JEFFERSON CITY—The Missouri Senate this week held a work day dedicated solely to parsing through the hundreds of suggestions it has received via the Senate’s “Rebooting Government” website.
To get a wide range of ideas on how to trim the state’s budget, Senate President Pro Tem Charlie Shields (R-St. Joseph) recently launched the Rebooting Government initiative on the Senate website, which invites Missourians to share their ideas on how to restructure and streamline state government.
Rather than holding regularly scheduled committee meetings, Sen. Shields announced last week that eight groups of four senators each would meet for most of the day on March 23 to review the suggestions submitted by Missourians on how to rework state government in the midst of a budget shortfall. The working groups were asked to submit at least five ideas they agreed upon that could be implemented, which they presented to the full Senate at the conclusion of the all-day meetings. The recommendations presented a potential savings between $689 million and $789 million to Missouri taxpayers.
Listen to the Senate Minute's report on the work day.
Group members and submitted recommendations included:
Agriculture/Outdoors/Department of Natural Resources
Sen. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia (chairman)
Sen. Frank Barnitz, D-Lake Spring
Sen. Dan Clemens, R-Marshfield
Sen. Wes Shoemyer, D-Clarence
Recommendations included requiring one- or two-week furloughs for state employees; combining certain boards and commissions; and reviewing agency program fees to identify ways to make the programs fully fee-funded instead of relying on general revenue.
Listen to an audio clip of Sen. Schaefer presenting the group's recommendations.
Courts/Legal/Department of Public Safety
Sen. Matt Bartle, R-Lee’s Summit (chairman)
Sen. Jack Goodman, R-Mt. Vernon
Sen. Jolie Justus, D-Kansas City
Sen. Rob Mayer, R-Dexter
Recommendations included reducing the state’s prison population by at least 2,000; creating a formalized diversion program; and updating the criminal fine schedule.
Watch a video clip of Sen. Bartle presenting the group's recommendations.
Education
Sen. David Pearce, R-Warrensburg (chairman)
Sen. Rita Heard Days, D-St. Louis
Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin
Sen. Yvonne Wilson, D-Kansas City
Recommendations included consolidation of services for K-12 schools and higher education institutions; a merger of the Department of Higher Education and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; and expansion of virtual schools.
Watch a video clip of Sen. Pearce presenting the group's recommendations.
General Government/Office of Administration
Sen. Jim Lembke, R-St. Louis (chairman)
Sen. Tim Green, D-St. Louis
Sen. Luann Ridgeway, R-Smithville
Sen. Carl Vogel, R-Jefferson City
Recommendations included shortening the legislative session; invoking a temporary moratorium on all state travel; and reforming the state’s merit system.
Watch a video clip of Sen. Lembke presenting the group's recommendations.
Retirement
Sen. Jason Crowell, R-Cape Girardeau (chairman)
Sen. Jane Cunningham, R-Chesterfield
Sen. John Griesheimer, R-Washington
Sen. Joe Keaveny, D-St. Louis
Recommendations included evaluating the use of pension obligation bonds, as well as the following proposed retirement bills this session:
- SB 896 : Requires the MOSERS and MPERS boards to create a defined contribution retirement plan for certain employees and judges.
- SB 1048 : Modifies the retirement plans for certain state employees and judges.
- SB 1049 : Modifies the retirement plans for state employees and judges who start work for the first time on or after January 1, 2011.
- SB 1050 : Creates a company to manage investments for public retirement systems.
Watch a video clip of Sen. Crowell presenting the group's recommendations.
Social Programs
Sen. Scott T. Rupp, R-Wentzville (chairman)
Sen. Joan Bray, D-St. Louis
Sen. Norma Champion, R-Springfield
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Glendale
Recommendations included reforming state habilitation centers; making each department assess the percentage of employees who can work from home; and containing the costs of Medicaid under SB 1007 .
Watch a video clip of Sen. Rupp presenting the group's recommendations.
Tax Structure
Sen. Tom Dempsey, R-St. Charles (chairman)
Sen. Brad Lager, R-Savannah
Sen. Chuck Purgason, R-Caulfield
Sen. Robin Wright-Jones, D- St. Louis
Recommendations included placing a global cap on tax credits; reviewing biodiesel and ethanol projects; and establishing an Interim Committee on Optimal Tax Policy.
Watch a video clip of Sen. Dempsey presenting the group's recommendations.
Transportation
Sen. Bill Stouffer, R-Napton (chairman)
Sen. Kevin Engler, R-Farmington
Sen. Ryan McKenna, D-Crystal City
Sen. Delbert Scott, R-Lowry City
Recommendations included stopping the distribution of free state road maps; requiring only one license plate on vehicles instead of two; and consolidating the highway patrol with the water patrol.
Watch a video clip of Sen. Stouffer presenting the group's recommendations.
Click here for a complete listing of recommendations from the Senate's Rebooting Government work day.
“Health Care Freedom Act”
The Senate spent a large portion of its time this week debating a proposed constitutional amendment relating to the recent passage of the federal health care bill. Senate Joint Resolution 25 , sponsored by Sen. Cunningham, would prohibit any federal law from compelling a patient, employer, or health care provider to participate in any government or privately run health care system, if passed by the Legislature and approved by Missouri voters. The measure would also provide that no federal law may prohibit a patient or employer from paying directly for legal health care services. No further action was taken on the measure, but it may be brought up at any point during the remainder of the legislative session.
Watch a video clip of Sen. Cunningham explaining SJR 25 on the floor.
Senate Select Committee on Redistricting
This week the Senate Select Committee on Redistricting held its first meeting. Panel members heard from an expert in legal issues surrounding the U.S. Census and re-drawing of district boundaries.
The committee is charged with performing all duties necessary for the General Assembly to prepare for its role in the 2010 Decennial Census, which involves determining Congressional redistricting to reflect changes in shifting populations. Senators Rupp (chairman), Lager (vice-chairman), Pearce, Crowell, Callahan and Wright-Jones serve on the committee.
Legislation Sent to the House
Senate Bill 845 , which would allow overseas voters—including military members—to request and send voter registration applications and absentee ballot applications electronically was passed by the Senate this week. Currently, Missourians who are out of the country must request an absentee voting ballot by mail, fax or in-person. In the time that it takes for voters to return the ballot, the election is often complete and the ballot is only provisional.
Senate Bill 851 , sponsored by Sen. Schmitt, has also received Senate approval. The bill would require additional notice to the public before local governments would be able to vote on tax increases, eminent domain, or certain districts and projects receiving public funding.
Currently, the law requires local governing bodies to only give 24-hour notice before voting on these issues. Senate Bill 851 would require at least four days notice before a vote may be taken.
In addition, Senate Bill 893 , sponsored by Sen. Days, was sent to the House for consideration. The bill would require a local law enforcement agency or other governmental agency to enter information regarding the service of ex parte orders of protection into the Missouri Uniform Law Enforcement system (MULES) within 24 hours after the ex parte order is served. An ex parte order (which refers to a decision being made based only on provided information by one party, not a court hearing) is typically given if a judge finds that there is an immediate and present danger of domestic abuse and an individual needs immediate protection.
Senate Committee Hearings
Senate Bill 1004 , sponsored by Sen. Schaefer, was heard in the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee this week, and would strengthen the penalty for shaking a young child. Under the bill, endangering the welfare of a child in the first degree would be considered an unclassified felony with the term of imprisonment not to exceed 20 years when the person substantially risks the life of a child younger than five by shaking him or her. Currently, the crime is a Class C felony, punishable by one to seven years of imprisonment.
Watch a video clip of Sen. Schaefer presenting SB 1004 to committee.
Sen. Lemke presented SB 788 to the Senate Education Committee . If passed, the bill would establish the “Students First Interscholastic Athletics Act” to allow high school students in non-traditional schools to compete in interscholastic athletics.
Watch a video clip of Sen. Lembke presenting SB 788 to the committee.
These bills must be passed by their respective committees to be brought up on the Senate floor for debate.
The Missouri Senate will reconvene at 4 p.m. on Monday, March 29. The Second Regular Session of the 95th Missouri General Assembly runs through Friday, May 14, 2010.
This legislative update is written on a weekly basis. To follow these and other issues facing the Missouri Senate, visit www.senate.mo.gov. Visitors can track legislation as it passes through the General Assembly, learn more about their district, or listen to streaming audio of legislative debate as it happens. For more legislative news, please visit the Senate Newsroom . There you will find various audio and video programs and other services, such as:
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