Bob Nance Capitol Report May 15th

Here is the most recent Capitol Report from Bob Nance (R-36). This is mostly just a list of bills that were passed, good to know what they are doing in Jeff. City. Thanks for the info Bob!

“Government does not have a revenue problem; government has a spending problem. Government does not have a revenue problem; government has a priority problem. It is time that we begin to fine tune our focus and decide what the priority of government ought to be.” Marsha Blackburn At the Capitol

A spending plan for the federal stimulus money the state will be receiving was passed Thursday. Some of the projects slated to receive stimulus funds include:
• Nearly $112 million for a statewide communications system for law enforcement.
• $31.2 million for Ellis Fischel Cancer Center in Columbia.
• $12 million for St. Louis METRO to restore routes cut at the end of March.
• $12 million to the Department of Economic Development for construction upgrades to facilities that focus on the development of markets for Missouri products.
• Among other significant items, the bill would provide $18 million for repairs at community colleges; $10 million for a Jefferson City highway interchange leading to the site of an old state prison being redeveloped for a new federal courthouse; and $9.3 million for construction at the Bellefontaine Habilitation Center for the developmentally disabled in St. Louis.

The following bills were truly agreed and passed:

HB 82, which authorizes an individual income tax deduction for 15% of any military retirement income which increases by 15% annually until 2016 when it is fully phased in.
HB111, which allows unclaimed cremated remains of veterans to be collected by a veterans’ service organization for the purpose of internment under certain circumstances.
HB236, which establishes Kaitlyn’s Law. This law requires school districts to allow certain students with disabilities to participate in graduation ceremonies after four years of high school attendance.

SCS/HCS/HB 580 - This act creates the Line of Duty Compensation Act which provides additional workers’ compensation benefits in the amount of $25,000 for firefighters, law enforcement officers, air ambulance pilots, air ambulance registered professional nurses, and emergency medical technicians who are killed in the line of duty.

SCS/HB 83 - This act specifies that any use of travel club membership benefits during the three-day rescission period of the membership contract will not effectively waive the member's right to rescind the contract. Under this act, a travel club must provide information in its registration statement with the attorney general demonstrating that it possesses at least $250,000 dollars of liquid assets in certain forms. Such requirement is also required with the renewal registration.

This is the last week of session. We typically hear many bills with amendments (relating to bills we have previously heard). The legislator’s intent is put his/her amendments on as many bills as possible so his/her legislation will pass in the form of an amendment to another bill.

I will send out an end of session report in the near future.

Visitors
Students from Hardin-Central visited the Capitol with Nancy Herring and Claudia Spooner. They were eye witnesses to a power outage that cause the House to work in the dark. Two verbal roll calls were observed as the Legislature realized what our predecessors went through before electronic voting (installed in 1947).