When the
voters of Missouri sent a Republican supermajority to Jefferson City last fall,
they charged us with passing common sense, conservative legislation. From day
one our priorities have been your priorities: to create an environment in which
individuals and businesses can thrive, while safeguarding Missouri values.
The
following is a list of truly agreed and finally passed bills that embody our
dedication to reaffirming Missouri values and creating opportunities for
citizens.
Guaranteeing Constitutional Rights
In the midst
of an alarming trend towards gun control at the national level, the Missouri legislature
took action to guarantee our citizens’ Constitutional right to self-defense.
The most
important piece of Second Amendment legislation undertaken this session was the
Second Amendment Preservation Act or HB 436 (Funderburk, R-103). This bill
affirms some basic tenets that supporters of the Constitution hold true: that
the states created the federal government as an agent to resolve international
disputes and regulate interstate commerce. HB 436 declares that while some
states may unconditionally submit to Washington, the state of Missouri reserves
the power to make laws regarding the everyday life, liberty, and property of
its citizens. Furthermore, some powers – including the right to bear arms in
defense of one’s life, home, and family – belong to the people of this country.
Because the Constitution does not grant
the federal government the power to infringe on the people’s right to
self-defense, any attempt by the federal government to usurp this power will be
invalid in this state.
Another
piece of Second Amendment legislation, HB 533 (Riddle, R-49) allows all public
employees to keep a firearm in their vehicle during work hours. This act
ensures that public employees can exercise their right to self-defense should
they find themselves in a dangerous situation going to or from work.
Protecting Privacy
The dubious
actions of the Department of Revenue regarding scanning source documents and
submitting lists of CCW holders to the federal government have caused an uproar
this spring, and rightly so. Individuals need to go through government agencies
to get licenses and permits, but personal information should be private, not
carelessly tossed in the mail or made readily available to hackers.
To prevent
such breeches of privacy from occurring again, the Missouri Legislature has passed
two bills that will safeguard confidential information and move responsibility
for issuing concealed carry permits to county sheriffs.
SB 252 (Sen.
Kraus, R-8) prohibits the Department of Revenue from scanning and retaining
images of any source documents needed for approving licenses. The state of
Missouri doesn’t need a one-stop site for privacy invasion. DOR will also be
required to dispose of the scans of personal documents they have made in the
past few months, by January.
Furthermore,
this bill bans DOR from collecting or using biometric data, from facial and
voice recognition technology to software that analyzes the way you walk. While this
technology may be useful for hunting down terrorists, there is absolutely no need,
now or ever, to terrorize the people of Missouri by collecting such detailed
information.
In an
additional measure of privacy protection, SB 75 (Sen. Brown, R-16) moves
responsibility for concealed carry permits from DOR to the county sheriffs of
the state. Sheriffs, unlike DOR bureaucrats, are directly responsible to the
people of the county. This decentralization also puts another level of
protection between the citizen and those who would intrude upon your privacy. SB
75 also includes measure for preparing schoolteachers and children to protect
themselves against gun violence.
Defending Life
Another step
towards protecting women and babies from exploitation by abortion groups was
achieved with the passage of HB 400 (Riddle, R-49). This piece of legislation requires
that when the abortion chemical RU-486 is administered, the prescribing
physician must be physically present. While it unfortunately doesn’t prohibit
abortions, it does ensure that abortion clinics cannot push women to undergo substandard
chemical procedures. In states that don’t have this requirement, clinics are
making easy, cheap money from women in crisis by authorizing chemical abortions
via tele-medicine. In these abortions, the clinic doesn’t have to pay a doctor to
come in, yet they can charge the woman the same amount. In Missouri, we care
about infants and the health,
physical and mental, of women who face tough circumstances.
Galvanizing Agriculture
Agriculture
is foundation of our state’s economy. This session we took several measures to
empower our family farms and to continue growing Missouri as a hub of
agricultural innovation.
One such major
piece of agricultural legislation is HJR 11 and 7, or Right to Farm. This
resolution forever guarantees the right of farmers and ranchers to engage in
farming and ranching practices. There are organizations whose mission is to
destroy agriculture in this state and every other. These groups would put in
place environmental regulations and restrictions on the treatment of animals
that would amount to a death sentence to Missouri’s top industry. The Right to
Farm bill would protect farmers – and every consumer of agricultural products –
from undue burdens. Because this is a change to the state Constitution, HJR 11 and
7 will be on the ballot this November.
Unless
modified by the Secretary of State, the language on the ballot will read:
“Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to ensure that
the right of Missouri citizens to engage in agricultural production and
ranching practices shall not be infringed?"
Another
measure, SB 16 (Munzlinger, R-18), secures the right of minors to work on
family farms. These family enterprises could not survive without kids’ help.
Furthermore, taking an active role in keeping the family business alive teaches
children responsibility and gives them a head start in entering the job market.
That’s why employment on family farms should continue to be exempt from child
labor laws. Governor Nixon has signed SB 16 into law.
Incentivizing Charitable
Contributions
One of the
first pieces of legislation to be signed by the Governor this session was SB 20
(Sen. Dixon, R-30), which extends the sunset on several benevolent tax credits.
Benevolent tax credits include the Children in Crisis, Pregnancy Resources
Centers, Residential Dwelling Accessibility, and Public Safety Officer
Surviving Spouse tax credit programs, as well as donations to food pantries.
These programs
were designed to give individuals an incentive to make their communities a
better place. The government doesn’t always know which programs best serve
those going through hard times. Individuals, however, are familiar with the
track records of food pantries and crisis pregnancy centers in their areas.
Relieving Tax Burdens
Republican
legislators promised during elections last fall to lower the tax burden on
Missouri citizens. This session we delivered on that promise and achieved a
significant tax reform bill. House Bill 253 (Berry, R-38), or the Broad-Based
Tax Relief Act of 2013, will reduce personal, business, and corporate income
taxes. This piece of legislation will reduce the personal income tax from 6% to
5.5% over a ten-year period, and the corporate income tax from the current
6.25% to 3.75% over five years.
The most
important part of this bill, though, is the tax cut for small business. This
bill would phase in a 50% deduction for business income reported on individual tax
returns over the next five years. Small businesses – the sole proprietorships
and S-corporations – generate more than half of the business income in the
United States. Entrepreneurs are truly what keep this country moving. Creating
a climate where job creators can thrive is perhaps the single most important
thing we can do for our state economy.
Fixing the Second Injury Fund
For several
years, the Missouri Second Injury Fund has been a disaster zone, compromising
the entire workers’ compensation system. The Second Injury Fund compensates
injured employees when a current work-related injury combines with a prior
disability to create an increased combined disability. This fund was created to
provide a living for people who became totally disabled due to the risks of
their job. But, over time the list of qualifying injuries became too long.
Today, because so many people qualify for additional benefits, those who are eligible
for regular workers’ comp aren’t even getting their checks. Governor Nixon
called on the legislature to fix the Second Injury Fund and we took action.
This year, Republicans and Democrats collaborated to do the right thing for
workers and businesses.
Senate Bill
1, sponsored by Senator Rupp (R-2), will narrow the list of injuries that qualify
for compensation from the Second Injury Fund and will provide a means of raising
money for the fund. In order to qualify for payments from the Second Injury
Fund, a worker must have a documented permanent disability that resulted
directly from active military duty or from a compensable work-related injury. Or,
the pre-existing condition may be the permanent partial disability of an extremity
(such as an arm or leg), eye, or ear. To qualify for the Second Injury Fund,
one must lose use of the opposite limb, eye, or ear. Back injuries acquired
over long periods of time will no longer count on the Second Injury Fund,
although they can still be covered by workers’ comp. This is in the best
interest of the workers; because with all the many accumulated injuries covered
now, people aren’t receiving the money they were promised.
Under the
new law, the Second Injury Fund will not cover employees of uninsured
workplaces. This will create an incentive for all businesses to contribute to
the Fund, creating a larger pool of money for those who end up needing it. In
order to dig this fund out of the pit dug over the past several years, we will
levy a surcharge of no more than 3% of net profits on businesses. Business
owners agree, however, that 3% is a small sacrifice to fix a problem that has
been crippling industry.
The 2013
Second Injury Fund fix is a common-sense solution. In order for any kind of
insurance to work, there cannot be many people who claim it. By narrowing the
qualifying diseases and requiring more employers to pay in, we are doing the
economically smart thing and the fair thing for the business owners and workers
of this state.
Paycheck Protection
House and
Senate Republicans took on the task of reigning in corrupt labor practices this
session. Senate Bill 29 (Brown, R-16), known as Paycheck Protection, gives
workers more power over the fruits of their labor. This act allows public
employees to choose whether or not to have union dues or shop fees withdrawn
from their monthly checks. Furthermore, the union can’t use that money for
political purposes unless the worker signs an additional authorization. Unions
can be powerful advocates for workers, but like all representative
organizations, unions must be accountable to the people they serve. This bill
ensures that unions cannot exploit workers who have no desire to send their
hard-earned money to political causes chosen by union brass.
Raising the Bar for Education
Senate Bill
125 (Sen. Nasheed, D-5) represents a bipartisan effort to improve the quality
and effectiveness of Missouri’s urban schools. This act requires the State
Board of Education to make new rules for classifying schools as accredited and
unaccredited.
SB 125
allows for an immediate state takeover of unaccredited school districts. Currently,
there is a two-year waiting period between the time a district is classified as
unaccredited and the time when the district corporation is reorganized.
However, districts are unaccredited for a reason: they failed the students. To
allow the same ineffective board members and administrators to implement school
policy is a disservice to children – and to the rest of the state. Under the
new law, as soon as a district loses accreditation, the State can immediately
determine an alternative governing structure, or establish conditions under
which the existing school board can continue to govern.
This act
also allows tenured teachers in the St. Louis City School District to be
removed if they show themselves incompetent as educators. By raising the bar
for Missouri education, we will raise the quality of life for generations of
young Missourians.
Attracting Sports Events
SB 10 (Sen.
Schmitt, R-15) creates a tax credit that can be used by sports commissions,
nonprofits, counties, and municipalities to offset expenses incurred in
attracting amateur sporting events to the state. Having this refund guaranteed
will allow Missouri cities to compete in the bidding process for events like US
Olympic team trials and NCAA Final Four tournaments. Amateur sporting events
bring a huge influx of cash to their host cities. Because qualifying events
must attract teams from at least one state outside Missouri, that means teams
and supporters will have to stay in Missouri hotels, dine at Missouri
restaurants, fill up at Missouri gas stations, and get a taste of Missouri that
makes them want to come back. SB 10 was signed into law by the governor in
February.
Making School Construction Affordable
HB 34
(Guernsey, R-2) changes the way that the Department of Labor and Industrial
Relations determines the prevailing hourly rate of wages on public works
projects. Currently, the prevailing wage for a given trade is based on
voluntary surveys collected and submitted by contractors on a project. However,
because these are voluntary, the information is often skewed towards the
higher-end firms, increasing the prevailing wage for the entire area. This act
puts in place a new system that determines the most common wage for a specific
occupation statewide. This change will make construction on schools and other
public works projects more affordable and will give taxpayers a much better
value for their tax dollars.
Repairing Gas Infrastructure
SB 240
(Lager, R-12) the Gas Infrastructure Strengthening and Regulatory Streamlining
bill, will allow gas corporations to perform additional maintenance to resolve
problems with decaying infrastructure. It will save transaction costs in rate
case and create new jobs. Surcharges for gas utilities are very low, less than
1% of the total charges for retail customers, and often only .33% to .5% of the
total charges for industrial customers. This act also increases the cap on ISRS
rate increases from 10 percent to 13 percent, a reasonable increase in light of
the current low charges and the safety updates needed in our gas systems.
