It’s hard to believe that we just finished our 8th week of session. While there never seems to be quite enough time, we’ve already made good progress on a number of priority issues, including ethics reform, agriculture and education. So for this week’s column, I’d like to take a moment and highlight the importance of being an active participant in the legislative process and making your voice heard.
Every year, the members of the General Assembly sponsor hundreds of pieces of legislation—over 1,700 just this session. There’s virtually no limit to the breadth and depth of issues we consider. While the bills we take up each session are incredibly diverse, there is one commonality among many of them: they begin with a phone call, email or visit from a constituent. Legislation I filed this week perfectly illustrates this point.
Current state law requires that crimes are prosecuted in the county in which they occurred or in which any element of the offense occurred. For certain offenses, such as identity theft, the crime also can be prosecuted in the county in which the victim resides. On Thursday (2-26), I filed Senate Bill 561, which adds robbery, stealing and similar offenses to the list of crimes that also can be prosecuted in the county in which the victim resides or conducts business.
This bill began when one of my constituents called my office about a problem he encountered with an individual who paid for business services with several bad checks. He has two office locations: one in Christian County and one in Greene County. The individual wrote a bad check at each of the clinics. The total of the two checks was over $500, which is the threshold between a misdemeanor and a felony; however, because neither individual check was over $500, the individual could not be charged with a felony.
If $500 is the amount at which the court decides a person is guilty of a felony, then it shouldn’t matter if that $500 is reached in a single transaction or through separate transactions—the intent to commit fraud is still present, and the individual should be charged with a felony if the amount warrants in.
I know many people think something as simple as a phone call or email to their state representative or senator can’t accomplish anything, but SB 561 is the result of one constituent’s effort. The point I want to drive home is that my colleagues and I are receptive to the needs of our constituents. If we are in a position to help, then that is what we will try to do.
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Shown above, Kaiden Campbell with Sen. Wasson at the Capitol on Feb. 24 |
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Senate Bill 517, which I filed on Wednesday, is another example of constituent-driven legislation. When an individual passes away, the death certificate is the most important document, and almost nothing in terms of business or legal affairs can proceed without one. It’s required before a beneficiary can claim benefits or before a family can begin to settle their affairs. There are numerous reasons. Unfortunately, some individuals have experienced difficulty in obtaining a signed death certificate in a timely manner.
This primarily happens in areas where the physician(s) cannot keep up with the demand, either due to a large geographic area or large population.
Under SB 517, physician assistants would also be able to sign off on certain phases of the death certification process, thereby decreasing the turnaround time on certificates and allowing loved ones to more quickly and easily attend to matters during an already difficult and stressful time.
Senate Bill 517 is just another example of how my colleagues and I, and our staff, are dedicated to representing the issues facing our constituents. The truth is that we can’t do our jobs without the active and consistent participation of our constituents. Whether the legislative process begins with a constituent reaching out with an issue they need resolved, or an idea to address current statute, your involvement is key, and I encourage you to make your voice heard on the issues most important to you.
Finally, I’d like to highlight a number of visitors who stopped by the Capitol this week. On Tuesday, I was happy to meet with Kaiden Campbell, a first grade student attending school in Strafford. Kaiden was recognized for his poetry for Gifted Education Week.
I also met with a number of dentists from the 20th District on Wednesday, as well as members of the Home Builders Association for their annual Legislative Day, National Recovery Advocacy Day participants, Occupational Therapists, Nurse Anesthetists and physicians who were visiting for White Coat Day.
If you have any questions or comments about this or any other matter regarding your state government, please feel free to contact me at (573) 751-1503; you are also welcome to e-mail me at jay.wasson@senate.mo.gov. |
