The Missouri Times - March 16, 2017 by Missouri Times

The Missouri Times

KREWSON LAYS OUT GOALS FOR STL | PAGE 8

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PASSAGE OF UBER BILL HELD UP JCMO passes local ordinance same week PAGE 12

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Times MARCH 16, 2017

MAJOR SESSION ISSUES REMAIN

Uber, utilities, budget, and ethics await legislatureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s return PAGE 5

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Why I’m fighting for faith on campus State Representative Hannah Kelly, 141st District Even if you’ve never sworn to uphold it, you’re probably familiar with the oath of office we each take in the General Assembly. It begins “I do solemnly swear, or affirm, that I will support the Constitution of the United States and of the state of Missouri, and faithfully perform the duties of my office …” In January, I raised my right hand, repeated those words, and felt their significance immediately. In part, oaths are important because they bind leaders to basic standards of conduct and a group’s shared core beliefs. They also help shape and preserve the character of the communities which we serve and the residents across our great state. Unfortunately, in Missouri—and throughout our country—college students are at risk of being denied one of their basic Constitutional rights, freedom of religion. Students should be able to establish and maintain the unique identity of the groups they form. All across the country, public colleges and universities are considering or adopting “all-comer” policies. These policies prevent faith-based, student-run organizations from requiring that those who lead them hold— and will uphold—the core convictions that define them. There are a lot of problems with these policies, but let’s start with this one: the descriptor “all comer” is misleading. In our state, the debate isn’t about who can come to an event or participate in an activity sponsored by a faith-based group; it’s about the criteria that group can use when determining who will lead it. Some educational institutions default to a comprehensive politically correct position out of fear. By not allowing these groups the ability to require that their leaders share the core tenants of their faith-based organization. Their inclusiveness initiatives don’t seek to insure that people with views that differ but rather to override their ability to select leaders who are required to share those beliefs. Students understand that preserving this freedom is common sense. That’s why the Muslim Student Association at Cal State Long Beach spoke out in support of Christian student groups that had been targeted by California’s “all-comer” policy. It’s the advocates of such policies who don’t seem to get it, a situation made worse by the unequal, unfair application of these policies. In theory, “all-comer” policies should apply to everybody. In practice, enforcement is aimed squarely at campus faith-based groups

that are aligned with a Christian denomination. And when it comes to enforcement, college administrators have a lot of firepower. A student organization found in violation of an “all-comer” policy can lose access to campus meeting spaces, publications, mail and e-mail services, website hosting, booths at club fairs, tech equipment, and the use of their school’s name and logo, among other resources. In effect, groups can be forced off campus, scrambling to find money for the simplest necessities, like meeting tables and printer paper. What I’m describing is not a hypothetical situation. The list of real-life examples where faith-based, student groups have been targeted is growing. At Southeast Missouri State, the student government passed a bylaw limiting the ability of campus groups to incorporate faith statements in leadership position criteria. The groups impacted worked diligently with their peers and administrators to achieve a resolution, but all Missouri student-run, faith-based groups remain vulnerable to this type of action. Few rights are more important than those collectively known as our first freedoms: the right to speak publicly, assemble peacefully, and practice one’s faith freely. House Bill 642 not only protects student rights; it also contributes to the future we are trying to build in Missouri. Students who participate in faith-based groups are given valuable opportunities to serve others, particularly the less fortunate and most vulnerable. They learn how to make a difference in their communities, how to pursue social justice, and how to tackle societal challenges like homelessness and poverty. The presence of faith-based groups on campus fosters collaboration between individuals of different backgrounds and invites engagement—even with those who oppose the group’s point of view. What’s more, these groups provide a sense of stability and enable students to forge new friendships during one of the most turbulent and formative stages of life. But let me be clear, inviting discussion from persons with differing viewpoints should not mean that these groups should be, in essence, prohibited from requiring that their elected leaders share those basic beliefs. Persons may peaceably assemble, speak freely in opposition, protest the viewpoints of the group. What HB 642 will not permit is the hijacking of the group’s basic belief system. Colleges and universities are not just the places where our students go to train for a profession. Optimally, these institutions nurture the whole person. They serve as a proving ground for the men and women that our sons and daughters will become. That’s why I see HB 642 as the ultimate “all-comer” policy. It ensures all students—including those who

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HOT LIST

SPRING BREAK

The People’s work never ends, with several different coalitions continuing to conspire and effort towards legislative success during the mid-session break.

100 LIST

Get ready for the most sought after lists in Missouri politics to be released in the next Missouri Times Magazine, out after spring break!

INTERNS

The Missouri Times is excited to welcome two new interns to the staff for the session: Kaden Quinn and Jack Treu!

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Justin Alferman @Justinalf Mar 16 You wear a suit like that you get a free bowl of soup, Oh, but it looks good on you though.... @deanplocher @jeremylafaver

Tweets of the Week Highlights in 140 characters or less.

Eric Schmitt @Eric_Schmitt Mar 15 Sending out a preemptive “bracket busted” tweet. #NCAATournament #Bracketology Jean Evans @MoRepEvans Mar 16 Weekend plans? Sleep #moleg Bruce Franks Jr @brucefranksjr Mar 16 I’ve learned a lot this week about being a public servant! NOT EASY AT ALL! but I LOVE EVERY TIRESOME MINUTE!!! #MoLeg

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WHAT NEXT?

Uber, utilities, budget, and ethics await legislature’s return

by Travis Zimpfer

travis@themissouritimes.com

While House and Senate Republicans have delivered on passing right-to-work (and Gov. Eric Greitens has diligently signed that law), some of the highest priority issues at the outset of the session have yet to reach the governor’s desk. The Uber bill has stalled in the Senate, the lobbyist gift ban bill and a slate of Democratic ethics reform bills have not yet had executive sessions in either chamber, and the prospects for Sen. Ed Emery’s utilities bill appear grim as a contingent of Senators looks to continue opposing it. Here’s what to expect to happen with these crucial bills next session. Uber The House quickly passed Rep. Kirk Mathews’ bill creating a statewide regulatory framework for transportation network companies in January. Speaker Todd Richardson and much of the Republican caucus made it clear they had a high priority on passing the so-called Uber bill. However, now the bill has come to Sen. Bob Onder’s desk where it has run into some complications in the form of Sen. Paul Wieland. Wieland, who owns an insurance company, acknowledges he had some issues with the way the bill handled insurance for its drivers. When Uber and Onder rebuked his changes, he decided to take a deeper look at the bill. He now has roughly eight amendments that do everything from change the criminal penalties for certain infractions by Uber drivers to ensuring Uber drivers cannot be fired for their stance on abortion, effectively attempting to hold up debate on the measure. Wieland’s problems with the legislation will not likely kill it, and he says that is not his intention. If Wieland and the TNC companies manage to come to some kind of an agreement on the insurance parts of the bill, a compro-

mise he says he expects to reach when the Legislature comes back from spring break, it will likely pass through the Senate quickly. From there, it will have a short time in the House where it will probably be overwhelmingly approved of again, and it should make it to the governor’s desk by the end of the year. Ethics Rep. Justin Alferman’s lobbyist gift ban bill was the first bill passed out of the Missouri House of Representatives this session by an easy vote of 149-5. The Senate last year delayed on the bill and it did not get passed. Now, the Senate looks to be delaying on it once again, and there are multiple conflating factors as to whether or not it will make it across the finish line. Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard said Thursday that senators had been discussing the bill off the floor in an attempt to reach some level of compromise. Sen. Dave Schatz however continues to have concerns with the legislation as he did last year. Schatz managed to get an amendment onto the bill that limited lobbyist gifts to $40, a far cry from the total ban the House desired. Schatz last year said a total ban will just decrease transparency. Schatz amendment made it onto the bill last session, though it’s unclear whether or not the bill would have passed back through the House. For now, the bill has yet to even be discussed on the Senate floor this year, as it has sat in a Senate committee since it received a hearing Jan. 31. House Democrats have also offered a slate of ethics bills, based almost entirely on campaign promises by Greitens. Hearings were held on the six bills, the same day Alferman’s bill was heard in the Senate, but the House Gener-

al laws Committee has not held an executive session on those bills either. With time in the session running out and the Republican supermajority’s other priorities likely taking center stage, it’s highly unlikely these bills will make it through the legislative process. Utilities Rep. Rocky Miller has declined to make the same push in the House for ratemaking reform as he has in past years, opting instead to wait and see what the Senate sends over. He knows whatever House version gets sent to the Senate will likely come back wildly different. So now the onus is on Sen. Ed Emery to pass a bill which will modernize the state’s energy infrastructure and make some significant changes to ratemaking. It faces stalwart opposition from Sen. Gary Romine who sees Emery’s bill as way to increase rates on consumers to make them pay the true brunt of the grid modernization. Romine led opposition to Emery’s bill last year where it failed on the Senate floor in the final week of the legislative session. Right now, it’s unclear whether or not Romine will change his mind. An interim committee, chaired by Emery, held multiple hearings to assuage Romine and attempt to get him on board, but he said they offered no reason for him to change his mind. While Miller, Emery, and Sen. Ryan Silvey have carefully worked on crafting the language to improve the state’s grid, Romine looks poised to ultimately decide if the bill will ever make it through the upper chamber. Budget House Budget Chair Scott Fitzpatrick and Senate Appropriations Chair Dan Brown have both acknowledged the looming budget crunch and are working intently on trying to

minimize the impact to the state. A combination of lower than expected corporate revenues and high (not to mention mandatory) costs on health care have the General Assembly trying to make the math work. On the House side, Fitzpatrick has worked intently on eliminating as many “estimates” from the budget as possible, which should give the Legislature a more precise and smaller figure for the year’s final expenditure total. The shorter budget however has also led to the elimination of some programs and cuts to others not seen as necessary, though Fitzpatrick acknowledged some budget cuts would also hit strong and sometimes even vital programs. The House chair has also made education funding a priority. Greitens made notable cuts to K-12 transportation, which have been restored by Fitzpatrick, and the Republican-supported charter school bill will fully fund the state’s foundation formula for the first time in a decade. On the other hand, Fitzpatrick sponsored a bill to revoke Missouri’s circuit breaker tax credit program for renters. The circuit breaker, also known as the property tax credit, gives money to the elderly to remain independent. Fitzpatrick is also recommending significant cuts to Medicaid, despite reversing some of Greitens cuts to in home care for seniors and the disabled. For now, everything remains in committee, and the Legislature has until May 5 to put the bills on the governor’s desk. Regardless, Republicans have all of the power to push out what they want to get out. The question now is whether or not Greitens accepts the changes they have made to his recommendations.

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Greitens reminds state workers ‘this is the people’s money’ in email by Benjamin Peters

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“We have to remember that this is the people’s money, and they are counting on us to be careful with it,” Governor Eric Greitens wrote in his email announcing a new parental paid leave policy on Monday. Greitens called for higher performance from state employees in the email, as well as expressing to the employees under the executive branch the importance of taking time with their families. The new policy, signed into effect by an executive order, provides six weeks of paid leave for state employees under the executive branch who serve as primary caregivers while giving three weeks to secondary caregivers in the event of a birth or adoption. But while Greitens’ message spoke of providing some stability to parents in the early developmental days of the child’s life, he also spoke of the expectations for Missouri’s state workers. “I have high hopes for what we are going to do together. I also have high expectations. Those who serve the public must act with courage, integrity, thrift and discipline. We must do everything in our power to make sure Missourians have more jobs, higher pay, safer streets, and better schools. All of us – each and every one of us – have a role to play in achieving those goals,” he wrote.

EXECUTIVE

The governor also mentions the tight budget, saying that it’s up to them to be good stewards of Missouri taxpayers’ money, also referencing the importance of doing more with less. “We must hold ourselves accountable and use every single dollar well. It’s easy to think that tight budgets mean limiting what we can do, but I’ve often found that constraints can encourage creativity and flexibility. When we have to do more with less, we can find new answers and fresh approaches.” Greitens finished by writing about his intent to move Missouri’s state workers toward a culture of rewarding good performance. He also noted that means addressing some of the ways things are done, while also holding those who do not meet the performance expectations accountable. “We will do this together, as a team. I’ve seen how hard so many of you are working to get results for the people of Missouri, and I will always have your back. As you’ve heard me say before, we are moving toward a culture of rewarding performance. I want to ensure that our employees who do good work get good pay, and I will be working closely with my team to make sure that happens. Part of building that culture is holding poor performers accountable. I’ve seen and heard from many of you that some bad processes and personnel are dragging the whole system down. We’re going to fix that so that we can get great results for the people of Missouri.”

Schmitt joins partnership to expand MO ABLE program by Travis Zimpfer

travis@themissouritimes.com

State Treasurer Eric Schmitt announced Wednesday a new initiative to join with four other states to expand the Missouri Achieving a Better Life (MO ABLE) program, which will allow families and individuals with disabilities to set up special savings accounts to pay for expenses related to their special needs. In a video announcement, Schmitt said he was happy to join with Ohio, Vermont, Georgia, and Kentucky to create the lowest cost and most accessible ABLE program in the country. “This partnership marks a major step forward in getting MO ABLE accounts up and running,” Schmitt said. “I look forward to working with you to get the word out about MO ABLE accounts and financially empowering individuals with disabilities.” ABLE programs were federally enacted in

2014, and allowed those with disabilities to open tax-exempt savings accounts while still allowing those same individuals to use disability expenses. The money in those accounts remains tax-free so long as it is used for qualified disability expenses. These new accounts will funtion like Missouri’s MOST College Savings plan in that anyone who contributes to MO ABLE accounts will be eligible for a tax deduction of up to $8,000 (or $16,000 if married and filing together). “The MO ABLE program will be a game changer for countless Missouri families who face unique financial challenges due to disabilities,” said Cathy Brown, the director of public policy and advocacy for Paraquad. “We greatly appreciate Treasurer Schmitt’s leadership in making sure our state implements the best possible program for the 800,000 Missourians living with a disability.”

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Neosho school district opens up to propane fueled school buses by Kaden Quinn

kaden@themissouritimes.com

NEOSHO, Mo. – In an effort to save funds for transportation, the Neosho school district has turned to an alternative form of fuel as they have obtained 18 propane-fueled buses. Citing government budget cuts and cheaper means of fuel, Neosho has taken inspiration from numerous school districts across the country. Propane acts as an efficient alternative fuel for public transportation as it is known abroad for being readily available and cheaper than traditional fossil fuels such as diesel and gasoline. Propane is known as “liquefied petroleum gas” (LPG) and typically labeled as “autogas” when referring to its use in vehicles. The transition from diesel to propane buses offer a streamlined and cost-effective method of travel for students as the school district refrains from any extraneous spending. “We saved $19,000 for mileage ran on propane buses this year compared to the same number of miles driven by our own diesel buses,” said Michelle Embrey, transportation director for Neosho school district. “And that does not take into consideration the $24,000 we have coming back to us for the alternative fuels credit.” In a case study created by the U.S. Department of Energy, the financial benefits for propane powered vehicles show a significant amount money that was saved through their use. According to the study, “These [bus] fleets have saved between $400 and $3,000 per propane bus per year, with the range of savings dependent on the fuel prices and the maintenance cost savings realized.”

The study later continued to express that some school districts saved close to 50 percent on a cost per mile basis for fuel and maintenance. With majority of school districts choosing propane buses for financial reasons, it’s important to take into account that the average price of propane autogas costs 40 to 50 percent less than diesel. According to school bus manufacturer, Blue Bird, districts can save up to an average of $2,000 to $2,500 per bus year on fuel and maintenance cost. By replacing diesel buses and adding propane buses, school districts could benefit from the savings. Some district and state agencies are taking notice. The South Carolina Department of Education recently added 26 propane buses. Formerly, the department’s diesel buses cost 49 cents per mile but new projections show the propane buses will reduce costs to 21 cents per mile. Beyond sparing financial expenses, Neosho also includes several other reasons for carrying on with the addition of 18 propane buses. Embrey cited lower emissions, reduced noise levels of the bus and comfort of the students as additional benefits. She added the Neosho district is “extremely happy with our propane buses.” As Missouri budget cuts take their toll on school transportation, school districts are looking for cheaper alternatives to avoid overspending. This is where investing in propane autogas could be the solution. Districts could meet the limitations set by budget cuts while at the same time provide safe student transportation that is beneficial to the community at large.

St. Louis Democratic nominee Lyda Krewson speaks toward goals as mayor by Kaden Quinn

kaden@themissouritimes.com

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – St. Louis alderwoman and Democratic nominee for mayor Lyda Krewson appeared on the March 12th episode of This Week In Missouri Politics to speak on her recent victory and goals moving forward. Regarding her influence, Krewson intends to improve the City of St. Louis for the benefit of all its residents. Alderwoman Krewson expressed her views on topics relating to what was the most important within her city, such as crime, law enforcement and the mending of race relations within St. Louis. Speaking to the issue of crime, Krewson expressed discontent with murder and gun violence taking place within the city. According to Krewson, 188 murders occurred in previous years of 2015 and 2016, and this was only emphasized by the number families that must deal with the fallout of murders. In an approach to find a solution, Krewson suggested more money for recreation programs and summer jobs for young people. Alternative dispute resolution and alternative sentencing were also suggested to keep young people away from crime and areas where they could possibly learn to be a criminal. Along with the solutions to deter youth from illegal acts Krewson also mentioned law enforcement’s role in reducing the crime rate. “We need good strong law enforcement,” Krewson said. “We need a more diverse police

force, we need a better-paid police force because we’re short about a hundred officers in the city of St. Louis.” “So we’ve got to hire up, pay our officers better and train our officers better so that we can mend the relationship between our communities and law enforcement,” she explained. Through community policing, Krewson believes that a positive relationship between law enforcement and community residents can be restored. She says police officers must have time to train and the opportunities to develop relationships with the people they serve in order to create a healthy, crime-free environment. “Being tough on crime is a very overused phrase,” Krewson said. “We need to prevent crime, we need to solve crime and we need to move forward with less crime.” Concerning race relations between the people of St. Louis and their government, Krewson has set herself out as someone who embraces diversity. Since her election, she says she has reached out to her African-American opponents in order to include their ideas and suggestions to make St. Louis a better area. Observing her potential transition from alderwoman to mayor, it’s important to note that Krewson would also be the first woman to serve as mayor of the city of St. Louis. As one of the leaders in the Missouri Democratic Party, Krewson hopes to build bridges between both Republicans and Democrats to improve the condition of St. Louis and, by extension, Missouri.

“Being tough on crime is a very overused phrase,” Krewson said. “We need to prevent crime, we need to solve crime and we need to move forward with less crime.”

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House and Senate accomplishments (so far) in the 2017 session by Travis Zimpfer

travis@themissouritimes.com

Thus far, the 2017 legislative session has seen multiple wins for the supermajority Republican caucus as major pieces of labor and tort reform have found their way to the governor’s desk with a chief executive eager to sign them. “We’re thrilled to get to Spring Break week having delivered on a lot of the promises we made at the beginning of the session,” Speaker Todd Richardson said Friday. The session started with a bang when Gov. Eric Greitens signed right-to-work into law in early February after years of effort by Senate and House Republicans. Republicans in both chambers wasted no time in passing bills from Sen. Dan Brown and Rep. Holly Rehder. The landmark bill would not require workers to join unions or pay dues for union representation. Unions across the country have fought against right-to-work laws while business organizations have pushed for it, saying it helps attract jobs to various states. Missouri’s passage of the legislation continues an emerging trend of more states signing onto the measure – Missouri is now the 28th right-to-work state. Greitens signed Brown’s bill Feb. 6. “Today represents a great victory for the people of Missouri and especially those fami-

lies who are looking for jobs,” Greitens said just before signing the bill. “Passing right-to-work sends a very clear message: that the people of Missouri are ready to work, and Missouri is open for business.” Rep. Kevin Corlew’s bill to establish the Daubert expert witness standard in the state was signed by Richardson and Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard on Thursday, the last day before the legislative break, and the governor is expected to sign that piece of tort reform. Beyond that, however, some prioritized bills have run into snags, especially because of deliberation in the Senate. Rep. Justin Alferman’s lobbyist gift ban bill, the first bill passed out of the House, has languished in a Senate committee awaiting an executive session since January. Sen. Ed Emery’s collateral source rule change bill was only referred to the Special House Committee on Litigation Reform Thursday, more than a month after its second reading in the House. And there are still significant questions over what kind of prevailing wage law the House and Senate will agree on when it comes to labor reform. Republicans have also begun infighting on REAL ID with Sen. Ryan Silvey’s bill to give Missouri citizens the choice of obtaining a REAL ID compliant license facing strong opposition from a contingent of senators, led by Sen. Will Kraus, who say adopting REAL ID

would be a kowtow to the federal government and a mark of subservience. Silvey says the bill needs to be passed so Missourians can use their own driver’s licenses to board airplanes or visit military bases. The state also looks set on adopting some form of a prescription drug monitoring program this year as well with Sen. Dave Schatz and Rehder continuing their battle against Sen. Rob Schaaf on the issue. Schaaf this year offered his own version of the bill to track prescription drug use, which he says will protect the privacy rights of Missouri citizens. Schatz and Rehder do not believe the bill gives enough power to doctors to prevent doctor shopping or identifying early signs of addiction to prescription opiates. Thursday, Democrats, who hold no insignificant amount of power on this issue given the Republican split, said they would prefer to pass Rehder’s bill. House Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty has also said they would likely back Silvey’s REAL ID bill, though they would prefer legislation that simply made Missouri IDs compliant. Speaking of the minority party, House and Senate Democrats have won some small victories in the face of major defeats to their platform. Rep. Lauren Arthur put in work to shore up Alferman’s ethics bill and attached an important amendment to Rep. Kirk Mathews’ Uber bill (which has also stalled in the Senate)

A slate of ethics bills from Democrats, all of which match campaign promises from Greitens, received hearings, which while minimal is progress from alst year. A strong slate of first-year legislators, like Reps. Bruce Franks and Mark Ellebracht, have made an immediate impact on the Capitol. The minority party has also been nothing short of a vocal opposition. House and Senate Democrats have criticized Greitens for not releasing the source of private funds for his inaugural ball or his charter plane travel. Ellebracht has also been an outspoken critic of Richard’s SB 5, which could drastically change how class action lawsuits are filed against businesses. Ellebracht says the bill would help David Humphreys evade a current class action lawsuit he’s facing. Greitens also caused his own stir of drama in January when he sharply criticized Sens. Paul Wieland and Denny Hoskins for voting against a measure that would bar a small pay increase for state legislators. Hoskins said he approved of the measure to attract more people to becoming legislators and ensure the rich and well-connected were not the only people serving. Several other senators recused themselves from the vote, but Greitens held court in Richard’s office, and lambasted multiple senators, attempting to get them to vote in favor of the resolution.

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Pro-life groups finally embrace Greitens at legislative day by Travis Zimpfer

travis@themissouritimes.com

As Gov. Eric Greitens took to the stage to hug Missouri Right to Life President Steve Rupp in the Capitol Rotunda, it marked a stark contrast from a six months ago when the influential anti-abortion group would not endorse the man who would become the state’s chief executive. But a year later, it appears the bridge between the two parties has mended. At the Missouri Right to Life’s legislative day March 14, Greitens joined alongside other Republican state leaders like Attorney General Josh Hawley, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, Speaker Todd Richardson and President Pro Tem Ron Richard to “celebrate life” and thank the hundreds of people who showed up for supporting anti-abortion legislation. “We have to do everything in our power to stand up for, protect and defend the lives of the innocent unborn,” Greitens said. The governor added that his budget includ-

ed more funding for alternatives-to-abortion facilities than at any time in the state’s history and he pledged to defeat a St. Louis ordinance which added reproductive health decisions to the city’s anti-discrimination law. “We’ve got some politicians and crazy liberals and their allies in organizations like NARAL that are trying to create an abortion sanctuary city right here in the state of Missouri,” Greitens said to boos. “Folks, I’m telling you that I am here to defend life and defend people of faith who want to defend life and while I’m governor, there’s not going to be an abortion sanctuary city here in the state of Missouri.” The only difference between Greitens and those four was that Missouri Right to Life did not endorse Greitens’ candidacy during his run for governor. During the Republican gubernatorial primary, Missouri Right to Life endorsed every candidate besides Greitens. In fact, Greitens only submitted a survey to Missouri Right to Life on his views pertaining to reproductive freedom and the right to life in October, barely a month before the general

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Wieland holds up speedy passage of Uber bill by Travis Zimpfer

travis@themissouritimes.com

House budget chair’s plan calls for full funding of K-12, major cuts to Medicaid funding by Benjamin Peters

benjamin@themissouritimes.com

The work on Missouri’s budget has been constant for the past month-and-a-half, with lawmakers receiving the Gov. Eric Greitens’ proposed budget in early February. Since then, the House Budget Committee has met almost daily, holding a number of hearings with each department presenting their budgets. Republican Gov. Eric Greitens’ proposed budget for the 2017 fiscal year comes with a price tag of $27.6 billion, based on an expected Consensus Revenue Estimate of 3.8 percent. Greitens has cut roughly $146 million to balance the budget this year due to lower-than-projected revenues. Former Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon had already cut about $200 million before leaving office. The reason behind the cuts is weak revenue growth and increasing costs for some programs. Republicans point to social services and Medicaid as the largest growing costs affecting the state budget, and the costs are expected to impact the next year’s budget, too. Greitens has already recommended a $572 million cut for next year’s budget, though lawmakers anticipate $9.398 billion in general revenue for FY 2018. But after roughly six weeks spent working on the budget, the House Budget Committee seems to have made some progress. Rep. Scott Fitzpatrick, R-Shell Knob, serves as the chairman of the House committee and released his budget proposal on Wednesday. The first thing that caught people’s eyes was the fact that Fitzpatrick’s plan would fully fund

LEGISLATURE

the K-12 foundation formula. The plan calls for about $45 million more than what Greitens had proposed for basic aid for schools, as well as $36 million more than the governor’s proposed funding toward school transportation. The source for a significant portion of the funds comes from lottery proceeds. The plan also includes $3.5 million more towards the Dept. of Agriculture, put toward the Biodiesel Producer Incentive Fund. Gov. Nixon made cuts to that fund while in office during 2016, but eventually released them. But Fitzpatrick’s plan also recommends less money for the Department of Social Services, specifically Medicaid. The plan would give more funding in the next fiscal year than in the current one but still calls for a massive cut in funds, more than $236 million less in state, federal and other sources than Greitens’ plan. One significant change to the budget is the removal of “E” from the line items. Where in the past it has been used as a marker for a sort of unlimited fund, Fitzpatrick made it a personal mission to remove as many appropriations with that designation, and instead put an actual number down. The fiscal year’s budget still needs to pass through both the House and the Senate before it can go to the governor for approval. They have until May 5 to send the budget to the governor’s desk, but Fitzpatrick has said several times that will not be an issue. “This is the single constitutional thing we have to do,” he said in an interview back in January. “We’ll get it done on time. We’ll do whatever we have to do to meet our constitutional responsibility of passing a budget by May 5th.”

Jefferson County senator looks for changes to insurance provisions in major ridesharing law JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – In the spirit of March Madness, one piece of legislation thought to be a slamdunk instead hit the rim and ricocheted back to the free throw line earlier in March. A filibuster on the transportation networking company (TNC) legislation, better known as the Uber bill, stalled in the Senate March 9 when Sen. Paul Wieland voiced his objections to certain parts of the bill. Sen. Bob Onder, the Senate handler of the legislation, said that at the beginning of the legislative session, he and House sponsor Rep. Kirk Mathews, as well as Speaker Todd Richardson, thought all stakeholders had come to a strong agreement. Taxicab companies, which had long opposed the measure, had managed to hold their nose and not demand an ax be taken to it after receiving a few concessions in the bill. “We worked out a number of concerns legislators from Kansas City and St. Louis had because they have this taxi regulatory system and the question is how TNCs would fit into that regulatory scheme,” Onder said. “We really thought we had a good compromise.” It passed early in session as one of the first bills through the House alongside right-to-work and a ban on gifts from lobbyists. Richardson strongly supported the measure and Onder, a Republican leader in

the Senate, had also named it one of his top priorities. However, Weiland’s opposition to the bill has raised questions whether or not the bill will breeze past the finish line as it seemed ordained to do. Sens. Rob Schaaf and Maria Chappelle-Nadal joined Wieland’s filibuster as he attempted to attach some amendments to the bill. Onder laid it over, and it was not heard on the floor in the week before Spring Break. Wieland, R-Imperial, opposes the legislation because he fears it will lead to fewer people, namely those who sign up to become drivers for TNCs like Uber, Lyft or Sidecar, to forgo paying for insurance. If a person signs up to become a driver, he says, and a TNC promises to cover his or her insurance when they’re driving for the company, drivers could forget their insurance only applies when they are on the clock when it comes time to renew their personal insurance. Wieland offered an amendment that would prevent drivers lacking insurance from working for Uber. “If a policy were to cancel, Uber would be notified the policy had lapsed and at that point in time Uber would have to take these drivers off of their platform,” Wieland said. “Otherwise, if they’re not responsible enough to carry their own insurance, they shouldn’t be on the platform.” Closer inspection of the bill by Wieland, who owns his own insurance company, led to more questions and more concerns about the CONTINUED AT MISSOURITIMES.COM

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House passes charter school legislation in close vote by Travis Zimpfer

travis@themissouritimes.com

Speaker Todd Richardson scored a major victory Thursday with the narrow 83-76 passage of Rep. Rebecca Roeber’s bill to expand the charter school bill system. Roeber’s bill will allow charter schools to establish themselves in any district which has at least one school building which scores below a 60 percent on an annual performance report (APR) for two of a three-year-period or any district lacking a career technical center. Pupils within the district will have priority over nonresident students to attend the charter school, but nonresidents can attend so long as they do not displace a resident student. Rober said after the vote that charter schools’ autonomy helped them be more flexible and address the needs of students who struggle in public school settings. “As a former public school classroom teacher for 18 years, I saw some kids that were not being served and they didn’t have any choice,” Roeber said. “I think choice and competition always helps everything.” The bill also establishes a method to revoke or limit a school’s charter, namely poor academic performance. If a charter school performs worse than each school in the surrounding district or has a score below 50 percent on an APR, their five-year charter can only be renewed as a three-year charter. If that performance continues, the charter can be revoked entirely. During the perfection of the bill Wednesday evening, Richardson himself presented the amendment on the floor to establish those limiting functions and spoke with numerous concerned Democrats who feared charter schools would take away resources from established and successful public schools. Although the debate was passionate from both sides of the aisle, it never descended into animus. Rep. Karla May, D-St. Louis, asked Richardson if this bill would help failing or struggling districts. Richardson said it would not but instead focused on the individual students the bill would help. “A charter school will not be the answer to everything we would like to see in the state of Missouri,” Richardson said. “It can be the answer for that child or that parent who has been trapped in a really terrible school district.”

Rep. Gail McCann Beatty speaks on the charter school bill March 15, 2017. (Courtesy of Tim Bommel/House Communications) Rep. Gail McCann Beatty speaks on the charter school bill March 15, 2017. (Courtesy of Tim Bommel/House Communications) The two came to an agreement that bad charter schools should not be allowed to continue educating – or failing to educate – children. Richardson’s amendment focused on ensuring poorly performing charter schools do not receive their charter. “The reason [charter schools] were put [in the city] is because they thought they would perform better than the district,” May said. “If a charter school is no better than the district, we ought to get rid of them.” Minority Floor Leader Gail McCann Beatty noted the charter schools in her district had failed students and under the provisions of the new bill could continue to fail students for up to eight years, and by that time, a generation of kids could be lost. She said parents in her district felt deceived. “Parents have made their decision to send their kids to charter schools because they thought their kids would get a better education, but at the end of the day, they’re not getting a better education,” Beatty said. Majority Floor Leader Mike Cierpiot, a known education reform buff, also spoke on the bill and acknowledged the issue before officially endorsing it. “This is a difficult, difficult issue in this body,” Cierpiot said. “It’s a very fine needle to thread. If you’re looking for a reason not to vote for this bill, you can find it. But there’s been a great deal of compromise reached to help a lot of kids.” After session released for Spring Break, Richardson said he and Cierpiot both spoke on the measure because it was such a pressing and important matter. “Education reform has been something personally important to me for a very long time, but it’s also the kind of issue where we want to try to address as many of the concerns that have been raised by our caucus on this issue,” Richardson said. “The floor leader and I had the same goal which was to get to a bill that we thought we could be proud of and that our caucus could be proud of.”

Minimum wage restriction passes through House by Travis Zimpfer

travis@themissouritimes.com

Emergency clause passes by the skin of its teeth

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The House voted to pass a bill which would bar St. Louis, Kansas City, and other municipalities from raising their minimum wage above the state level, but not without a slight hiccup. When the House began voting for an emergency clause, several Republican representatives either voted against the emergency clause or did not vote at all. Since an emergency clause requires approval from two-thirds of the body (109 votes) to succeed, it looked as if Republicans would not be able to muster quite the number needed to put the law into effect immediately. Eventually, most of the Republicans who voted ‘no’ began switching to ‘yes’ as a growing contingent of legislators from both sides of the aisle surrounded the desk of Rep. Mike Moon, who had not yet cast his ballot. After much discussion, Moon stepped out into the House Lounge with multiple representatives, came back in and cast a ‘yes’ vote. As soon as his name turned green on the board, Speaker Pro Tem Elijah Haahr gaveled the vote at 109-48 to pass the emergency clause. Moon, who is no stranger to voting against his caucus on some issues, said, in the end, he voted through the emergency clause because allowing the bill to go into effect by Aug. 28 could drastically harm some businesses. “As a business owner you have to determine what your costs are and what you have to take in to pay your staff and keep the lights on and for someone else to come in and say, you have to pay minimum here,” Moon said. “It could put some businesses in situations where it would be an unjust burden on them. “And for an employee to get a three-month raise and then have it go back down… I don’t think we ought to tease them like that either,” Moon, R-Pine Grove, said. He also said Democratic arguments that the emergency clause on this bill was unconstitutional. Rep. Jon Carpenter and Rep. Bruce

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THINGS THAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK

1. Department of Transportation joins in on paid family leave policy 2. Greitensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; tax credit committee meets for first time 3. Senate holds confirmation hearing for new UM curators 4. PSC approves evidentiary hearing dates in Great Plains merger case 5. Pace, Smith swap seats on Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission Read these and more online at www.missouritimes.com. Email your news to pressreleases@themissouritimes.com

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Missouri Rising releasing first TV ad in support of tort reform by Jack Treu

jack@themissouritimes.com

Missouri Rising, a political promotion group focused on promoting conservative issues and bringing them to the forefront in Missouri, is releasing their first ever TV ad. This ad campaign, carrying a six-figure price tag, will be released in the St. Louis and Columbia/Jefferson City media markets, as well as Facebook and other social media platforms, starting on Friday morning. “We’ll be targeting it on Facebook so that highly-motivated conservatives see it in their feed.” Jeremy Adler, a member of the Missouri Rising team, said. “We think that will encourage them to contact their legislator & create a groundswell behind the legislation.” Missouri Rising and supporters of tort reform argue that trial lawyers are attacking Missouri companies and destroying jobs with frivolous lawsuits. St. Louis’ judicial system is known to be one of the worst in the country in regards to the protection of businesses, as was stated in a report issued in December by the American Tort Reform Association. “Trial lawyers are taking advantage of Missouri’s legal system to attack our state’s companies and destroy jobs with frivolous lawsuits,” Brian Rogers, Executive Director of Missouri Rising, said. “It is past time to take on the special interest power of the trial lawyers with legal reform that levels the playing field for Missouri’s job creators.” Over the next few days, the group will continue focusing on tort reform, releasing detailed research reports about the importance of passing legislation and continuing to target the State Capitol with pro-tort reform ads. Missouri Rising says that in the last election, the citizens of Missouri showed that they wanted change in the state, but because of the interconnected trial lawyer system, the people of the state and the cities are suffering every day because of it. The team at Missouri Rising hope the campaign will bring additional attention to the issue and lead to the passage of more tort reform legislation.

CULTURE

STL-KC Carpenters Regional Council fights back against prevailing wage repeal in new ad campaign by Benjamin Peters

benjamin@themissouritimes.com

Missouri’s legislature has already pushed one major labor priority across the finish line this session, and some Republicans are now setting their eye on repealing the state’s prevailing wage law. SB 20, filed by Sen. Dan Brown, R-Rolla, would repeal the prevailing wage and instead use the actual minimum wage as the basis for a floor number. The intent is to open the project bidding to non-union workers, bringing Missouri into the fold of 20 other states with similar laws, including Iowa, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Republicans and the organizations supporting the move, including lobbyists representing school boards and cities, believe it will lower the cost of labor for public projects. But many oppose the legislation, saying it will hurt Missouri’s families, calling it yet another attack on unions. The St. Louis-Kansas City Carpenters Regional Council is one of the organizations taking a stand for the prevailing wage laws, calling the Republican attack their “most pressing threat right now.” They represent more than a thousand contractors in Missouri and argue that the prevailing wage protects skilled workers’ rights to fair

pay, meaning prospective employers can’t undercut them or drive their wages down. They also argue that it ensures roads and schools are built by skilled, qualified workers. “Any weakening or repeal of prevailing wage risks losing jobs to out of state companies, which is bad for Missouri families, businesses and our economy,” Mark Dalton of the St. Louis Carpenters Regional Council said. “That is why local companies are up in arms about the proposed bills to repeal prevailing wage.” In their effort to fight back, the Carpenters Regional Council has issued a new ad campaign, featuring contractors talking on the issue. “Prevailing wage, I think, is greatly misunderstood,” Paul Brockmiller of Brockmiller Construction in Farmington said in one such ad. “I think that what the legislature are trying to take a pro-business attitude right now, but they’ve missed the point on prevailing wage.” Prevailing wage is a minimum wage paid to thousands of construction workers who are employed on state projects. The wages are unique to each county since the Missouri Department of Labor collects data on public projects like schools or roads and then sets the floor of how workers should be paid in that area. In St. Louis County, a carpenter would make at least $37 an hour, while a carpenter employed in Springfield might

make a minimum of roughly $25 per hour. “These guys are out there every day, hitting it hard. When it’s hot, they’re out there working, when it’s cold,” Brian Murphy of BAM Contracting, located in St. Louis, said in another video. “Why would you begrudge a guy a decent wage to be out there working hard? You need a skilled man or woman doing this kind of work. You don’t want just anybody doing work on your public building because the quality goes down.” Dalton argues that all academic studies show no significant cost-savings by eliminating prevailing wage, and also pointed out that Kansas is working to try and fix the results in their state following their repeal of prevailing wage laws. “Some of the arguments say that by eliminating the prevailing wage, you can save up to 30 percent of total costs on the job, and that number is just bogus,” Dalton said. Dalton says that anywhere from 17 percent to 28 percent is what is paid for labor costs, a median of about 23 percent. He says the number of 30 percent is not backed up and have not been proven. “If legislators in Jefferson City care about good-paying jobs for Missouri middle-class families and safely constructed public buildings, they’ll protect prevailing wage,” Dalton added.

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