As we bring this week to a close, the Legislature has officially completed two-thirds of the 2014 legislative session. Given that only six weeks remain, the pace has definitely picked up, which means longer committee meetings and even more time debating bills on the Senate floor.

Aside from the many bills discussed on the floor, I would like to mention a few pieces of legislation that were heard recently in committee. Last Wednesday, I first presented Senate Bill 514 to the Senate Education Committee. As originally filed, the bill would halt the implementation of the Common Core State Standards in Missouri. Given the interest in the legislation, testimony last Wednesday was mostly reserved for those who spoke in favor of the bill. After roughly one and a half hours of support, the committee heard a half-hour of opposition testimony before rescheduling the rest of the hearing for Wednesday of this week. This week's hearing also lasted for almost two hours and drew a very large crowd.

During the first-round of testimony, committee members heard from teachers at a district in southern Missouri who described being bullied by district leaders for their opposition to Common Core. Unfortunately, that is not the first time I’ve heard of such behavior occurring. Since the committee meeting, I’ve heard from additional teachers who expressed having the same experiences in their districts. Regardless of one’s position on Common Core – for or against – I hope we can all agree that such behavior by superiors is completely unacceptable. I am grateful for all legislators who have shown their support for these teachers and others across the state. It is important that they, as educators, get to weigh in on issues like Common Core, given their day-to-day experience teaching our students. As such, their suggestions should be welcomed and encouraged, not shunned.

The committee hearings brought to light the fact that questions about Common Core and its implementation remain. It is my hope to address some of those questions, as well as the process by which these standards were written and adopted, in a committee substitute that I will work with Sen. Ed Emery, R-Lamar, to complete. I welcome your thoughts and suggestions during this process.

I also want to take an opportunity to discuss some of the issues considered in the Seniors, Families and Pensions Committee this week, all of which pertained to the topic of adoption, an issue that has been a priority of mine in the Legislature.

The committee heard Senate Bill 973, which would allow the Office of the Child Advocate in Missouri to intervene on behalf of the child in judicial proceedings. The intent of this bill is to give the child another advocate to help ensure that his or her best interests are met while he or she goes through the adoption process. The committee heard testimony from a family who wished to adopt children they had fostered, only to see those children given to another family that had a relationship with the attorney handling the case. This legislation would allow a party from the Office of the Child Advocate to intervene and recommend what is actually best for the child in that situation.

I had an opportunity to present Senate Bill 990 to the committee and Sen. Jolie Justus, D-Kansas City, presented Senate Bill 943. Both bills, which are very similar, update many provisions of adoption law in Missouri. The legislation would allow for post adoption contact agreements, which are voluntary agreements birth parents and adoptive parents may enter into prior to the adoption. The agreement dictates the relationship of all parties following the adoption. One witness who testified in support of the bill suggested that such agreements lead to an increased number of adoptions, an outcome I think we can all support.

Finally, the committee heard Senate Bill 685. That bill would allow adult adoptees access to their original birth certificates if certain conditions are met. The idea is one that the committee has considered in previous years and is always a topic with very moving testimony, as many share personal stories about their individual adoptions.

I also wanted to mention that Senate Bill 512, the ethics bill I pre-filed this session and discussed in my column several weeks ago, was voted out of the Senate Rules, Joint Rules and Ethics Committee on Tuesday. Similar legislation sponsored by Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis City, was brought up for debate on the Senate floor Wednesday evening. Unfortunately, we only had a brief opportunity to debate that legislation before it was laid over for consideration at a later date. I am hopeful that we have the opportunity to pick up debate on that very important topic in the near future.

Many thanks for your continued interest in the legislative process. Best wishes for a wonderful weekend.

Very Sincerely,

Senator John Lamping

24th Senatorial District