JEFFERSON CITY - Sen. John Cauthorn and his Missouri Senate colleagues are back in their home districts for a brief spring recess that marks the close of the first half of the year's regular legislative session. Already, the Senate has advanced proposals covering budget shortfalls, improving citizen protections, enacting judicial reforms and establishing a state sales tax "holiday."

"We've been busy, we've been productive, but we've still got a lot of work left to do," Cauthorn said.

The first legislative measure signed into law this year was SCR 1, a Senate resolution rejecting a recommended pay increase for lawmakers, judges and statewide elected officials. Under the state constitution, a salary commission recommends changes in the pay for these officials every two years. Lawmakers wasted no time in rejecting the current proposal, which would have allowed increases of as much as 12 percent over the next two years.

"With the budget as tight as it is, this was a no-brainer for those of us in the Legislature," Cauthorn said. "It definitely takes us out of the raise picture, but not state workers, who haven't seen a pay increase for more then two years."

To help protect school programs and colleges from cuts threatened by the governor to balance the state budget for the remainder of the current fiscal year, the Senate approved a proposal issuing revenue bonds to pay for capital improvements previously funded from the state's general revenues.

"We were looking at a budget hole some 300 million dollars deep and bonding served as the ladder to help Missouri climb out," Cauthorn said. "It wasn't the most appealing solution, but it was the best plan available to balance the budget and maintain state services and programs without asking taxpayers to chip in again."

The Senate's bonding plan will save Missouri about $200 million over a bonding plan supported by the governor that would have relied on future tobacco settlement payments.

The Senate also approved a trial state sales tax "holiday" to help Missouri families buy clothing and supplies for children returning to school. Senate Bill 11 suspends the collection of state sales tax on back-to-school items for three days during the second weekend of August this year and next.

The holiday exempts purchases of up to $50 for supplies, $100 for clothes and $2,000 for computers and computer-related equipment. Under this approach, shoppers could spend $50 at one store on supplies, then $50 on supplies at another and receive the tax exemption at both stores.

"Similar programs in other states have boosted sales for retailers while helping cut costs associated with buying supplies and clothing children need to return to school," Cauthorn.

The Senate this session has advanced two measures to help reform judicial proceedings. One, SB 13, prohibits lawsuits by municipalities against gun manufacturers, distributors and dealers for the lawful manufacture and sale of legal products.

"This legislation ensures that criminals who illegally use firearms are held responsible for their actions rather than legitimate businesses engaged in legal trade," Cauthorn said.

The second measure, SB 280, is intended to help sustain the availability and affordability of basic healthcare by establishing common-sense limits on medical malpractice cases and similar civil court actions. The bill re-establishes a $350,000 limit on awards for non-economic damages, such as "mental anguish." Previous limits in this amount were made meaningless by inflationary increases and court rulings that allowed multiple "caps" in a single case.

The bill also restricts "venue shopping," a practice of transferring cases to jurisdictions known for awarding large settlements.

"The threat of lawsuits has dramatically affected the availability and cost of medical malpractice insurance the number of providers of medical malpractice insurance in Missouri dropped from 27 to two during the last year," Cauthorn said. And skyrocketing insurance premiums are sharply limiting the type of care doctors can provide and even pricing some out of practice."

Cauthorn explained that the reforms in SB 280 will help contain costs and assure the availability of healthcare for citizens. At the same time, the law still allows citizens who are truly harmed to be fairly compensated for their loss.

The Senate also approved a measure to help protect Missouri's children. SB 30 creates the "Alert Missouri" system, similar to "Amber Alert" in other states, to help save children who have been abducted. Cauthorn said the measure will coordinate police and public efforts with local and statewide media and citizens to rapidly share information regarding abductions to help in concentrated efforts to recover children.

To help reform regulatory practices by the state's Department of Natural Resources, the Senate has passed SB 36. "This measure requires that environmental regulations be consistent with law and be based on legitimate, peer-reviewed scientific research," Cauthorn said.

Regulations by the department will also have to include an impact statement made available to the public that measures the regulation's effect on business, agriculture and others who may be affected by the regulation.

The Senate reconvenes Monday, March 31. Cauthorn and his lawmaking peers have until Friday, May 16, to complete work on next year's budget and debate other legislation introduced during the first regular session of the 92nd Missouri General Assembly.