April 8, 2011

Four very conservative Republican state Senators have filibustered for the past few weeks against Missouri accepting federal money for unemployment benefits relented this week. This amount is over $100 million dollars.

However they have not agreed to utilizing federal money to balance the foundation formula for the schools education budget.  The Senators want to send a message to the federal government that the federal budget needs to be reduced. This amounts to $189 million in federal money.

Consequently, Missouri is the only state in the nation that may send money back to D.C.

Redistricting continued to be a major topic as the House passed its version of the legislative redistricting plan.

The Senate endorsed a plan to reduce the Missouri House by 60 members or to 103 members saving an estimated $4.7 million. It would require a statewide vote in 2012 and would not become effective until 2020.

News this week includes:

This week, the House approved and sent to the Senate HB 423 which authorizes Missouri to adopt the provisions of the Health Care Compact and join with other states to govern and have oversight over state health care policy.  The bill is in response to passage of the federal Affordable Care Act passed by Congress last year.

Fair Tax
HJR 8 the so called “Fair Tax” (Representative Koenig) was debated briefly this week in the House. It will be brought up again for further debate. It was “laid over” on Tuesday.

Link to the bill: http://www.house.mo.gov/billsummary.aspx?bill=HJR8&year=2011&code=R

County Public Health
The additional $1.3 million added in the House to HB 10 for local county public health agencies was “closed” in Senate Appropriations meaning the money stays in and will not be addressed in conference committee. This is great news!

Smoking
Representative Wells HB 314 was heard in House Education.

HB 314-state law prohibits smoking or the use of tobacco products inside school facilities and on school buses but allows a school board to set policies regarding the permissible uses of tobacco products in outdoor areas and nonstudent facilities. This bill repeals a school board's authority to set policies that allow the use of tobacco products in certain areas and prohibits smoking and the use of tobacco products on all school property as specified in the bill and on school buses.

Farm to Table
Senate bill 162 is the Senate version of the Farm to table Advisory Board. SB 162 creates the Farm-to-Table Advisory Board, which shall be made up of at least the following 18 people: 9 people appointed to represent growers, food distributors, and state institutions; a representative of the American Heart Association; and 1 representative from each of the following state entities: the University of Missouri Extension Service, the Office of Administration, and the Departments of Agriculture, Corrections, Elementary and Secondary Education, Economic Development, Health and Senior Services, and Mental Health. The representative of the American Heart Association will be the chairperson and the board must meet at least twice, but may meet more often as needed.

The mission of the board is to develop recommendations for ways that allow schools and state facilities to more easily purchase products directly from local farms for use in their cafeterias and ways to increase public awareness about locally-produced food and its relationship to healthy communities and people. The act requires the board to investigate existing public and private resources that may be used to accomplish the mission objectives as well as identify barriers to the objectives.

The act requires the board to produce and deliver a report, containing its findings and recommendations, to the Governor, the General Assembly, and the directors of the represented agencies by August 31, 2012.

The act expires on August 31, 2012.

The act is similar to HB 344 (2011) which will be the bill to amend.

I will be working with Senator Munzlinger and the House sponsor HB 344 to add the DOH to the Board.

Next Week
Five weeks remain until the May 13th adjournment. The Budget remains to be finished by the Senate. A great deal depends on if Senator Lembke’s “gang of four” relent on the budget in return for returning a portion of the federal stimulus monies.

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