Every Day Numbers for the 14th District
CHILDREN & FAMILY SERVICES
Division of Child Support Enforcement
(314) 877-2700
Jewish Family and Children's Services
(314) 993-1000
NAACP - St. Louis County Branch
(314) 389-1552
St. Louis County Human Services
(314) 615-4453
Youth Emergency Services
(314) 862-1334
CONSUMER PROTECTION
Consumer Credit Counseling Services
(314) 647-9004
Consumer
Credit Reports
1-877-322-8228
Missouri Consumer Protection Hotline
1-800-392-8222
Missouri Dept. of Insurance Consumer Information
1-800-726-7390
CRISIS HOTLINES
Youth Emergency Service Hotline
(314) 727-6294
St. Louis Housing Resource Center
(Homeless Hotline)
(314) 802-5444
Life Crisis Services, Inc. (for Adults)
(24-Hour)
(314) 647-4357
Elderly Abuse Hotline
1-800-392-0210
Child Abuse & Neglect Hotline
(24-Hours)
1-800-392-3738
Alcohol Drug Interventions & Drug Treatment Referrals
1-888-762-3750
HEALTH-RELATED SERVICES
Alzheimer's Association
1-800-980-9080
Birth & Death Records
(314) 615-1720
HIGHER EDUCATION
Missouri School for the Blind
(314) 776-4320
Paraquad, Inc.
(314) 289-4200
HOUSING
Beyond Housing
(314) 533-0600
Housing Authority -
St. Louis County
(314) 428-3200
Home Improvement Grants (North County)
(314) 615-8232
PREGNANCY COUNSELING
Abortion Alternatives
(314) 962-5300
Planned Parenthood & Reproductive Health Services of St. Louis
(314) 531-7526
SENIOR CITIZEN SERVICES
Missouri Rx Program
1-800-375-1406
Long-Term Care Information - Ombudsman
(314) 918-8222
Older Adult Community Action Program
(314) 993-5181
Legal Services of Eastern Missouri (Elderly Law Unit)
(314) 534-4200
TOUR THE CAPITAL CITY
State Capitol Tours
(573) 751-2854
TRANSPORTATION
Call-A-Ride
(314) 652-3617
VETERANS BENEFITS
American Red Cross Blood Services
(314) 658-2000
Missouri Veterans Commission
(573) 751-3779
St. Louis County Office of Veterans' Services
(314) 615-4413
VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATIONS
Big Brothers
Big Sisters
(314) 361-5900
Foster Grandparents
(314) 961-8000
ext. 370
Newsletter
April 11, 2013
Friends & Neighbors,
If you would like to learn more about the issues addressed in this newsletter or would like to discuss any matter involving state government, please contact my Capitol office.
Thank you,
Maria Chappelle-Nadal
14th District
| Video: SB 124 Recieves Hearing in the Senate General Laws Committee |
Tuesday afternoon I presented Senate Bill 124 to members of the Senate General Laws Committee. The measure would create a crime for failing to prevent illegal firearm possession, create the offense of negligent storage of a firearm, and require a parent or guardian enrolling a child in school to notify the school district or the governing body of a private or charter school that the parent or guardian owns a firearm.
Responsible gun owners have nothing to fear from my legislation, and no one, at least no one in Missouri, is talking about taking away anyone's guns. I simply want to make sure that children do not have easy access to guns, especially children in urban settings. I am not talking about rural children who learn to hunt with a rifle or a shotgun; I am talking about gang members turning our cities into war zones or disturbed teenagers who think the only way to settle differences is to take a gun to school.
There are reasonable things we can do as a society to reduce the incidences of gun violence without infringing on anyone's right to keep and bear arms. I would like to thank the chairman, members of the committee, and the witnesses who testified in favor of my legislation.
Click here or on the image above to watch Sen. Chappelle-Nadal's present
Senate Bill 124 in committee. (Runtime 2:55)
Click here or on the image above to watch Sen. Chappelle-Nadal's
interview
with CNN regarding Senate Bill 124. (Runtime 3:36)
| Senate Gives First-Round Approval to Public Assistance Fraud and Abuse & Videoconferencing Legislation |
This week, the upper chamber initially approved a couple of bills that I am sponsoring and co-sponsoring this year. Senate Bill 251, sponsored by me and Sen. Will Kraus, R-Lee's Summit, is designed to reduce instances of fraud and abuse of temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) benefits. The bill is an attempt to make sure people who are receiving assistance don't use the money to gamble at casinos, and buy alcohol and cigarettes. If approved by the House and signed by the governor, the legislation would prohibit TANF recipients from using any electronic benefit transfer (EBT) funds in any liquor store, casino or other gaming establishment, and adult-oriented businesses. The measure also prohibits the use of public assistance funds to purchase alcoholic beverages, tobacco products or lottery tickets. Violators would be required to reimburse the Department of Social Services.
The Senate also gave first-round approval to Senate Bill 170, one of my sponsored bills, which would allow members of public governmental bodies to cast roll-call votes via videoconferencing. Currently, all roll-call votes in public meetings of public governmental bodies can only be cast by members that are physically present and in attendance at the meeting. The bill simply allows members to cast roll-call votes if the member is participating via videoconferencing in such meetings. Both SB 251 and SB 170 need another round of approval before moving to the House of Representatives for similar consideration.
| Earth Day Forum at Clayton High School Coming Up |
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|---|
Please join me on Saturday, April 20, 2013, for my "Earth Day Forum" featuring lawmakers, environmentalists, and officials from the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. The event is free and open to the public, and I would encourage you to do or learn something about protecting our precious Earth, even if you cannot attend my event.
My goal is to continue the conversation within our communities and throughout the world about how important it is for us to be good stewards of our environment. I hope to see you there and please mark your calendars. The event will be held at Clayton High School in the Stuber Gym. If you have any questions regarding the event, please feel free to contact my Capitol office.
Click here if you would like to learn more about this year's theme for Earth Day - "The Face of Climate Change."
"Storytime with the Senator" at University City Public Library (pdf)
(Saturday, April 13, at 10:30 a.m.)
"Show-Me Green Sales Tax Holiday" (April 19-25)
Sen. Chappelle-Nadal's 2013 Online Legislative Survey
Students from University City High School visited the Capitol on Thursday. The students had some time to pose for this picture in the Senate Chamber. Also, this week I was pleased to welcome visitors from Express Scripts and introduce my guests to the full Senate.
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Mo. Senate Panel Mulls Gun Control Measure (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
"I hear that you made a great effort and stood up to the “foreign law” bill. My utmost gratitude. I will make sure that our Muslim friends and others who care about the bill know what you did. I find your workplace a very depressing place." :( – John
"Great job yesterday! THANK YOU! This link is an article about you from Springfield. THANK YOU AGAIN!" - Jim
"Thank you so much for your vote yesterday to remove the property tax penalty for community colleges in the higher education funding formula bill (SB 437). As you obviously realized and understood, the property tax penalty did not take into account that the tuition for those in-district students is lowered in order to compensate for the fact that they pay a local tax to support the college. It was inappropriate for the formula bill to include the local property tax revenue without acknowledging the decreased tuition received from local students. The formula has also served to spotlight the fact that community colleges are poorly funded by comparison; our students represent over 40% of all higher education students in Missouri, yet we receive only 15% of the state higher education funding! Thank you for your vote!" – Evelyn
"Thank you for the great job you do representing me and University City in the Missouri Senate. Please support Gov. Nixon's proposal to expand the Medicaid program in Missouri. There are thousands of Missouri citizens in dire need of health insurance so they can receive adequate medical and mental health treatment." – Christopher
"Thanks for the information. You are doing a very good job." – Paco
"I'm proud to have you as my state senator. Thank you for continuing to advocate for what is right and fair." – Becky
"I sympathize and empathize with the many tough decisions you must make every day as our senator. I am a member of MCU in St. Louis, and as you know, we are working very hard on Medicaid expansion. I appreciate your support of this opportunity; we have to help our uninsured fellow Missourians. Please know that I support you in your efforts to expand Medicaid. I'm sure you know all of the statistics that support the expansion. However, we can't forget that this is also the right thing to do. I believe that affordable health care is a right of every citizen – it's a matter of human dignity, and respect for all human life. I'll be attending the rally on April 16, and I hope to visit your office at the Capitol on that day also. Thank you for all of your efforts to make our community and state better." – Carolyn
"I just read your latest newsletter and wanted to thank you for all of the causes that you advocate for to support the poor and less fortunate of our communities. I fully support your views on Medicaid expansion and gun control issues. I am the Executive Director of Every Child's Hope (Evangelical Children's Home), which is a child welfare and behavioral health agency in your district. Keep on fighting for these core beliefs as there are many of us that support your views. Thanks so much for your service and dedication." – Michael
April 4 - April 8, 2013
Thursday, I traveled back home from Jefferson City to be sworn in as a Director on the University City School District's Board of Education. I am passionate about my service to the school district and am pleased to be able to serve the district for another three years.
Friday morning, I attended the Catholic Charities Legislative Breakfast, the Regional Business Council's Legislative Lunch and UMSL's Lifelong Learning event on campus. The event featured a keynote address given by Dr. John Hensche, an internationally known academic and practitioner who has done work with groups all over the United States and the world. The event also featured my friend, neighbor and educator Cora Drew Walker. She is the person that taught me about the Affordable Care Act two years ago before other elected officials could comprehend the details of such a magnificent benefit for those who need health care services.
Saturday and Sunday, I was able to study up on some pending legislation before the General Assembly and rejuvenate for another busy week of session.
I was so happy to see these members of Girls, Inc. at the Capitol on Wednesday
during their visit to Jefferson City.
The program inspires all girls to be
strong, smart,
and bold through life-changing programs and experiences.