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| Legislative Column — Week of April 15, 2013 — |
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Dear Friends: In an effort to keep you informed about the activities at your state Capitol and how those activities might impact your lives, I am offering a regular electronic newsletter. I will send you information about bills making their way through the legislative process, especially bills that directly impact the lives of Kansas Citians. I welcome your feedback and encourage you to contact my office with any questions or concerns you may have.
Hundreds of Missourians descended on the Capitol this week to urge Missouri lawmakers to expand Medicaid under the provisions of the Affordable Care Act. The crowd, estimated at more than 1,200 people, packed three floors of the Capitol Rotunda to advocate for health care for 300,000 uninsured citizens. Governor Nixon, who has made the expansion of Medicaid his top legislative priority for the 2013 session, urged the crowd to continue to pressure lawmakers and take up Medicaid expansion in the final weeks of session. The House adjourned at noon and turned out the lights in the chamber prior to the Medicaid rally, but the House Speaker denied he was trying to shield the majority party from having to meet with rally participants. Despite the massive showing in support of Medicaid expansion, majority party leaders from both chambers say the issue will not be considered this session. Several of the measures I'm sponsoring this session advanced in the Legislature this week. Senate Bill 223, which was unanimously voted "do pass" by members of the Senate Seniors, Families and Pensions Committee, changes provisions of Kansas City's Public School Retirement System. The bill would no longer allow individuals to be members of the retirement system if they have a break in service before they have earned vested retirement benefits or if they withdraw their accumulated contributions from the system. Also, the bill changes the minimum normal retirement age. The retirement age for individuals who become members on or after Jan. 1, 2014, will be 62 or the date when they have at least 80 credits, whichever comes first. In addition, the bill changes how contribution rates to the retirement system are determined and when they are calculated. The contribution rate cannot be less than 7.5 percent, but no more than 9 percent. Finally, the act modifies the benefit formula used to calculate the annual service retirement allowance. A member of the Kansas City Public School Retirement System testified in support of this bill when it was originally heard by committee members in mid-March. No one spoke against the legislation. Senate Bill 224, another measure I'm sponsoring this year, was voted out of the House Crime Prevention & Public Safety Committee. This bill increases the maximum salaries that may be paid to the chief of police and officers of the Kansas City Police Department. My legislation also allows actions taken by the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners, such as suspending, removing or demoting the chief of police, subject to review by any court. A House committee substitute added language to the bill that creates a process for removing a non-elected law enforcement official from office by an appointing authority or the governing body of the political subdivision employing the officer. Also, substitute defines just cause for the law enforcement officer's removal. The last of my bills making progress in the General Assembly this week prohibits health carriers from denying coverage for services on the basis that the service was provided through telemedicine if the same service would be covered when delivered in person. Senate Bill 262 prohibits health care services provided through telemedicine to be subjected to higher deductibles, copayments or coinsurance amounts than would be charged if the same health services were provided face-to-face. The legislation will help spur telemedicine throughout Missouri. For our small, rural communities, some of which do not have a health care facility within a reasonable driving distance, telemedicine has the potential to increase access to health care services for folks all across Missouri. It should make no difference to a health insurance provider whether those health care services are delivered through telemedicine or through face-to-face consultation. Members of the House Health Insurance Committee conducted a hearing on this measure and hopefully it will advance to the full House for debate. Also this week, the Senate gave its final approval to a number of bills sponsored by members of the minority party, including Senate Bill 251, which prohibits recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits from using their electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards at any liquor store, casino, adult-oriented business or for anything that is not in the best interest of their children or household. This legislation ensures that taxpayer dollars are used for household necessities, not for items or activities paid for using assistance funding that are non-family friendly. Senate Bill 170 received unanimous approval in the upper chamber and allows members of public governmental bodies to cast roll-call votes in a meeting if the member is participating via videoconferencing. Another bill that received unanimous approval in the Senate adds law school clinics to the list of organizations that can waive court expenses without filing a motion. Currently, a legal aid society or a legal services or other non-profit entity funded entirely or partly by the state may waive all costs and expenses related to legal services rendered to an indigent client. Senate Bill 245 allows a law school clinic whose primary purpose is educating law students through providing services to the poor to also waive the costs and expenses of providing those services without filing a motion to do so. Members of the Senate minority caucus also successfully amended legislation this week that modifies the Safe Place for Newborns Act. Senate Bill 256 increases the time from five to 45 days that a parent may leave a baby in the custody of a medical staff member, provider or volunteer, a firefighter or EMT or a law enforcement officer without fear of prosecution. A baby also may be left with a maternity home or pregnancy resource center under the bill. An amendment was successfully added to SB 256, which would require the Department of Health and Senior Services to develop an informational brochure relating to meningococcal disease (meningitis) and to post that information on the department's website. The department must notify each school district and charter school of the brochure's availability, and school districts and charter schools must provide a copy of the brochure to parents. The amendment also requires students attending public higher education institutions who live in on-campus housing to receive a meningitis vaccine unless they have a medical or religious exemption. This rare, but serious infection can be fatal or cause great harm without prompt treatment. According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 15 percent of those who survive are left with disabilities that include deafness, brain damage and neurological problems. Another amendment added to SB 256 authorizes a community children's services fund to provide money for preventative services for children designed to prevent substance and emotional abuse, as well as programs regarding juvenile delinquency prevention services. SB 256 now moves to the House for consideration. The Senate also gave final approval this week to Senate Bill 366, which creates the Rebuild Damaged Infrastructure Program to provide funding for reconstruction following presidentially declared natural disasters in the state. The measure exempts non-governmental agencies congressionally mandated to provide disaster relief services from transient guest taxes. Finally, Senate Bill 96 was presented to the Senate Judiciary Committee this week. This measure adds sexual orientation and gender identity to Missouri's existing non-discrimination laws. During testimony on the bill, committee members were informed that it's still legal in our state to fire someone because they are perceived to be gay. Adding sexual orientation and gender identity to our existing human rights statutes would help fix this injustice. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I look forward to debating the 13 bills that make up our state's operating budget for Fiscal Year 2014 when they move to the full Senate next week for debate. There's still much work left to be done before the constitutional deadline to pass the state budget, now just three weeks away. There are four weeks remaining in the First Regular Session of the 97th Missouri General Assembly, which ends at 6 p.m. on May 17. Status of Sen. Curls' Sponsored Legislation The following are measures I have filed this session (notes last legislative action):
To read more about my legislative actions in the Missouri Senate, visit my Senate website at www.senate.mo.gov/curls and click on the various informative links, which include my news releases, under my Media tab. |
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