It is hard to believe that I am already beginning my second and last term in the Missouri Senate. I would like to start by thanking the citizens for their show of faith in my ability by re-electing me to the Senate. Every session, I have filed bills that focus on agriculture, government transparency and issues brought to me by constituents. Some bills finish more successfully than others, but I feel the need for discussion is a driving force when considering which legislation to file.

Last year, the transparency bill — Senate Bill 504 — was filed because constituents contacted my office expressing frustration with the rules process. The goal of Senate Bill 504 was to help make rules proposed by Missouri state agencies more accessible to citizens by requiring proposed rule changes to be posted online in full text, along with a fiscal note to a public website and a link to the comment section. Additionally, a House amendment required that links must be made to all material incorporated by reference in the proposed rule. This bill was signed by the governor and became effective on Aug. 28, 2014. Most departments have implemented this exactly as written and you can find "Proposed Rules" in the lower right hand corner of the department's homepage. The department that has chosen to go a different way is the Missouri Department of Conservation and theirs is not as constituent-friendly to use.

This year's transparency bill is Senate Bill 14. Currently, departments and divisions of Missouri state government can enter contracts for legal services with outside firms. This bill requires that all information relating to these contracts be made public so that the citizens of Missouri can get a better idea of how their tax dollars are being spent and why outside legal services are being contracted instead of utilizing the Missouri attorney general’s office. These contracts would be posted on the Missouri Accountability Portal. The portal is a very useful tool in seeing how your tax dollars are being spent.

Senate Bill 12 is this session’s rendition of last year's agriculture bill, Senate Bill 506, which narrowly failed to override the governor’s veto in the Missouri House of Representatives last fall. Senate Bill 12 removes sections of Senate Bill 506 that reclassify deer as livestock, which I have filed as Senate Bill 178 this year. New to Senate Bill 12 are provisions providing for an increased weigh limit for trucks hauling grain during harvest of up 10 percent over weight and a rewording of the beef commodity merchandising program that better reflects the intent of the legislation to allow for a vote of producers on a state referendum. There are still sections that create the Missouri Dairy Revitalization Act; limit the fees collected from livestock marketing permits; alter commercial pesticide applicator liability insurance requirements and allow applicators to display evidence at their business; provide livestock activity liability waivers; allow an 85,500 pound weight limit for trucks carrying livestock; and require the Missouri Department of Agriculture to create a better system for labeling renewable fuels at Missouri gas stations.
Senate Bill 12 is the most important piece of legislation for Missouri farmers this session, followed closely by Senate Bill 177: The Beginning Farmers’ Bill. Senate Bill 177 proposes three new programs for Missouri farmers with fewer than 10 years of owning or operating a farm and a farm of a size no larger than 30 percent of the size of the average farm in their county.

The first program is a tax credit to taxpayers who lease land to beginning farmers or hire them for custom farming operations. A 7 percent credit would be issued for the gross amount paid to the taxpayer for cash rent agreements and for the gross amount paid to the beginning farmer for custom harvesting operations. A 14 percent credit would be issued for the amount paid to the taxpayer for taxpayers renting property to beginning farmers on a commodity share basis. The total value for the custom harvesting tax credit is $4 million per year and $8 million per year for agricultural assets transfer.

The proposal also would allow landowners who sell to beginning farmers to deduct 50 percent of the income from the sale from their taxes. Also, the program establishes the Beginning Farmer Center as part of the University of Missouri Extension program. This bill is essential to ensuring future Missourians still have access to farming opportunities within the state. My staff was meeting with interested people just last Friday to continue to work on this bill and see what ideas have come forward since the press conference first announcing the idea. As always, I look forward to hearing from constituents on these and other issues.