DailyJournalOnline → News → Local → Slow pace dominates first half of Mo. legislative session

Slow pace dominates first half of Mo. legislative session

By CHRIS BLANK
Associated Press Writer

Published: Sunday, March 23, 2008
Updated: Saturday, March 22, 2008 5:06 AM CDT

Legislative priorities await votes

The Missouri Legislature restarts after its annual spring break. Here's where some of the issues stand:

ABORTION

The Senate briefly discussed a bill that would make it illegal to threaten to cut off financial support, fire or revoke a scholarship if someone doesn't have an abortion. It also would require letting women see an ultrasound and be instructed that an abortion may cause pain to the fetus. A similar bill has been filed in the House.

BUDGET

The House Budget Committee has approved its recommendations for next year's budget, and leaders plan to bring it to the floor in the coming weeks. The Senate is still working on part of a supplemental budget that covers expenses not accounted for in the current year's budget.

BUSINESS TAXES

The Senate approved $33.5 million annually in tax breaks '” mostly for businesses that add new jobs providing at least average wages and health care benefits. The House approved a separate version with $38.6 million in tax breaks, including some for investors in startup, technology-based businesses. The Senate also gave first-round approval to tens of millions of dollars in tax incentives aimed mostly at agriculture.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE

The Senate approved legislation that would again remove the state caps on campaign donations while requiring more reporting. House leaders say they support the idea. It comes after the state Supreme Court tossed out a law that included the repeal.

CASINOS

Committees in the House and Senate have considered provisions to cap the number of casino licenses that the state Gaming Commission can award. None of those proposals have made it the floor of either chamber.

CHILD CARE RATING

A five-star ranking system for child care centers got initial approval in the Senate but hasn't been brought up for a final vote.

CYBER CRIMES

Legislation broadening what constitutes harassment, prompted by the suicide of a St. Charles County teen, cleared the Senate. The bill makes it a felony for someone who's at least 21 to harass children. It also allows more behavior to be considering harassing because it removes provisions describing how the message is communicated and instead focuses on the content of the harassment.

DEPUTY SHERIFFS

The Senate approved a bill to add extra fees for serving court documents to help increase pay for deputy sheriffs.

DRUG MONITORING

The House and Senate approved separate versions of legislation that would create a state database for tracking controlled substances, designed to make it harder to '�doctor shop.'� The list would include identifying information about the patient and medication. The bills also require pharmacists keep an electronic log for certain cold medications that have an ingredient that can be used to make methamphetamine.

HEALTH CARE

Bipartisan concern from a House committee prompted Gov. Matt Blunt to scrap plans to start a government-subsidized health insurance program for the working poor. Lawmakers raised concerns about the cost and scope and whether Blunt had the legal authority to start his '�Insure Missouri'� plan. Proposals for a similar idea have been filed in the House and Senate but have not yet received a hearing.

IMMIGRATION

The House approved legislation barring illegal immigrants from attending state colleges and universities, but there's been no Senate debate. Business groups have been working to block penalties and new requirements for employers.

JUDGES

The House gave initial approval to a constitutional amendment barring court-ordered tax increases, but too many lawmakers left early for the spring break to have a final vote. Proposals to change how judges are selected haven't been discussed on the floor of either chamber.

PROPERTY TAXES

The Senate has approved legislation designed to limit property tax increases by requiring that the tax rate be rolled back when property values increase by more than the rate of inflation. That bill also requires counties to mail notices detailing projected tax bills and expands an income tax break for low-income seniors and the disabled.

TEACHER ABUSE

The House approved a bill designed to make it easier to track teachers who have been accused of sexually abusing students. It would require the state to keep records of all allegations, even if they aren't proven true. The victim and school district could sue if a previous school district had fired the perpetrator for sexual abuse and didn't disclose it.

TEACHER SALARIES

House Speaker Rod Jetton's bill to use state money to boost teacher pay hasn't cleared a House committee. A House Democrat is floating a compromise plan to replace raises with stipends for factors such as performance and longevity. Critics contend the measure wouldn't help teachers in suburban districts.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — With many of the state’s lawmakers facing elections this year and many of the chamber leaders term-limited, lawmakers moved at a casual pace during the first half of a legislative session that resumes Tuesday after a spring break.

“This has been a slow session. There’s no doubt about that,” said House Speaker Rod Jetton, who is among those departing. “And I kind of like it that way.”

Just five bills — all spending items that weren’t covered by last year’s budget — have passed, and some extra spending still has not cleared the Senate. That means the House, which has yet to hold an afternoon session, could begin debating next year’s budget as the Senate finishes with the last of this year’s spending plan. The new budget must be approved by May 9.

Legislative leaders this session planned to consider cracking down on illegal immigrants, extending property tax relief and expanding health insurance coverage. Although the Senate passed a property tax bill, the other two issues have faced opposition.

The health insurance program is a priority for Gov. Matt Blunt, but the House members had concerns about it even before Blunt announced he wouldn’t seek re-election.

Immigration measures, meanwhile, have faced opposition from business groups, which are concerned that lawmakers will add requirements and penalties on employers. They have persuaded some Republicans to look for ways to go after illegal immigration without affecting businesses.

For the third straight year, the House approved a bill requiring public colleges and universities certify to lawmakers that they aren’t knowingly enrolling illegal immigrants. But no Senate immigration proposals have made it to floor debate.

Senate Majority Leader Charlie Shields said he’s not sure exactly what that chamber is going to do on that issue. Shields, R-St. Joseph, said it might be possible to reach agreement on criminalizing the transport of illegal immigrants for work and banning those not legally in the U.S. from receiving some public benefits.

“We haven’t gotten very far into the immigration issue, so I think that will take a while,” he said.

But Shields’ bill to repeal the state limits on campaign donations is moving. The Senate has approved it, and Jetton, R-Marble Hill, said he supports it. Lawmakers last year removed the caps, but they were reinstated after the state Supreme Court tossed out a law that included a provision removing the limit on donations.

Senate Democrats splintered over the issue, but House Minority Leader Paul LeVota said his caucus wants the caps to remain.

Lawmakers also plan to focus on updating state laws against harassment and stalking, increasing pay for teachers and changing how judges are selected. But debates about changing the state plan for picking judges and Jetton’s bill to increase teacher pay have been confined to committees.

The measure that would broaden what constitutes harassment to include Internet or text messages has cleared the Senate, but it still must work its way through the House. The measure was prompted by the 2006 suicide of a St. Charles County teen who was teased on a social networking Web site.

Meanwhile, a proposed constitutional amendment barring court-ordered tax increases is likely to resurface after lawmakers return. The House was poised to pass the measure, but a vote was never taken because too many Republicans left early for their spring break, leaving supporters without the enough votes to pass it.

Legislation that has cleared the House includes a measure from LeVota, D-Independence, meant to prevent Kansas from raising taxes on Missourians who work across the border. Lawmakers last year repealed a state law that allows those who live in another state but work in Missouri to subtract what they pay in property taxes in their home state from the income on which they are taxed in Missouri. Lawmakers in Topeka have threatened to retaliate.

The Missouri bill, which hasn’t been debated in the Senate, would apply only if the other state allows Missourians to do the same.

The session ends May 16.

———

Legislature: http://www.moga.mo.gov