Education is vital in today’s society and has always been one of my priorities as your Missouri senator. From ensuring children have access to resources before they are even school age, to making it possible for older students to return to the classroom, I am proud to say the General Assembly works hard to put students’ needs first.

In 2012, the Legislature called on the Missouri Department of Higher Education (MDHE) to implement the Missouri Reverse Transfer Program (MRT). Reverse transfer is the process of allowing college students or former college students who have completed credits for an associate degree to receive that degree, even if they have transferred to a different college or university, or no longer attend college. The program allows students who have earned credit at a two-year and a four-year college to transfer credit from the four-year institution back to the two-year institution to earn an associate degree. There is no time limit on students completing the associate degree through MRT.

The program was introduced statewide in 2014, with 40 institutions, after a one-year pilot program proved to be successful. So far, more than 250 associate degrees have been awarded to Missouri students through the program.

To be eligible for the program, former students must have earned a minimum of 15 credit hours from a Missouri two–year higher education facility and have a permanent Missouri address. Those with an associate, or higher degree, are not eligible for the program. This program will help students earn their associate degree, while or even if they are not currently pursuing a bachelor degree. The possibility for higher pay and career advancement is amplified by becoming a degree recipient and it also makes it possible to meet the general education requirements at many four-year colleges. One of the best parts is there is little additional work required by the perspective participant. All they have to do is allow their transcripts to be shared between the two institutions.

Because of the initial success of this program and the possibility to allow more Missourians access to degrees that they have already earned, Missouri has been recognized as a leader in the reverse transfer program. I am proud to say the hard work from MDHE led to Missouri being chosen as one of three states to take part in the National Student Clearing House Reverse Transfer Project to assist with the national reverse transfer project.

You can learn more about MRT at dhe.mo.gov/MOReverseTransfer.php. If you have questions or need additional information about the program, contact Assistant Commissioner Rusty Monhollon at rusty.monhollon@dhe.mo.gov or (573) 751-5221.

During the 2014 legislative session, lawmakers passed House Bill 1490, which calls for working groups of teachers and parents to review and revise learning standards in four content areas: English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies. Each area was split into work groups for grades K-5 and 6-12. The groups met throughout the 2014-2015 school year and into the summer, and on October 1 they submitted their recommended standards to the Missouri State Board of Education.

Following the October 1 meeting it was announced there would be another period for public comment, for 30 days beginning November 2. After the public comment period educators and lawmakers will review the proposals. The current timetable calls for the board to vote in March on whether to adopt the new standards, which are supposed to be in place for the 2016-2017 school year.

It is important to note, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has not adopted new Missouri Learning Standards and will not do so until May 2016.

I strongly encourage constituents of the 4th District to take this opportunity to have their voices heard on this very important topic that truly involves our children's educational future. To take the survey between now and December 2, click here, or here:
www.dese.mo.gov/college-career-readiness/curriculum/hb-1490-work-group-process.

The is the proposed 136-acre site for the for the Next National Geospatial Agency West (NGA), located in North St. Louis.

Due to aging buildings, limited room for expansion and increasing security concerns, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency West Campus Headquarters (NGA West), now located in the southern area of the city, is currently considering a new site in the St. Louis region to build a new facility.

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) is the nation’s primary source of geospatial intelligence for the Department of Defense and the U.S. Intelligence Community. It provides support to U.S. national security and defense as well as disaster relief. It will provide 3,100 jobs with an average salary of $83,000 a year; and tax earnings for the city of an estimated $204 million. During construction there are expected to be as many as 5,200 construction jobs. Both the short-term and long-term economic development potential of this project will leave a positive impact for years and generations to come.

Although four sites are being considered, elected leaders agreed to throw all their support behind the North St. Louis site. This is the preferred location for the Next National Geospatial Agency West (NGA) as we seek to rebuild North St. Louis through jobs, safety and more economic development opportunities.
I co-sposnored Senate Bill 519, which creates a limit of $4 million for projects in blighted areas of the City of St. Louis that border a former public housing site. Redevelopment may lead to the retention or expansion of over 2,000 geospatial-intelligence jobs at the NGA West Facility.

Over the past nine months, the Next NGA West project team has been studying the potential social, economic and environmental impacts of a proposed NGA location at each of the four proposed sites. The public comment period will be open until November 23, 2015. Community input is a necessary and valuable part of the process.

I encourage everyone who is able to leave a comment during the open comment period from October 9, 2015, to November 23, 2015. You may do so the following ways:

• Online or downloadable comment form;
• Email: nextngawest@usace.army.mil; or
  
• Mail: Next NGA West, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Kansas City District, Room 529, 601 E. 12th Street, Kansas City.

Open enrollment for the coming year runs from through December 7.

For 2016 Medicare Part D Plans, open enrollment ends December 7, 2015. Medicare Part D plans chosen during that time-frame will begin January 1, 2016.

You can sign up for Medicare as soon as you become eligible, regardless of what month it is. But each year, you have the option of making changes to your Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plan (or Medicare Part D) during open enrollment.

During this time-frame, participants can switch from original Medicare to Medicare Advantage, or vice versa. You can also switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another, or from one Medicare Part D (prescription drug) plan to another, or drop your Medicare Part D coverage altogether.

• Visit www.medicare.gov to enroll for Medicare Part D.
• Visit www.missouriclaim.org or call 1-800-390-3330 to get help from the Missouri Department of Insurance to choose a plan that best meets your needs. CLAIM provides free, unbiased help to Missourians (and their caregivers) who are on Medicare, the elderly and people with disabilities. (Some public servers may not support the CLAIM link.)
• Visit www.morx.mo.gov for prescription drug assistance and coordination of Medicare’s (Part D) Prescription Drug Program; enrollment is free and year-round.
• Visit Extra Help to learn about the extra help to which you are entitled. 

During the open enrollment period, consumers can change their Part D drug coverage or Medicare Advantage plans. Medicare is not part of the federal health insurance marketplace under the Affordable Care Act.

By utilizing the assistance of a CLAIM counselor, Missourians can get better health care and drug coverage or save money by signing up for a different plan. Counselors might also help citizens who are living on a limited income by notifying them whether or not they qualify for federal or state assistance to pay for prescription drugs. 

If you turn 65 or become eligible for Medicare outside of the annual open enrollment period, you have a seven-month window in which to enroll in the current year's plan and avoid any possible penalties:

• Three months before the month of your eligibility (your birth month);
• The month of your eligibility (the month you turn 65); and
• Three months after the month you become eligible for Medicare.

Your coverage will begin either on the first day of your birth month or, when you join during or after your birth month, on the first day of the month after the month in which you join.

There’s also a dis-enrollment period that runs from January 1 to February 14 each year. During this time, Medicare Advantage enrollees can switch back to original Medicare, and can then sign up for Medicare Part D.

Open enrollment for the coming year runs through January 31.

This year, open enrollment runs November 1, 2015 through January 31, 2016.  There are several ways to learn more about the ACA or the federal Health Insurance Marketplace:

• Call the Marketplace Call Center: 1-800-318-2596, it is open 24/7.
• Visit www.healthcare.gov for live chat assistance.
• Visit CuidadoDeSalud.gov for Spanish.
• Visit www.covermissouri.org.
• TTY users should call 1-855-889-4325.

Cover Missouri: Helping Missourians Find Affordable Health Insurance

Cover Missouri is a coalition of community organizations from around Missouri that are dedicated to helping consumers understand their insurance options. Coalition members include Navigators and Certified Application Counselors (CAC), who can assist you to:

• Understand and navigate new health insurance rules and requirements;
• Understand health insurance basics;
• Research and understand ways to help pay for health insurance;
• Understand the Missouri Health Insurance Marketplace, rules and restrictions and;
• Help understand where and how to purchase insurance.

There are no fees to use the marketplace or to receive help from a Navigator or CAC. No one should solicit health coverage to you. Here is a checklist of information you will need when you sign up:

• Social Security Numbers (or document numbers for legal immigrants);
• Employer and income information for every member of your household who needs coverage (for example, from pay stubs or W-2 forms—Wage and Tax Statements); and
• Policy numbers for any current health insurance plans covering members of your household.

If you are in need of a plan, you must sign up by January 31, unless your family qualifies for a Special Enrollment Period. This time-frame is a time period outside of open enrollment when you and your family have a right to sign up for health coverage. In the Marketplace, you qualify for a special enrollment period 60 days following certain life events that involve a change in family status like marriage, the birth of a child or loss of other health coverage.

• There’s no limited enrollment period for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). You can apply any time; and
• There’s also no limited enrollment period for small businesses to enroll in SHOP coverage for their employees. You can apply any time.

This program will allow people with disabilities and their families to save money in a special, tax exempt savings account so that they can provide for their basic necessities, and maintain a better quality of life, without being penalized.

During the 2015 session the General Assembly passed, and the governor signed, Senate Bill 174, that will create the Missouri Achieving a Better Life Experience (Missouri ABLE). The ABLE program allows a person with disabilities, or their family, to open a tax-exempt savings account to pay care expenses related to the disability.

The Missouri ABLE program also allows anyone to make a tax-deductible contribution of up to $8,000 for an individual or $16,000 for married couples to another person’s Missouri ABLE account. Missourians with disabilities are eligible to open a Missouri ABLE account if they are eligible for benefits based on their disability or blindness under the Social Security Act, if the disability occurred prior to the participant turning 26.

Senate Bill 174 also authorizes the Missouri State Treasurer’s Office and the Missouri ABLE Board to administer the ABLE program. The Missouri State Treasurer’s Office will set rules for the creation of Missouri ABLE accounts. After the adoption of these rules, Missourians can begin establishing Missouri ABLE accounts.

The legislation requires the director of investment of the State Treasurer's Office to conduct a semiannual review of the program and report the findings to the board.

For more information visit the Missouri Dental Association online at www.modental.org/.

Last summer at the Columbia Hearnes Center, the Missouri Dental Association and Missouri Dental Association Foundation hosted the 4th annual Missouri Mission of Mercy (MOMOM) event. This event has helped nearly 2,000 patients each year since its inception, and has provided over $1 million in services at each event.

More than 200 dentists, dental hygienists, dental students, and other dental team members, in addition to over 700 general volunteers who donate their time to provide free services to individuals who need it most. The event typically begins early in the morning on a first-come, first-served basis. Some patients begin arriving as early as the night before to secure their place in line. While MOMOM has historically seen a majority of adult patients, teenagers and children as young as the age of 5 are also provided care, as there are dental professionals of all practices on hand to assist and donate their time and skills. Here are a few pictures of individuals receiving care from some of Missouri’s leading dental experts.

Each year, MOMOM is held in a different region of the state and lasts for two days. This event has been hosted by Springfield, Cape Girardeau, St. Louis, and Columbia. The 2016 event, or MOMOM 5, will be in Independence August 12 and 13.