MLK, Jr. Day

On Monday, January 21, 2013, we celebrated the life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Dr. King dedicated his life to God and to the belief we are all created equal. He promoted through love, and peaceful demonstration, the understanding a person of any race should be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. The world owes a debt of gratitude for all he did to help usher in a new era of equality in America. It is in this same spirit of equality, the same belief we were all created equal, in that I hope and pray that one we as a society will recognize the tragedy unfolding before us on a daily basis - the death of the innocent unborn child. Tens of millions of unborn lives have been snuffed out in the last 40 years and this practice has no part in a civil society. Please join me in an effort to end this barbaric practice. We have all been created equal and deserve equal protection under the law.

State of the Judiciary

At 10:23 am on January 23, 2013, the Missouri House of Representatives voted to suspend the House Rules and allow state office holders, members of the Senate, and the Missouri Supreme Court Justices to enter the House Chambers for a Joint Session. With 150 House members and 32 Senate members present, we welcomed Chief Justice Richard B. Teitelman for the delivery of the State of the Judiciary Address. In a fashion befitting Chief Justice Teitelman, he delivered a brief address designed to pay respects to the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., recognize the efforts of some exceptional Missouri citizens, and offer his view on the benefits of cooperative government. It was truly an honor to welcome him to the House chamber.

Though sometimes taken for granted, the State of the Judiciary is far from symbolic. There are few who are as well versed in the effectiveness of our state laws than the Justices who came before us Wednesday.  Their knowledge of the direct impact and success of policies - like drug courts (which our legislature created and the judiciary implemented) - serve to reinforce the rule of law in the most beneficial way to Missourians.  The ongoing dialogue that Wednesday’s address complimented will only serve to progress our judicial system toward the goals of efficiency and effectiveness.   

Elections Legislation Moving Forward

With an overwhelming and bipartisan vote, we supported democracy and efficiency in government this week by supporting Representative Jason Smith’s House Bill 110.  As I wrote in last week’s Capitol Report, House Bill 110 was designed to address a discrepancy in the laws that govern vacancies in political offices.  There were two competing ideas as to what the law provided for: one assumed a political appointment should last the remainder of the term, even if within that time an election could have taken place at no additional cost to the state; the other presumed the appointment should last until the next regularly scheduled statewide election, giving the people a choice in who represents them.  Your Republican leadership has sided with the latter, and with giving the People the ultimate choice, and for the last several legislative sessions, Representative Smith has worked to address this issue.

 

How was it amended?

There were a few amendments to the legislation that have changed it slightly since the last time I wrote to you about it.  Significant changes include the following:

 

·    It will require state legislative office vacancies to be filled democratically within 6 months of the departure of the former legislator.

 

·    It will move Missouri’s Presidential Primary date to March, which will allow this vote to be considered in the primary process.  If you recall, Governor Nixon had formerly vetoed legislation that would have made our last statewide vote actually count in the presidential primary.  The state wasted $7 million on a vote some in the media referred to as a “beauty contest” as a result of Nixon’s actions. 

 

What’s Next?

 
The bill has received the votes it needs to move to the Senate for further consideration.  In the Senate, it will be considered in a committee and then move to the Senate floor for full debate.  If the Senate makes changes to the version we have passed, the House will reconsider the legislation before finally sending it to the Governor for his signature or veto.