Missouri Senate Newsroom

Capitol Briefing for the Week of April 13, 2015

Legislative Work Continues into Session's Final Month

JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri senators move into mid-April by continuing to spend time debating important legislation on the floor of the Missouri Senate and hearing an increasing number of House bills in committee. The First Regular Session of the 98th General Assembly now has four weeks remaining.

Senate Bills Signed Into Law

On Monday, April 13, Senate Concurrent Resolution 4 was signed by the executive branch. This resolution, sponsored by Sen. Gina Walsh, D-Bellefontaine Neighbors, recognizes every Sept. 26 as “Mesothelioma Awareness Day” in Missouri. The resolution takes effect immediately.

General Assembly Gives Final Approval to Important Legislation

Thursday, April 16, lawmakers Truly Agreed and Finally Passed Senate Bill 24. The measure is sponsored by Sen. David Sater, R-Cassville, and would modify provisions of law relating to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program (TANF) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Under the "Strengthening Missouri Families Act," which would be created by Senate Bill 24, the Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS) could conduct an investigation and determine if a person is cooperating with a work activity requirement under the TANF program. If the person is non-compliant, a representative of the department could conduct a face-to-face meeting and explain the potential sanction of TANF benefits, as well as the requirements to cure such a sanction. The TANF recipient would then have six weeks to comply with the work activity requirement. Failure to do so would result in a sanction consisting of a 50 percent reduction of benefits, for a maximum of 10 weeks. During that period of sanctions, the person would remain on the caseload in sanction status and the department would attempt to meet face-to-face to explain the sanction and the requirements to cure the sanction. To cure a sanction, the person could perform work activities for a minimum average of 30 hours per week for one month. If the person does not cure the sanction, the case would be closed. This bill would allow for the person to reapply for benefits by completing work activities for a minimum average of 30 hours per week within one month of the eligibility interview.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2016, the following changes would be made to the TANF program:

(1) The lifetime limit for TANF would be 45 months. This limit would not apply to minors and those families qualifying for a hardship exemption;
(2) The department would implement a cash diversion program that would grant eligible TANF benefits recipients lump-sum cash grants for short-term needs, as well as job referrals or referrals to career centers, in lieu of signing up for the long-term monthly cash assistance program upon a showing of good cause. This lump sum benefit would not apply toward the lifetime TANF benefits limit. Good cause may include loss of employment, excluding a voluntary quit or dismissal due to poor job performance; catastrophic illness; domestic violence; or other emergencies rendering a family member unable to care for the basic needs of the family. The lump-sum maximum limit would be set at three times the family size allowance and for use once in a 12-month period and for only five instances in a lifetime;
(3) The department would develop a standardized program orientation for TANF applicants that inform applicants of the program's rules and work requirements, as well as the consequences if the work requirements are not met. The department could not issue a case without receiving confirmation that TANF applicants have signed a participation agreement;
(4) A new spouse's income and assets would be disregarded for six consecutive months. This disregard would be applied once in a recipient's lifetime; and
(5) Persons seeking benefits would be required to engage in work activities before becoming eligible.

The department would set aside a minimum of 2 percent of TANF funds, consistent with federal law and subject to appropriations, to fund alternative to abortion services and awareness programs, as well as a minimum of 2 percent of TANF funds for healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood promotion. These funds would be used to supplement and not supplant existing funding for these programs.

SNAP allows states with a certain level of unemployment to seek a waiver of the work requirement for assistance. Missouri currently has such a waiver. Beginning Jan. 1, 2016, this measure would remove the waiver and reinstate the work requirements.

Any savings resulting from the changes to TANF and SNAP would be used to provide child care assistance for single parents, education assistance, transportation assistance and job training for individuals receiving benefits under the programs as allowable under law.

DSS would make an annual report to the Joint Committee on Government Accountability on the progress of implementation and include specified data. The committee would meet at least once a year to review the report and make recommendations to the president pro tem of the Missouri Senate and the speaker of the Missouri House.

Senators Send Bills to the House

This week, the Senate gave its final approval to a number of Senate Bills, sending them to the House for similar consideration.

Senate Bill 155, sponsored by Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, which would create the Neighborhood Watch Fund for the creation of neighborhood watch organizations throughout the state;
Senate Bill 190, sponsored by Sen. Shalonn “Kiki” Curls, D-Kansas City, which would extend the expiration of the Kansas City transportation sales tax;
Senate Bill 244, sponsored by Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Glendale, which would create the Senior Savings Protection Act;
Senate Bill 317, sponsored by Sen. Dan Brown, R-Rolla, which would allow the governor to convey properties located in Pulaski County, Christian County, St. Charles County and St. Louis County to the State Highways and Transportation Commission;
Senate Bill 328, sponsored by Sen. Jill Schupp, D-Creve Coeur, which would require school districts to adopt a policy on youth suicide awareness and prevention and allows licensed educators to complete annual training;
Senate Bill 334, sponsored by Nasheed, which would modify provisions relating to the boards of regents of state colleges and universities and broadens the degree-granting authority of Harris-Stowe State University;
Senate Bill 365, sponsored by Sen. Schmitt, which would modify provisions relating to students with special needs;
Senate Bill 389, sponsored by Sen. Ryan Silvey, R-Kansas City, which would modify provisions relating to competitive bidding;
Senate Bill 401, sponsored by Sen Schmitt, which would authorize sites containing former automobile manufacturing plants in St. Louis County to qualify for State Supplemental Tax Increment Financing;
Senate Bill 435, sponsored by Sen. Gina Walsh, which would allow the governor to convey the state's interest in specified property owned by the state in St. Louis County to the county;
Senate Bill 445, sponsored by Sen. Gary Romine, R-Farmington, which would require owners of an electric generating unit in Jefferson County to develop an ambient air quality monitoring or modeling network;
Senate Bill 456, sponsored by Sen. Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City, which would modify provisions relating to the ownership of motor vehicles; and
Senate Bill 524, sponsored by Sen. Mike Cunningham, R-Rogersville, which would modify provisions relating to contractual fees charged by certain financial institutions.

Committees Consider Multiple Bills

Monday afternoon, the Financial and Governmental Organizations and Elections Committee, chaired by Sen. Jay Wasson, R-Nixa, heard:

House Bill 112, sponsored by Rep. Diane Franklin, R-Camdenton, which would provide that certain licensing boards of health care professionals may contract with entities to collect workforce data from their licensees;

House Bill 1052, sponsored by Rep. Rocky Miller, R-Lake Ozark, which would modify provisions relating to land surveyors. The panel also voted “do pass” on this measure;

House Bill 1098, sponsored by Rep. Sandy Crawford, R-Lebanon, which would change the laws regarding trust companies. The panel also voted “do pass” on this measure;

House Bill 979, sponsored by Rep. Tony Dugger, R-Hartville, which would modify the bonding requirement for the treasurer of a seven-director school district. The panel also voted “do pass” on this measure;

House Bill 533, sponsored by Rep. Dugger, which would modify provisions relating to candidate filing;

House Bill 64, sponsored by Rep. Dugger, which would modify provisions relating to open-end credit fees;

House Bill 587, sponsored by Rep. Dugger, which would modify provisions relating to licensing fees paid by entities and persons licensed under the Missouri Sale of Checks Law, credit service organizations and consumer credit lenders. This measure was also voted “do pass”;

House Bill 341, sponsored by Rep. Dugger, which would specify that beginning Jan. 1, 2016, certain elective county offices must file ethics reports with the Missouri Ethics Commission instead of local election authorities;

House Bill 30, sponsored by Rep. Dugger, which would require a person to submit a specified form of photo identification in order to vote in a public election with specified exemptions; and

House Joint Resolution 1, sponsored by Rep. Dugger, which would propose a constitutional amendment specifying that a person seeking to vote in a public election may be required by general law to provide a valid government-issued photo identification. This measure was also voted “do pass.”

The panel also voted “do pass” on the following:

Senate Bill 399, sponsored by Sen. Bob Onder, R-Lake St. Louis, which would establish the paper ballot as the official ballot and requires audits before election certification;
Senate Bill 523, sponsored by Sen. Will Kraus, R-Lee’s Summit, which would modify provisions relating to election challengers; and
House Bill 30, sponsored by Rep. Dugger, which would require a person to submit a specified form of photo identification in order to vote in a public election with specified exemptions.

Monday also saw the Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee, chaired by Sen. Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff, discuss:

House Bill 34, sponsored by Rep. Nate Walker, R-Kirksville, which would designate a portion of Highway 63 in Adair County as the "Harriet Beard Highway";

House Bill 133, sponsored by Rep. Lyle Rowland, R-Cedar Creek, which would designate a bridge in Ozark County as the "Irwin C. Cudworth Memorial Bridge";

House Bill 134, sponsored by Rep. Rowland, which would designate a portion of Highway 160 in Ozark County as "The Jerry Corp Memorial Highway";

House Bill 810, sponsored by Rep. Miller, which would name a portion of Highway 54 as the "Veterans Memorial Expressway";

House Bill 338, sponsored by Rep. Joe Don McGaugh, R-Carrollton, which would designate a portion of Highway 10 in Ray and Carroll counties as the "Ray-Carroll County Veterans Memorial Highway";

House Bill 740, sponsored by Rep. Caleb Jones, R-Columbia, which would prohibit the fine collection center from taking an individual's drivers' license for failure to appear for a traffic violation;

House Bill 775, sponsored by Rep. Paul Fitzwater, R-Potosi, which would designate a portion of State Highway 21 as the "Donald Lee Cook Memorial Highway"; and

House Bill 873, sponsored by Rep. Delus Johnson, R-St. Joseph, which would designate a portion of Business Highway 71 in Andrew County as "Randy Bever Memorial Highway."

Several panels met on Tuesday, April 14, including the Seniors, Families and Children Committee, chaired by Sen. David Sater. They heard:

House Bill 343, sponsored by Rep. Mike Lair, R-Chillicothe, which would establish a committee to assess the continuation of the Money Follows the Person Demonstration Program in order to help disabled or aging individuals transition from nursing facilities to community settings;

House Bill 501, sponsored by Rep. Genise Montecillo, D-St. Louis, which would require course materials relating to sexual education to contain information regarding sexual predators, online predators and the consequences of inappropriate text messaging; and

House Bill 1149, sponsored by Rep. Jeanie Lauer, R-Blue Springs, which would modify provisions related to youth in custody of the Division of Youth Services and create a special class of trust funds for the money of youth in the division's custody.

The Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions and Ethics Committee, chaired by Senate Majority Floor Leader Ron Richard, R-Joplin, heard:

Senate Concurrent Resolution 28, sponsored by Sen. Paul LeVota, D-Independence, which urges a commitment to equal rights for people with cognitive disabilities to access technology and information;

Senate Concurrent Resolution 35, sponsored by Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Glendale, which would designate May 13, 2015, as “Jump Day”;

Senate Concurrent Resolution 36, sponsored by Sen. Schmitt, which would discourage the Environmental Protection Agency from promulgating any rule regulating the use of individual propane gas barbecue grills;

House Concurrent Resolution 26, sponsored by Rep. Noel Shull, R-Kansas City, which would designate the month of March for the years 2015 thru 2025 as “Women Veterans' Month”;

House Concurrent Resolution 32, sponsored by Rep. Ross, R-Yukon, which would adopt the House Majority Floor Leader's filing with the EPA as the state's official position on the Clean Power Plan, and urge the EPA to withdraw the proposed Clean Power Plan;

House Joint Resolution 34, sponsored by Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Springfield, which proposes a constitutional amendment to limit general revenue appropriations and mandate state income tax rate reductions in certain situations; and

Senate Bill 337, sponsored by Sen. Munzlinger, which would ban the Conservation Commission and the Department of Conservation from engaging in prohibited conduct with a connected not-for-profit corporation.

The Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, chaired by Sen. Bob Dixon, R-Springfield, heard:

House Bill 799, sponsored by Rep. Rebecca Roeber, R-Lee’s Summit, which would move the 12th Division of the 16th Judicial Circuit Court from the City of Kansas City to the City of Independence;

Senate Bill 464, sponsored by Sen. Dixon, which would prohibit sharing of visual or aural recordings or photographs of minors alleged to be victims of child abuse, except in limited circumstances;

Senate Bill 320, sponsored by Sen. Wayne Wallingford, R-Cape Girardeau, which would require any juvenile certified as an adult be detained in a juvenile facility until the juvenile has been sentenced; and

Senate Bill 269, sponsored by Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, which would prohibit the use of restraints on children under the age of 17 during court proceedings, except in certain circumstances.

The Small Business, Insurance and Industry Committee, chaired by Sen. Mike Parson, R-Bolivar, heard:

Senate Bill 487, sponsored by Sen. Richard, which would modify provisions relating to civil actions brought under merchandising practices and products liability provisions of law;

Senate Bill 288, sponsored by Sen. Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, which would modify the law relating to workers' compensation premium rates;

House Bill 615, sponsored by Rep. Dean Dohrman, R-LaMonte, which would modify various provisions relating to workers' compensation;

House Bill 70, sponsored by Rep. Don Gosen, R-Ballwin, which would change the requirements for the valuation of reserves for life insurance;

House Bill 529, sponsored by Rep. Gosen, which would require insurers to file own risk and solvency assessment summary reports with the Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration;

House Bill 592, sponsored by Rep. Gosen, which would modify provisions relating to foreign investment limits;

House Bill 709, sponsored by Rep. Gosen, which would allow the Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration to issue non-binding informational documents to insurers; and

Senate Bill 204, sponsored by Sen. Parson, which would require that an applicant for a navigator license must take an exam created by the Department of Insurance and submit to a criminal background check.

The Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment Committee, chaired by Sen. Mike Kehoe, heard:

House Bill 531, sponsored by Rep. Solon, R-Blue Springs, which would require that nicotine liquid containers sold at retail satisfy federal child-resistant effectiveness standards.

The General Laws and Pensions Committee, chaired by Sen. Rob Schaaf, R-St. Joseph, heard:

House Bill 361, sponsored by Rep. Bryan Spencer, R-Wentzville, which would designate the third week of February as "Engineer Awareness Week" in Missouri;

House Bill 88, sponsored by Rep. Rochelle Walton Gray, D-Black Jack, which would designate July 3 of each year as "Organ Donor Recognition Day";

House Bill 400, sponsored by Rep. Joshua Peters, D-St. Louis, which would designate the month of November each year as "Epilepsy Awareness Month";

House Bill 402, sponsored by Rep. Don Phillips, R-Kimberling City, which would designate the first full week before Memorial Day as "Safe Boating Week";

House Bill 403, sponsored by Rep. Phillips, which would designate Missouri as a Purple Heart State;

House Bill 404, sponsored by Rep. Phillips, which would designate the week in which May 15 falls as "Missouri's Peace Officers Memorial Week";

House Bill 859, sponsored by Rep. Randy Dunn, D-Kansas City, which would designate April 15 of each year as "Jackie Robinson Day" in Missouri;

House Bill 778, Rep. Becky Ruth, R-Festus, which would designate the 22nd week of each year as 22q awareness week;

House Bill 861, sponsored by Rep. Fitzwater, which would designate the first full week in March as "Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week";

House Bill 874, Rep. Tim Remole, R-Excello, which would designate Oct. 16 as "Walt Disney - A Day to Dream' Day" in Missouri;

House Bill 1116, sponsored by Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Sikeston, which would designate May 7 as "ROHHAD Awareness Day" in Missouri;

House Bill 1119, sponsored by Rep. Craig Redmon, R-Canton, which would designate the second Monday in April as "Missouri Lineworker Appreciation Day";

House Bill 326, sponsored by Rep. Mike Leara, R-St. Louis, which would specify that each defined benefit pension plan must establish a board member education program;

House Bill 515, sponsored by Rep. Leara, which would change the laws regarding the Police Retirement System of St. Louis;

House Bill 629, sponsored by Rep. Leara, which would modify provisions relating to the Police Retirement System of Kansas City and the Civilian Employees' Retirement System of the Police Department of Kansas City;

House Bill 549, sponsored by Sen. Bob Onder, R-Lake St. Louis, which would modify provisions relating to collective bargaining representation for public employees; and

House Bill 722, sponsored by Rep. Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, which would require merchants to provide customers the option of either a paper or plastic bag for packaging purchased goods.

On Wednesday, April 15, the Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee, chaired by Sen. Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff, met a second time for the week and heard:

House Bill 130, sponsored by Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Sikeston, which would establish the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Act;

Senate Bill 378, sponsored by Sen. Dave Schatz, which would create several new exemptions to the tax on the titling of motor vehicles;

Senate Bill 443, sponsored by Sen. Schatz, which would allow electronic recording of temporary permit sales as determined by the Department of Revenue; and

Senate Bill 529, sponsored by Sen. Onder, which would allow the concealed carry of firearms on public transportation, including buses and trains—except school buses and Amtrak property.