Triple E Agenda - Education

There are a myriad of opinions that are promoted in the halls of our Capitol aimed at bettering the education of our youth.  There can be little debate, however, over the fact that a parent should be informed about the performance of their child’s school. 

Rep. Swan introduced an innovative proposal that the House has already taken up and moved forward in her freshman year.  HB 388 is simple:  each school receives a letter grade just like their child.  Utilizing performance reports that are already published, schools will receive this easy to understand grading system that will allow parents to know how their school stacks up.  As a parent myself, it is no surprise this legislation was quickly adopted and is now in the Senate for their consideration.

Another important piece of legislation that the House has already weighed in on is HB 34, proposed by Rep. Guernsey.  This measure would allow certain school districts, with board approval, to be exempt from prevailing wage requirements on construction and maintenance costs.  Maintaining a quality environment for our children to learn is pivotal in our educational system.  Missouri’s schools should not have to be held hostage to extraordinary labor rates that do not reflect the true wage of their local economic environment.  Just like the other prevailing wage proposal the House has passed, this reform will likewise encourage more projects to be undertaken (because greater funding will be available) along with the creation of more jobs.

I am looking forward to these bills moving forward in the Senate along with continued debate on the host of other education ideas that are being debated at the Capitol. 

Triple E Agenda - Energy

I made it a mark early on as Speaker that we would pursue smart energy policy that will help keep your family’s budget intact and our manufacturers’ doors open.  There are vast opportunities on the horizon, including Small Modular Nuclear Reactor (SMR) technology, in which Missouri is still seeking to participate.  In the meantime, there is much we can still do to promote wise energy choices.  HB 44, sponsored by Rep. Korman, is one such proposal we have already moved to the Senate for their consideration.

HB 44

In 2008, Missouri’s voters approved a constitutional change that required that Missouri’s energy generators source a certain percentage of their power from renewable sources.  Hydropower is one such source of power that our energy companies have utilized for many years.  However, hydropower from already constructed sources was not able to apply towards that new benchmark. 

HB44 will modify the state’s statute so that all hydropower can be fully counted towards the Renewable Energy Standard.  Without this measure in place, Missouri’s investor-owned facilities will have little choice but to dramatically increase costs as they make huge investments in new facilities to meet the standard.  We feel the voters’ intent was to have a true standard which counted all renewables, and we intend to bring Missouri’s statute in line with that intent. 

Triple E Agenda - Economic Development

A variety of proposals are moving throughout the House of Representatives that are aimed at impacting what matters most to Missourians: jobs.  In fact, we have already passed several key priorities that will encourage private sector solutions.

HB 385 - Amateur Sporting Event Incentives

Representative Burlison continued championing this cause to utilize a state tax credit to attract major sporting events, such as NCAA tournaments, to Missouri facilities.  When these large events come to town, everyone on “Main Street” benefits, in cities large and small, all across Missouri..  From advertising to hotels and restaurants, local economies see large surges in sales.  Missouri needs to compete every day with our eight surrounding, very competitive neighboring states, and now it is up to the governor to make sure we do.  In fact, this tax credit proposal demands strong taxpayer protections by requiring that the site selection committee must be considering other states to take their event before we can even offer the credit and the credit is based only on “new” money brought into our state budget.  Many of these competing states have similar incentives in place.  The House took a great first step in approving HB 385 and then finalized the proposal by passing a companion Senate bill and sending it to the governor’s desk.

HB 87 - Benevolent Tax Credits

This legislation offers tax credits for our private sector partners to tackle tough social issues – from children in crisis to pregnancy resource centers.  We know that you have a heart to serve, but paying taxes to a bloated government that is wrought with fraud and abuse just does not cut it.  Our not-for-profit community needs our support – it employs thousands of Missourians and provides services to so many more.  In offering a tax credit to organizations that offer so many great services, private, charitable donations are leveraged along with the good nature of Missouri’s citizens.  This proposal was finalized by the House and a nearly identical Senate proposal was “Truly Agreed To and Finally Passed,” meaning it only awaits the Governor’s signature.

 
HB 320 - Clarifying Missouri's Anti-Discrimination Statutes and 'Whistleblower' Protections

Representative Kevin Elmer's proposal to add "Whistleblower" protections to statute and reform the state's anti-discrimination laws will add certainty back into our legal system for both employers and employees.  Currently, our whistleblower protections are left to common-law and up to interpretation by the courts.  Our employees should be able to turn to the law to protect them when they face situations where they risk their jobs to report unlawful practices in the workplace - and they should know precisely how they are protected. 

Employers also deserve more clarity.  This proposal will bring Missouri's anti-discriminatory laws back in line with the Civil Rights Act, Age Discrimination Employment Act, and Americans with Disabilities Act which served our state well for decades before our laws turned against job creators.  Non-economic damages would now be capped at the very reasonable level of $500,000.00 per claim.  This significant amount will discourage discriminatory practices while also keeping frivolous lawsuits at bay - frivolous lawsuits that waste money that could be spent on expanding a business or hiring new employees.  One of the most important factors affecting a business’s decision to relocate to our state or grow its footprint here is a stable, certain and fair litigation climate.  HB 320 meets that goal.

HB 64 and HB 409 - Adding Choice to Missouri's Labor Laws

Too often, our public facilities and employees are held hostage by stringent labor laws that limit choice.  If you run a rural, government institution, like a school district, you have to pay “prevailing wages” for your maintenance and construction which is ultimately borne solely by the taxpayers.  And if you are looking for work at a union shop, you have to pay fees regardless of whether you want to join the union.  The problem is, rural prevailing wages are measured using a formula many would agree is too heavily influenced by urban rates.  Moreover, labor unions participate in political activity.  Employees do not always agree with the politics espoused by their union bosses, but they must pay the fees that support that activity anyway.  Both of these scenarios are just wrong and need reform and your Republican-led legislature has taken the issue to task. 

HB 64, sponsored by Rep. Eric Burlison, will allow unions to utilize employee fees for political purposes, but only if the employee consents in writing each year.  HB 409, sponsored by Rep. Warren Love, will realign the formula utilized by the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to determine prevailing wage in our rural regions so that they are less influenced by urban wage rates.  This is much more fair and equitable to the taxpayers and will likewise encourage more projects to be undertaken (because greater funding will be available) along with the creation of more jobs.  The proposals were finalized by the House and if approved by the Senate, will reform the anti-choice policies of yesterday and help catalyze future growth in Missouri's economy.    

Reforming Labor Laws to Increase Transparency & Add Taxpayer Value

Best Practices for our Rural Counties and Schools

Too often our schools and other public facilities face tough decisions on whether or not to authorize spending on maintenance costs.  It would seem simple enough, but Missouri’s existing law requires that even simple maintenance like painting is subject to prevailing wage laws.  Moreover, our rural areas are often bound to prevailing wage rates that more accurately reflect urban rates.  Should your local elementary school be forced to pay $35 an hour to paint a wall?  Would they?  They likely wouldn’t until the problems are so severe that they demand action. 

This is the heart of the problem we’ve attempted to address this week: allowing public entities to maintain their facilities on a timelier basis.  The end goal is to increase workplace safety for our public employees and students and to also minimize the distraction to our students that crumbling infrastructure causes.  In our reforms, we’ve also included new construction so that local school districts and public entities can get more “bang for the buck”, which will add value to your hard-earned tax dollars.  This is a common sense reform and I’m glad to see the conversation move from the House and now to the Senate for action. 

Giving You the Choice on Your Paycheck

Each pay period, our union members have dues deducted from their paycheck.  These dues fund a variety of purposes, but they often find their way into partisan politics.  Employees, even those who disagree with the politics of the union, have absolutely zero choice in their money being spent on political activity.  This is wrong.

HB 64, sponsored by Rep. Eric Burlison, proposes a simple solution – if an employee consents annually in writing for their dues to be utilized for political purposes then that amount can be deducted from their paycheck.  This is the same process that many of us utilize to help fund charitable institutions that perform work we care about.  We feel that a simple acknowledgment from the employee should be asked and received before a portion of their paycheck is redirected from their pocket to a partisan political cause.  This legislation must move forward in the Senate, and I look forward to it becoming the law of the land.   

Conscience Rights of Medical Service Providers

On Wednesday the House advanced legislation I sponsored to recognize and defend our individual freedom of conscience. Our conscience serves as an internal system of self-guidance—a private radar through which only the individual judges and discovers his or her truest thoughts and feelings. Therefore, the ability to abide by one’s conscience must be protected. This week my colleagues and I answered the call of thousands of workers in the medical field who do not want to be forced to perform or participate in procedures or research that infringe upon their beliefs.

 

HCS HB 457 will place in law a shield for medical professionals to exercise their conscience rights. It serves to protect them from participation in medical procedures or research that violates their religious, moral or ethical beliefs.  Major advances in the medical field and the looming encroachment of ObamaCare are forcing health care providers to face the daunting task of providing the best care possible while preserving their right to follow their beliefs that they hold sacred.

HCS HB 457 was Third Read and Passed with an overwhelming bi-partisan vote of 116-41 and now moves to the Senate.

Encouraging Economic Growth with Smart Tax Policy

Each year, a number of amateur events are hosted around the country.  The organizing committees, such as the National Collegiate Athletic Association, United States Olympic Committee, or United States Golf Association, scan the country in search of event locations where their competitions can be held, attended, and successful.  These events encourage economic activity from advertising to local restaurant sales and hotel bookings and many states offer tax credits to incentivize these selection committees to choose their available locations.

 

Senate Bills 10 & 25 would offer a common sense tax credit to encourage Missouri locations to be selected as venues hosting these types of amateur events that would otherwise take place in a different state.  In fact, the legislation stipulates that another state must be in consideration for the event to qualify for the state tax credit.  With guarantees that other states would be in competition, the Republican-led legislature decided in an overwhelmingly bipartisan fashion that Missouri needed this tax credit incentive to land these events.  The credit rewards those who are bringing revenue, tourism, jobs and notable events to our State while at the same time containing significant taxpayer protections.  The measure was “Truly Agreed and Finally Passed” this week, meaning it now only awaits the Governor’s signature to become law. 

Triple E Agenda Vlog