high school newspaper and maintains an impressive GPA while earning eighteen hours of advanced college credit and working.  She has been honored with the Marion Award, the Profiles in Courage Scholarship, the Archdiocesan Athletic Association All-Academic Honors and the Kennedy Catholic High School Good Character Award.  In her free time, Aly spends countless hours volunteering in the community.  We are blessed to have her as a member of the 24th District – she is truly a great leader and role model.

Ja Tum Seng, from Burma, Maria Perez, from Spain and Daniel Soto, from Mexico, all pictured left, spent time this week with a great constituent from the 24th District. The students, all Fulbright Scholars, are spending time to study and visit in the St. Louis area.  It’s always a pleasure when we can attract bright young people to the district.

Next week, the Legislature will pause from our legislative duties for Spring Break.  We will pick back up the following week and will send out a new column thereafter.  As always, thank you for your continued interest in our work here at the Capitol.  I am truly grateful for your support.  Best wishes to you and your families for a relaxing weekend and a productive week ahead.  I look forward to sending another report in two weeks.