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.

Thank you.

Missouri senators completed work on the $25 billion FY 2014 budget this week, approving the 13 House budget bills that comprise the state’s spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1. I served on a committee of budget negotiators from the Senate and House and spent hours trying to reconcile differences between the budgets approved by the two chambers.

The state spending plan for the next fiscal year includes a $66 million increase in funding for K-12 education and increases funding for higher education by $25 million.  The budget also includes $76 million for Missouri’s seven veterans’ homes, which is an increase of $2.2 million over the previous year. However, the majority party refuses to include nearly$1 billion in federal funding to expand Medicaid in Missouri.

During debate on the Senate floor on House Bill 11, which would have been the vehicle for Medicaid expansion, I shared my disappointment at this missed opportunity to help hundreds of thousands of working families in the state of Missouri that don't have health insurance. The expansion would have brought thousands of jobs to our state, as we spend countless hours on the floor discussing economic development and moving our state forward. I feel we have a moral and economic responsibility to the people of this state. When we have the ability to provide health care to thousands of people in this state and create additional jobs, we should act on those opportunities in order to make life better for the people in Missouri.

Members of the minority party spent several hours Tuesday night trying to stop a bill that would blow a giant hole in the state budget.  Senate leaders contend Missouri must cut taxes on corporations and the wealthy to remain competitive with Kansas, which dramatically slashed taxes last year and now faces a huge budget deficit. House Bill 253 cuts the state’s top income tax rate over the next 10 years, phases in a 50 percent deduction for business income reported on individual income tax returns, and cuts the corporate income tax rate nearly in half.  The measure would reduce state revenue by $500-800 million when fully implemented.  We must not jeopardize funding for our schools, roads and other vital programs and follow similar paths that proved unsuccessful one of our neighboring states.

Three years after the Missouri State Board of Education adopted the Common Core Standards for students in English Language Arts and mathematics, the Senate majority party is demanding the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) conduct a public hearing on the standards in each congressional district before the standards are fully implemented.  Senate Bill 210 requires those public hearings to be completed by Dec. 31 and requires DESE to issue a report to legislative leaders. A number of Missouri schools already have begun transitioning to the Common Core Standards, which will be fully implemented in Missouri during the 2014-15 school year.  Opponents contend that parents are just now hearing about the new standards, despite the fact schools have started implementing them. In addition, the new standards have been the subject of countless news articles.

According to DESE, the Common Core State Standards define both the knowledge and skills all students should master by the end of each grade level to be on track for success in college and career. They were created through a state-led initiative and have been adopted by more than 40 states, including Missouri. The development of the bi-partisan standards was spearheaded by governors and school chiefs through their membership in the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers. 

SB 210 includes an amendment that address the loss of school accreditation I have been working on for the past two years.  The amendment removes the two-year waiting period that exists between the time a district becomes unaccredited and the lapse of the district’s corporation organization. The measure allows the State Board of Education to intervene and determine the best governing structure for the district while it seeks to regain accreditation.  Additionally, DESE must conduct at least two public hearings regarding the accreditation status of the district. The Kansas City School District lost its accreditation Jan. 1, 2012.  Under current state law, the State Board of Education cannot intervene until June 30, 2014.  This two-year waiting period leaves thousands of students in limbo.

SB 210 also establishes a joint interim committee to study the elementary and secondary school funding formula, which is underfunded by approximately $600 million.  The committee is required to issue a report to the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House by Jan. 8, 2014.

A bill I'm sponsoring this session that began as a measure that would prohibit larger deductibles, copayments or coinsurance amounts for services using telemedicine compared to the same health care service provided through face-to-face diagnosis, consultation or treatment is one step closer to reaching the governor's desk. Senate Bill 262 has been assigned to a conference committee, on which I will serve as a member to help iron out the differences between the House and Senate's version of my bill.

Meantime, opposition from Senate minority party to a proposal to ask voters to amend the state constitution to establish a “right to farm” caused the bill’s sponsor to pull the measure from the floor.  My colleagues raised their concern about the proposed amendment, which would take away local control from counties and eliminate the right of the people to change agriculture regulations through the initiative petition process.  Several Missouri counties have approved ordinances limiting concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, for health and environmental reasons. The following day the bill sponsor said language protecting the ability of cities and counties to enact health and environmental issues related to agriculture had been added to the measure, and the Senate agreed to allow negotiations on the measure to continue.

The final bill considered by the Senate this week shores up the financially troubled Second Injury Fund and adds occupational diseases to the list of injuries or illnesses covered by the state’s workers’ compensation system.  House Bill 404 defines "occupational diseases due to toxic exposure" and creates an expanded benefit for occupational diseases due to toxic exposure equal to 200 percent of the State's average weekly wage for 100 weeks. For mesothelioma cases when the employer is an asbestos manufacturer, an additional amount of 300 percent of the state's average weekly wage for 191 weeks will be paid. Upon death, those payments will be provided to the employee's spouse or children or to the employee's estate if no spouse or children exist.
HB 404 also institutes a funding mechanism to bolster the Second Injury Fund. The Director of the Division of Workers' Compensation will determine the shortfall that will be collected with a supplemental surcharge that cannot exceed 3 percent from 2014 to 2020. The provision containing the authorization of additional surcharge expires on Dec. 31, 2020.  The new funding stream will help pay off the backlog of partial and disability awards. The Senate is expected to resume debate on HB 404 next week.

The final week of the First Regular Session of the 97th Missouri General Assembly begins Monday afternoon and concludes 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):

• Senate Bill 151 - Changes the notice requirement to a tenant in a foreclosure action from 10 to 90 days (assigned to the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee)
• Senate Bill 152 - Allows judges to suspend the imposition of an adult criminal sentence for juvenile offenders (assigned to the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee)
• Senate Bill 153 - Requires a non-custodial parent to pay child support until the child reaches 22 instead of 21 years of age (assigned to the Senate Seniors, Families and Pensions Committee)
• Senate Bill 223 - Modifies provisions of the Public School Retirement System of Kansas City (voted out of the Senate Seniors, Families and Pensions Committee)
• Senate Bill 224 - Increases the maximum salaries that may be paid to the members of the Kansas City Police Department and provides that actions taken against the police chief are subject to review (awaiting debate on the House floor)
• Senate Bill 225 - Modifies laws regarding educational parental support for higher education (assigned to the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee)
• Senate Bill 262 - Prohibits heath carriers from denying coverage for a health care service on the basis that the service was provided through telemedicine if the same service would be covered when delivered in person (assigned to conference committee)
• Senate Bill 263 - Creates the crimes of assault of an employee of a mass transit system while in the scope of his or her duties in the first, second and their degree (assigned to the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee)
• Senate Bill 346 - Modifies the eligibility requirements for food stamp assistance (voted "do pass" by the Senate Governmental Accountability & Fiscal Oversight Committee)
• Senate Bill 388 - Regulates certain contracts for the sale of residential real estate (assigned to the Senate Financial and Governmental Organizations and Elections Committee)
• Senate Bill 389 - Provides a process for the Parole Board to review the case histories of offenders serving more than 15 years in prison and recommend clemency or allow release on parole (assigned to the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee)
• Senate Bill 422 - Designates a portion of Interstate 70 in Independence as the "Clinton J. Scott Memorial Highway" (hearing conducted in the Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee)
• Senate Joint Resolution 11 - Upon voter approval, increases the amount of time for repaying the Budget Reserve Fund when monies from this fund are appropriated due to a disaster or the governor's reduction of the state's expenditures (assigned to Senate Ways and Means Committee)
• Senate Joint Resolution 20 - Upon voter approval, authorizes the creation of Show-Me Small Business Districts (assigned to the Senate Jobs, Economic Development and Local Government Committee)

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.