Missouri Times - April 8, 2019

1

The Missouri Times

HEMP BILL GARNERS SUPPORT IN HOUSE

APRIL 8, 2019

SCHUPP

ADDRESSES

RAPE KITS

CHARTER EXPANSION STALLS

www.missouritimes.com

2

The Missouri Times

GUEST 225 Madison, Jefferson City, MO | (573) 746-2912

tips@themissouritimes.com

@MissouriTimes

Scott Faughn, Publisher | scott@themissouritimes.com | @ScottFaughn Rachael Herndon Dunn, Editor | rachael@themissouritimes.com | @TheRachDunn Alisha Shurr, Reporter | alisha@themissouritimes.com | @AlishaShurr Aaron Basham, Multimedia Producer | aaron@themissouritimes.com Kaden Quinn, Reporting Intern | kaden@themissouritimes.com

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

THE FOX AND THE HENHOUSE

By Sen. Doug Libla

In recent years, Missouri monopoly investorowned electric utilities have touted the benefits of the Illinois form of electric regulation. The Illinois electric market is characterized by two features: (1) competition in the electric generation market and (2) incentives for utilities to invest in the distribution grid.

Interestingly, the Missouri utilities were able to convince (by employing over 40 special interest lobbyists) the General Assembly to enact a portion of the Illinois model (the distribution investment incentive in Missouri Senate Bill 564 of 2018) while ignoring the more important portion of the Illinois model (electric competition).

Recognizing that electric generation competition is the fundamental part of the Illinois model that results in the customer rate reductions, it is unlikely that the benefits experienced in Illinois will ever be realized in Missouri without SJR25 (de-regulation of electric generation) passing, and later voted on by Missourians.

This resolution is very important to the economic well-being of Missouri. Clearly, regulation is not working in Missouri. Since 2010, Missouri’s average industrial electric rate has increased by over 51%. In contrast, the national average industrial electric rate has only increased by 6.2%. Over the past 40 years, the State & Federal Government has repeatedly taken steps to replace regulation with competition. For example, instead of regulating airlines, trucking, trains, telephone, internet, electric, etc., we have allowed the competitive market to set prices for those

www.missouritimes.com

services with amazing success and innovation.

SB564 has effectively allowed Ameren to have “it’s cake and eat it too”. Specifically, this allowed Ameren to have a distribution investment incentive without having to expose itself to the competition that exists in Illinois. In other words, passage of SB564 provided Ameren an increased incentive to invest in Missouri, which will cause customer rates to increase, without implementing the portion of the model (electric competition) which actually is what spurs rate reductions. As a result, rates in Missouri are now above the national average and destined to continue to go up.

Worse still, Ameren claimed that SB564 would be used to modernize our electric grid. That said, in its recent capital investment plan, Ameren revealed that these incentives are being used for all investment and not simply its investment in grid modernization.

Specifically, Ameren is spending $1 billion in wind generation. Given this, the benefits of SB564 claimed (a modernized distribution grid) will not be realized in Missouri to the extent touted

by Ameren.

Since my coming into the Missouri Senate in 2013, Ameren, KCPL and Empire have spent millions of $$$$ and have effectively reduced oversight of the Missouri Public Service Commission (the only watchdog of utility monopoly tyranny).

As I have indicated for many years and still believe today, SB564 was “about the GREED – and not about the GRID”. The Fox is managing the Hen house!

The Missouri Times

3

HOT LIST PUBLIC SCHOOL ADVOCATES

Winning the week for advocates of public schools is Sen. Doug Libla, leading a filibuster against charter schools in the Senate. Sen. Lincoln Hough and Sen. Gary Romine also carried water for opponents in the fillibuster, which lasted until 2 a.m. last Wednesday morning. The bill was laid over with charter school advocates regrouping.

SOS JAY ASHCROFT

Between announcing his intentions to run for re-election in a piece in the KC Star and the progress IP reform has taken in the House, the Secretary is having a stellar week.

DEM COORDINATION

House Dems were quick in response to a report from State Auditor Nicole Galloway on the tax tables.

WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE

April 5, 2019 is the 100th anniversary of a groundbreaking law passed by the Missouri Legislature in 1919, the Presidential Suffrage Bill. In the months prior to the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the Missouri Women Suffrage Association worked tirelessly toward enactment of legislation in Missouri which

would enable women to vote for President and Vice-President. The Presidential Suffrage Bill (Bill #1) was the first bill introduced in the new State Capitol. The bill was passed by the 50th General Assembly; and on Saturday, April 5, 1919, in the presence of members of the Missouri Women Suffrage Association, Governor Frederick D. Gardner signed the bill.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Tony Luetkemeyer @TonyforMissouri Filibuster bunkmates. Something is wrong with this picture. I guess I’m sleeping on the floor. #MoLeg

Tweets of the Week Highlights in 280 characters or less.

Brian Grace @BrianJGrace PSA: If you are in the Capitol and considering drinking out of the water fountains, please find me and I will locate you a bottle of water.

Jean Evans @MoRepEvans Never drink out of a Capitol water fountain MO Hospital Assn @MOHospitals Ladue ZIP Code: 63124 = Missouri’s healthiest ZIP Code Pagedale ZIP Code: 63133 = Ranked 923 out of 940 MO ZIP Codes 3 miles away from each other, but the health & well-being of their residents are worlds apart.

www.missouritimes.com

4

LEGISLATURE

BILL WOULD LIMIT WHO CAN USE EMINENT DOMAIN

The Missouri Times

SENATE FILIBUSTERS CHARTER SCHOOL BILL FOR HOURS

Alisha Shurr

The Green Belt Express and private property rights took center stage at a committee hearing on a bill limiting which companies can use eminent domain.

HB 1062, sponsored

by Rep. Jim Hansen, proposes that no private entity has the power of eminent domain for the purposes of constructing above-ground merchant lines. Over the course of Monday afternoon and into the evening, roughly a dozen people testified on the bill to the House General Laws Committee.

“In light of the recent PSC decision on the Grain Belt Express, the General Assembly will act to protect Missourians from private companies trying to seize their land through eminent domain,” House Speaker Elijah Haahr said in a statement. “The legislation the House is moving forward is vital for many Missourians who otherwise would be forced to allow unreasonable restrictions on their family farms, damaging the value of their land and taking away their private property rights.”

In March, the Missouri Public Service Commission granted the Green Belt Express a certificate of convenience and necessity to construct and manage a new transmission line that will develop renewable energy and facilitate economic growth in the state.

The line, transferring 4,000 megawatts of wind energy, will extend throughout eight Missouri counties: Buchanan, Clinton, Caldwell, Carroll, Chariton, Randolph, Monroe, and Ralls. The line will pass through the property of 739 Missourians and, according to testimony, the Green Belt Express has reached an agreement of fewer than 50 landowners.

“If they don’t want power lines over their land, that should be their decision,” said Rep. Jeff Shawan.

Since the PSC deemed a need of service and that the line was in the public interest, it enables them to expropriate private property for public use, with payment of compensation.

“The Missouri Public Service Commission recently completed a thorough, nearly five year review by unanimously granting the Grain Belt Express a CCN,” said Beth Conley, director of strategic communications for Invenergy. “The Grain Belt Express transmission line is poised to deliver clean, affordable energy to dozens of

local Missouri communities, while saving Missourians millions each year on their electric bills. Moving forward the Grain Belt Express will be regulated like other utilities in Missouri. We are confident in the Missouri PSC’s ability to adjudicate these matters and oppose legislation that would delay or prevent local Missouri communities from receiving these significant benefits. “ Opponents to the bill argued that the line was bringing cleaner, cheaper energy to that state and that the amount of land that will be used for the public good is minuscule.

The PSC said in their decision that the project’s agricultural impact will also be curtailed because it orders no more than nine acres of land in Missouri to be taken out of agricultural production, and the line’s route will not directly impact any existing center pivot irrigation systems.

One Hannibal resident said that the project will be very beneficial to his city and his community. He noted that his community has 17,000 people with a 20 percent poverty rate.

“We would get our energy a full-third cheaper than we currently are in the open Market,” said Stephan Franke.

“The right of eminent domain is a necessary evil,” said Attorney Paul Agathan, who represents more than 1,000 members of the Missouri Landowners Alliance. “Landowners can take solace in that it benefits their community, their state. That is not the case with high powered merchant lines.”

The measure under consideration removes private, for-profit companies — like the one that owns the proposed Green Belt Express — from being able to use eminent domain to acquire the necessary land.

Supporters of the bill contend that the line is not in the interest of Missourians — particularly since only 12 percent of the energy transferred along the line will be used in Missouri. They also argued that the owners of the companies are not from Missouri, some are from outside the United States, and that they have no stake in the welfare of the state.

It was also argued that the line would be taking land that the landowner may have plans for in the future.

“I want you to think about the farmer out here. You’re not gonna lose just that easement, you’re gonna lose production of all the ground they come across,” said Marilyn O’Bannon, a landowner in Monroe County.

Kaitlyn Schallhorn

FRESHMEN TO WATCH Senator Justin Brown Kaden Quinn Sen. Justin Brown has already reached a milestone in his new position as a state senator: his first bill was perfected in March.

SB 71 changes provisions relating to workers’ compensation premiums, which Brown maintains is beneficial to both employers and employees.

According to Brown, the bill will keep the Department of Insurance and other financial institutions from approving a worker’s compensation insurance policy if it includes monetary bonuses up to three percent against a yearly individual wage or contributions given exclusively to an individual employee.

“It’s a bill that states if you know you’re going to get a 401K contribution or a Christmas bonus or just a one-time monetary contribution to an employee, you shouldn’t have to pay workman’s comp insurance because there’s no risk involved with that,” Brown told The Missouri Times.

“I’m well aware of what we’ve got to be able to keep good employees, and any break we can get as business owners we typically always want to pass onto our employees,” Brown, a Republican, said. “A fix like this, it doesn’t take long, and you know that you’re not only responsible for your employees, but you carry somewhat of a burden of what happens to their families too because they all depend on you. So if you don’t do your job and run your business right, you can let a lot of people down.”

Brown’s worked in a variety of fields throughout his life — banking, farming, and owning a small trucking business — and believes each job has prepared him for his current role in the Missouri legislature.

Brown serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee where he

www.missouritimes.com

has warned his fellow legislators to cut down on the cost of several programs for the benefit of state finances. Brown has suggested generating a stronger state revenue to bring businesses to Missouri that have a focus on products made and sold locally. He’s also advocated for cutting down on programs that could potentially hinder business growth in the state.

“Appropriations is one of those committees where you really either like it or you don’t, and I really do enjoy being on that,” said Brown. “It’s kind of right down my alley as far as finance goes. But it’s a shame that everybody doesn’t get to experience that committee at least one session because it really teaches you how the money flows and how it works in this state.”

Aside from fraud, waste, and abuse, Brown suggested some problems plaguing Missouri could be the result of a lack of vision from older modes of thought in regards to how state finances should be run. Brown said the best way to combat that is to always have a fresh set of eyes assessing what does — and doesn’t — work, and how things can be improved.

“This is the first political position that I’ve ever held, and I think it’s a little easier for somebody like myself [who has] always been outside of the box looking in to come in with a fresh look,” he said.

“We’ve got a lot of that in the Senate right now — some fresh faces that have never held office before. We’ve not been used to being in that political, career politiciantype mode even if you do have a job outside of that.”

He concluded, “No matter what your job is, I think you get complacent, and it never hurts to have a fresh look.”

The Senate spent about 11 hours debating and discussing legislation expanding access to charter schools Tuesday before eventually laying the bill over.

SB 292 — from Republican state Sen. Bill Eigel — would allow charter schools to open and operate in districts within a charter county or in a city with a population greater than 30,000. In most cases, the charter’s sponsor would also need signatures from parents of qualified students equal to at least 50 percent of the number of seats the charter will start with, according to the bill.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressed concerns with the legislation Tuesday with discussions lasting until early Wednesday morning. Sens.

Gary Romine and Doug Libla, both Republicans, pointed to the number of charter schools that have closed throughout the state and how much public money was lost on them.

“The facts spell out charter schools aren’t a panacea of education,” Libla, who spent significant time filibustering Tuesday, said.

After several hours of filibuster, Libla also blasted the caucus for not laying over the bill earlier, saying he wasn’t aware charter schools was a “priority.”

Democratic Sen. Jill Schupp stressed concerns with charter schools not having the same accountability or standards for courses that public schools have.

“Do we help a student become a wellrounded human being by simply testing in math and English?” Schupp said.

Eigel said that question was best left up to the parents but contended he’s open to some additional accountability measures.

Sen. Lauren Arthur, a Democrat and former teacher, was also critical of the bill. She introduced an amendment to the bill that would require a positive vote from the population before a charter school could open.

“Any taxpayers or any voters in that district should be able to weigh in on this debate,” Arthur explained.

Eigel noted that standard isn’t applied to public schools and was not supportive of applying different standards.

Ultimately, the amendment failed after a standing vote was tallied.

Schupp also expressed concerns that the bill would allow a sponsor to revoke a charter during the middle of the school year, potentially “disrupting lives in the middle of the school year.” Eigel agreed that language should be addressed.

5

The Missouri Times

Closed primary elections?

House Republicans give initial approval Alisha Shurr

The Missouri House gave initial approval to a proposal closing the state’s primary elections — by a margin of just six votes.

Under the legislation, Missourians would be required to designate their party affiliation and only be allowed to mark a ballot for that particular party during primary elections.

After nearly two hours of debate — with three amendments struck down and three PQs — the lower chamber voted 78-72 to perfect HCS HBS 26 & 922.

The bill needs another vote with 82 “Yeas” to move on to the Senate.

With mostly Republicans leading the charge forward, the measure encountered bipartisan opposition.

“My concern with this bill is that it is going to kill grassroots candidates. I think this chamber would look very different if this bill would have been in effect,” said Republican Rep. Sheila Solon. “We are going to disenfranchise people who haven’t chosen a party. We’re going to disenfranchise people who consider themselves independent.”

The opposition also questioned if the bill would restrict citizens’ ability to vote

and increase the partisan divide in the country. One lawmaker noted that — particularly with local elections — Missourians vote for the person, not the party, and this legislation would hinder that.

“That actually strikes me as undemocratic,” said Democratic Rep. Judy Morgan.

But supporters of the bill were adamant that, by joining nine other states, it would help restore integrity to the election process and enable each party to truly select its candidate for the general election.

“We want people who have a vested interest in Republican principles to vote for Republicans. We want people with a vested interested in Democrat principles to vote for Democrats,” said bill sponsor Rep. Jered Taylor, a Republican.

Under the proposed legislation, voters would need to register their party affiliation 23 weeks before a primary election. Those who have not registered would only be able to draw an unaffiliated ballot.

If the legislation were to pass, the primary election of 2022 would be the first in Missouri without open primaries.

“My concern with this bill is that it is going to kill grassroots candidates.

I think this chamber would look very different if this bill would have been in effect”

HOUSE SENDS 2020 BUDGET ONWARD AS DOR UNCERTAIN IF STATE WILL MEET 2019 REVENUE ESTIMATES Alisha Shurr The Missouri House approved the budget for Fiscal Year 2020 after a tense debate along partisan divides on the floor.

That blueprint, that spans 13 bills, puts new funding towards transportation infrastructure, more money to education, and allocates revenue for state employee raises.

The roughly $30 billion budget for the upcoming year is based on revenue growth of 2 percent from the current year. But there is a lot of speculation if the state will even meet FY 2019 revenue projections.

As of Wednesday night, revenue collections were down $297 million from the same point in 2018. As of Monday, revenue collections were down $353 million. Neither of those figures accounts for the 1.7 percent growth projected for the current fiscal year.

“I do believe we will still at least get to zero if not the [consensus revenue estimate] but I will say I am nervous, too,” Mark Seittmann, legislative director for the Missouri Department of Revenue, told the House Committee on Government Oversight Wednesday.

Leaders in both chambers say they are keeping an eye on the situation.

“We are being very cautious and watching it very closely,” said Sen. Dan Hegeman, the Senate Appropriations Chair.

He did note they will have a better idea

of the revenue situation after tax day and at that point, if needed, they would still have time to make the necessary adjustments.

But for now, both chambers are going ahead with the original consensus revenue estimate for FY 2020. For the upcoming year, the state has an operating budget of $29.7 billion — $10.1 million from general revenue, $9.9 million from federal funds, and $9.7 million from other funds.

During the third read of the bills, tensions soured between the two parties on how funds should be spent. One particular line item sparked a lengthy debate.

During the markup process, funding for the Summer Jobs program was cut from $5.5 million, the amount recommended by Gov. Mike Parson, to $4 million. In the past, the program had been funded up to $8 million.

During perfection, Rep. Bruce Franks, Jr. proposed an amendment that would have restored funding to the level recommended by the governor — but as with every amendment offered by a Democrat, it was voted down.

That lead to Franks delivering an impassioned speech on the floor about the importance of the program and not letting partisan politics decide votes.

Republicans countered that the body was not given enough time to contemplate the amendment and any unforeseen consequences.

“In the future, show up in my office in December. That way I can fight for the funding in committee,” said Rep. David Wood. “Do it at the beginning and not this late.”

Yet, Minority Leader Crystal Quade called the entire ordeal a partisan affair.

She said in her first two years in the House, the budget was her favorite part because it was the least partisan thing in the building.

“I can no longer say that about the budget,” said Quade.

“I think it is a shame that our conservation on this sometimes breaks down to a partisan battle,” said House Budget Chair Cody Smith.

In the end, all 13 budget bills were moved forward in the process.

HB 1, appropriates money to the Board of Fund Commissioners, passed with a vote of 148-1.

HB 2, appropriates money for the expenses, grants, refunds, and distributions of the State Board of Education and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, passed with a vote of 106-40.

HB 3, appropriates money for the expenses, grants, refunds, and distributions of the Department of Higher Education, passed with a vote of 108-43.

HB 4, appropriates money for the expenses, grants, refunds, and distributions of the Department of Revenue and Department of Transportation, passed with a vote of 104-45. CONTINUE ONLINE

HOUSE REPUBLICAN PUSHES ‘BOONDOGGLE’ BILL DISCLOSING STATUS OF STATE PROJECTS

By Kaitlyn Schallhorn If you ask state Rep. Dan Houx, he’s got a bill that will be the “game-changer of the year.”

Houx’s HB 1008 orders the Office of Administration to construct a public report — to be published online — on specific projects that are either at least one year behind schedule or at least $1 million over budget to the General Assembly.

State agencies and divisions would be required to submit relevant information to the Office of Administration.

“Government transparency is the most important thing we can do as a legislature,” Houx, a Republican, told The Missouri Times, noting he got the idea for the bill from U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst’s federal legislation.

“This bipartisan bill simply creates an automatic alert system for the General Assembly to address a problem before it becomes a bottomless money pit for

www.missouritimes.com

taxpayer dollars,” Houx said. “Identifying projects that are significantly over budget or behind schedule allows the General Assembly and state agencies to better manage taxpayer dollars and prevent possible future boondoggles.”

The reports would include: a description of projects, explanation of how projects had changed, original completion date and cost estimate of the project, projected completion date and cost estimate of the project, any award or bonus the project has received, and an explanation for why the project is delayed or over budget.

Houx specifically pointed to IT projects as a broad example where missed deadlines or overspending could occur as technology changes. He did note construction projects, including the ongoing work on the state Capitol, don’t appear to be off-track as of now.

“Not every project that misses a deadline or costs more than anticipated is a boondoggle. Some larger projects may involve more than one fiscal year,” Houx said. “But the symptoms identified earlier can be warning signs of larger troubles, such as questionable expenditures, mismanagement, incompetency, and even corruption.”

Noting that his bill has “high bipartisan support,” Houx said he hopes his bill could bring more awareness to Missouri taxpayers regarding how money is spent.

“I think it’s the game-changer of the year,” Houx said. “It has huge bipartisan support, and it should fly right through the House and fly in the Senate no problem. It’s on what we call the ‘rocket docket’ — it’s moving very quickly.”

HB 1008 passed out of committee earlier this month and sits on the House’s perfection calendar.

6

The Missouri Times

ENHANCED PENALTIES FOR CRIMES AGAINST FIRST RESPONDERS SPURS FIERCE DEBATE IN SENATE Kaitlyn Schallhorn

It certainly wasn’t a quiet start for the Senate as it came back from a week-long legislative break.

Thanks to Republican state Sen. Doug Libla’s SB 19, legislation that eliminates bail, probation, or parole for certain people convicted of assaulting emergency service providers, the legislature kicked off its Monday afternoon session with a kerfuffle. The bill would be applicable to people convicted of assault in the first, second, or third degree after Libla made some concessions with opponents.

And although the bill deals with all emergency response personnel, Monday’s debate seemed to hinge specifically on law enforcement.

“I think it’s amazing to me the disrespect our law enforcement officers are receiving across America,” Libla told The Missouri Times. “Just the mere fact you’ve got a uniform on could cost you your life and has in many instances.”

“We’re just saying if you get convicted of a felony, and the judge says you have one year in jail, you have one year in jail. You don’t get out in 30 days,” he said.

Leading the charge against the bill was Democratic Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, who took umbrage with many facets of the legislation, including potential “gray areas” like possible scenarios where emergency services personnel could come into contact with someone who suffers from a mental illness.

Nasheed decried what she saw as a lack of data showcasing a need for the bill and took issue with signaling out a specific group of people with the bill, especially as some people could commit an egregious crime against non-emergency service personnel — such as rape or murder — and still receive parole.

“Make no mistake about it — if some-

body assaults a law enforcement officer, you don’t even need this bill. You don’t need this bill. I’m going to tell you who needs protection. The individuals who need protection are the people who are being abused by law enforcement because you have people who are being shot down in the streets each and every day,” Nasheed said. “We’re really dealing with the wrong issue here.”

Although vehemently opposed to the bill, Nasheed said she didn’t want people to get the impression Libla had any “ill will” with his legislation.

“I believe if we talk to him, we can figure something out to get his bill passed or something like that pertaining to trying to protect law enforcement officers without being so heavy-handed,” she said.

But aside from Libla, Nasheed also went to bat against a member of her own party — Sen. Karla May. May introduced an amendment she said would make her more “comfortable,” while explicitly saying she would most likely not vote for the legislation. Her amendment stripped the bill of misdemeanor offenses and resisting arrest, she said, and seemingly had begrudging support from other lawmakers. Libla, too, said he supported the amendment “to compromise.”

Nasheed said some of her colleagues were “trying too hard to compromise” with Libla.

“Sometimes you just can’t make bad bills better,” Nasheed said.

The bill was eventually laid over, but Libla said “we could bring it back up anytime.”

Libla’s bill is also opposed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Missouri.

“This bill does not promote public safety or deter crime,” Sara Baker, the group’s legislative and policy director,

“Just the mere fact you’ve got a uniform on could cost you your life and has in many instances.”

“Missouri’s prisons are already operating at 105 percent.

We know that every year an individual is incarcerated it costs the state $20,896.25.”

previously testified. “Instead, it deepens distrust between authorities and the communities they serve, eliminates judicial discretion, and blocks progress on an important area of criminal justice reform.”

“Missouri’s prisons are already operation at 105 percent. We know that every year an individual is incarcerated it costs the state $20,896.25. In the face of this and as our state considers methods to curtail our ballooning prison population, this bill goes entirely in the opposite direction,” Baker said. “As a result, this legislation could needlessly contribute to our inmate population and eliminate opportunities for second chances and economic growth.”

The fiscal note attached to SB 19 indicates of loss of less than $15,554,715 by the time the bill would be fully implemented in 2029.

Earlier Monday, bipartisan members of the state House and some advocacy groups touted a new criminal justice reform bill, called the Missouri First Step Act, mirrored, in part, after federal legislation signed into law by President Trump earlier this year. Matthew Charles, a criminal justice reform advocate who was one of Trump’s guests to the State of the Union in February, was also on hand to lend support for the legislation.

“These measures are all evidence-based, they will all help us save enormous amounts of taxpayer money while also improving public safety, and will give people who made mistakes in their lives a chance to be treated with dignity while incarcerated and to have more of a chance of rebuilding their lives when they can get out,” Rep. Shamed Dogan, the Republican championing the bill, said.

A bill from Sen. Ed Emery which gives more “freedom” for a parole board to determine if a nonviolent offender would be better suited in society rather than incarcerated was also passed out of committee Monday.

Emery told The Missouri Times the “whole concept” of criminal justice reform is “overdue” and said the legislature needs “to address deficiencies with incarceration.”

“We’re really dealing with the wrong issue here.”

www.missouritimes.com

Missouri Gaming Association elects officers for 2019 board of directors The statewide trade association of the Missouri casino entertainment industry has a new set of members on their board.

The Missouri Gaming Association recent elected officers for the 2019 board of directors.

President – Ward Shaw, Ameristar Casino Resort Spa (St. Charles) Vice President – Michael Jerlecki, Hollywood Casino St. Louis (Maryland Heights) Secretary – Mike Tamburelli, St. Jo Frontier Casino (St. Joseph)

Treasurer – Tony Rohrer, Isle of Capri Casino Hotel (Kansas City) Founded in 1993, the Missouri Gaming Association works to promote responsible gaming and increase awareness of the economic benefits of casinos in Missouri. The MGA and its casino company members sponsor yearround responsible gaming programs including the 1-888-BETSOFF crisis line and referral service, Project 21 scholarship competition, and Responsible Gaming Awareness Week.

HOUSE GIVES INITIAL APPROVAL TO BILL ALTERING COLLEGE CAMPUS POLICIES Alisha Shurr A bill that started out as a way to allow colleges to designate campus protection officers soon turned into a vehicle to address grievances with higher education laws and policies.

Amendments added during the perfection process included opt-outs for campus health care, limitations on-campus living requirements, and legalizing concealed carry on college campus.

In its original form, HB 575, filed by Rep. Dean Dohrman, authorizes colleges and universities to designate faculty or staff members as campus protection officers.

Under the bill, any individual seeking designation as a campus protection officer must submit a certificate of completion from a campus protection officer training program approved by the Department of Public Safety.

Campus protection officers would be authorized to carry concealed firearms on the campus, if they have a valid concealed carry permit. If a person’s upgraded protection officer status is revoked, per an amendment, they would have 15 days to make an appeal to the college’s board.

A variety of amendments were added on to the bill to address specific issues lawmakers have with policies on college campuses.

“It is our money that is paying the freight for this. It is our money paying for places that seem like they are taking

advantage of our kids,” said Rep. Jason Chipman.

He proposed an amendment, which was approved by the body, to limit on-campus housing requirements. Under the provision, no public institution of higher education in Missouri could require students to live in campus housing, excluding first-time freshmen during the first year of a student’s attendance.

Rep. Justin Hill’s amendment allows students who show proof of health insurance coverage to be excused from paying health care fees imposed by a public institute of higher education.

Rep. Jered Taylor’s amendment allowing those with concealed carry permits to carry firearms on campus drew the most opposition on the floor.

Supporters of the amendment argued that allowing firearms on campus would enable students and staff to defend themselves. Several lawmakers pointed to the prevalence of rape on college campuses and that if a woman had a gun, she could protect herself.

But Democrats pushed back, saying that guns are not going to solve those problems.

“If you want to stop sexual assaults, teach boys to stop assaulting women,” said Rep. Deb Lavender The bill received initial approval and needs one more vote before heading to the Senate.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY TAKES INITIATIVE PETITION ALTERATIONS UNDER CONSIDERATION Alisha Shurr The Missouri General Assembly is considering a variety of proposals that would make alterations to the initiative petition process. The measures aim to up the threshold for changing the state’s constitution and limit the number of socalled frivolous petitions filed.

On Monday, the Senate embarked on a lengthy decision on requirements for constitutional amendments while a House committee presented a bill that is the culmination of roughly a dozen measures.

The state Senate kicked off the week with a long debate on a bill that would increase the requirements to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot through initiative petition and the vote count for that change to actually pass. The bill was eventually laid over.

SJR 1, filed by Sen. David Sater, would require petitioners to gather signatures after 15 percent of voters in each of Missouri’s eight congressional districts as opposed to the current 8 percent requirements in six congressional districts.

It was also up the necessary votes from a simple majority to two-thirds to pass on election day.

“Our state constitution is a sacred document and as far as I’m concerned, it should be very difficult to change because once it’s changed, it’s there forever,” said Sater. “We need a thorough yet accessible process for changing our state constitution.”

But Democrats argued that by increasing the requirements it will make it near impossible for citizens to petition the government and it will limit those actually able to participate in the process.

They pointed to a multitude of constitutional amendments that previously passed at the ballot box that would be affected by the change. Going off the proposed standard, they questioned if amendments such as Hancock, Carnahan, and Clean Missouri would have even made it to the ballot, let alone passed.

“It’s like we want you to have a voice, but not that much of a voice,” said Sen. Kiki Curls.

Measures making changes to the initiative petition process in the House got similar pushback.

Also on Monday, Rep. Dan Shaul presented HCB 10, which was a result of 10 bills the House elections committee heard last week.

It bill requires a $350 refundable fee for filing an initiative petition with the office of the Missouri Secretary of State.

The fee is refunded if the petition is authorized to appear on the ballot within the two year period after a summary statement is prepared for the petition. It imposes an additional $25 per page filing fee for initiative petitions that are in excess of 10 pages long.

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft has testified in support of the measures looking to limit so-called frivolous petitions. He noted that in recent years, more of the state’s resources are being used on petitions proposed and filed but have no follow through on gathering signatures.

In the 2008 cycle, there were 55 initiative petitions filed, 25 were approved for circulation, and 3 made it onto the ballot.

In the 2018 cycle, there were 371 initiative petitions filed, 148 were approved for circulation, and 5 made it onto the ballot.

Specifically looking at the initiative petitions for the 2018 election, one Missourian filed 60 petitions, another filed 57 petitions, and another filed 30 petitions.

In all, only 32 different Missourians filed the 371 initiative petitions received by the Secretary of State’s Office.

“I think this is a process we can make better, we can make more secure, without taking away the ability of the people to petition,” said Ashcroft previously told the Missouri Times. “This ability to redress the government for grievances is important.”

Following the House hearing, Jobs for Justice, the campaign that successfully advocated for a wage hike at the ballot box in November, fought back against the changes with a veto letter from former-Gov. John Ashcroft.

Gov. John Ashcroft vetoed HB 268 in June 1991, pointing to rules crafted by legislators that were designed to increase the costs for citizens to circulate and qualify initiative petitions.

“It is through the initiative process that those who have no influence with elective representatives may take their cause directly to the people. The General Assembly should be reluctant, therefore, to enact legislation which places any impediments on the initiative power which are inconsistent with the reservation found in the Constitution,” Ashcroft wrote in his veto letter.

The Missouri Times

SCHUPP FIGHTS FOR GREATER ACCESS TO RAPE KIT EXAMS — AND SHE’S NOT GIVING UP

7

Kaitlyn Schallhorn

As this year’s legislative session nears its close, a bill requiring Missouri’s hospitals be equipped to perform rape kits hasn’t made it past a Senate committee — but the bill’s sponsor isn’t giving up.

Sen. Jill Schupp’s SB 456 mandates all hospitals within a 50-mile radius of a college to be able to perform a forensic examination for a rape or sexual assault victim with his or her consent. The examinations could be done by an “appropriate” medical provider with the guidance and support of a trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) — either in person or through a telehealth system, according to the bill. The distance requirement would essentially mean every hospital in Missouri would fall under the bill’s umbrella.

Schupp, a Democrat, first learned about the lack of access to rape kits after a young family friend was raped and police had to drive her two hours to a hospital to get the forensic exam.

“To be victimized, to go to the hospital, to do the right thing, to report, and have the tests done, and collect the evidence, and then have to be driven two hours away by strangers — I mean, thank goodness for those police officers for what they did — but I can’t even imagine all the trauma and then the additional trauma perpetrated on her as a victim because she could not have a rape kit done at the hospital in the area that she was raped,” Schupp told The Missouri Times.

“We just have a system that’s set up that’s inappropriate, and in today’s world of technology, I feel like we could be doing so much better, and we need to be,” she said.

Schupp’s bill hasn’t yet been heard by a Senate committee, but that isn’t deterring her. In the meantime, Schupp said she’s committed to meeting with more people about the bill — including those who have issues with it — and is looking at other ways to potentially bring it up before the legislative session ends this year.

“I’m disappointed that it didn’t make it further down the process this year — and it doesn’t look like it necessarily will — but we’re not dropping this. This is too important of an issue, especially to these victims,” Schupp. Dave Dillon, a spokesman for the Missouri Hospital Association, said the state’s hospitals are working

with Schupp and the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence “to ensure that the right care and collection takes place as quickly as possible and in the best setting for the patient.”

“It’s essential that victims of sexual violence have access to the specialized care and forensic testing they need to move forward,” Dillon told The Missouri Times. “That’s why law enforcement, health care providers, and victims’ advocates are working collaboratively — with Sen. Schupp — to develop a system that protects patients and evidence.”

In order to receive adult SANE certification, one must have been an RN for at least two years and complete 40 hours of training costing about $500, according to the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN).

Then, a nurse would need to complete clinical training — which can vary by organization and location.

It takes about another year — depending on experience level — before one can become board certified.

Issues with rape kits — from access to them to law enforcement actually testing them — is a nationwide problem that isn’t just confined to Missouri. According to IAFN, only about 17 to 20 percent of hospitals in the country are equipped to do the forensic examination — and the problem is worse in more rural areas.

Noting the availability of SANE-certified personnel at hospitals across the country is a “significant problem,” Jennifer Pierce-Weeks, CEO of IAFN, said a variety of telehealth approaches to sexual assault medical forensic examinations have been employed around the U.S. — but contended that approach needs to be implemented with extra caution.

“Victims need access to care for health as well as evidentiary reasons, and they need that care to be patient-centered and trauma-informed,” Pierce-Weeks told The Missouri Times. It’s imperative that a victim needs to understand that whether using a telehealth service or not, his or her ability to receive care will not be impacted, Pierce-Weeks said. She also

“WE JUST HAVE A SYSTEM THAT’S SET UP THAT’S INAPPROPRIATE, AND IN TODAY’S WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY, I FEEL LIKE WE COULD BE DOING SO MUCH BETTER.”

www.missouritimes.com

stressed the importance of a proper system to document the encounter in a HIPAA-compliant manner and of the hospital ensuring the SANE personnel has received the proper education and certification.

“Having the availability of SANEs via a telehealth approach does not mean the clinicians on the live end of the care are removed from the responsibility of knowing what the patient’s options should be, and knowing what the standard of care the victim receives should be,” PierceWeeks said.

“Because this is a new approach to victims receiving care, we do not yet know the ramifications of this at trial, but all of that should be considered in the planning of these kinds of services,” she added.

Schupp said she was surprised when she learned access to these forensic examinations is scarce.

“I thought it was a standard. When people come into a hospital, it’s not just a rape the requires protection of the evidence and appropriate collection of evidence,” Schupp said, pointing to shooting and stabbing victims. “There are all kinds of situations in which you think people are trained to make sure that the standard of collecting the evidence is in place.”

“If I go to an emergency room, if I go to a hospital, I expect whatever I have to be treated in some way,” she added. “I just can’t even imagine what a woman goes through when she is in this situation.”

The bill was referred to the Senate Health and Pensions Committee, but it hasn’t been heard.

Aside from access to the examinations, clearing the so-called backlog of untested rape kits by law enforcement is a priority for Attorney Gen. Eric Schmitt.

Earlier this year, Schmitt appointed M. Keithley Williams, a former trial judge, to lead the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative.

The initiative has been tasked with logging the thousands of untested rape kits in the state of Missouri.

The U.S. Department of Justice has provided millions of dollars in grant money to Missouri to help with rape kit reforms.

“BECAUSE THIS IS A NEW APPROACH TO VICTIMS RECEIVING CARE, WE DO NOT YET KNOW THE RAMIFICATIONS OF THIS AT TRIAL, BUT ALL OF THAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED IN THE PLANNING OF THESE KINDS OF SERVICES.”

8

The Missouri Times

Citizens look to address Medicaid expansion, St. Louis City/County merger through initiative petition Alisha Shurr A few Missourians are looking to take a few hot topics directly to a vote of the people. Three recently filed initiative petitions seek to expand Medicaid and merge St. Louis County with St. Louis City.

This week, Christopher Pieper withdrew Petition 2020-39 and refiled Petition 2020-54, both of which address the much-talked-about merger of St. Louis City and St. Louis County. The proposal is known as Better Together and is backed by campaign committee Unite STL — which was formed in January 2019.

The petition would combine St. Louis city, county and all 88 county municipalities under a unified government and department. The altered version of the petition no longer places the St. Louis County Executive as the mayor of the first metropolitan city.

Under the constitutional amendment,

there is an allocated transition period which would end January 1, 2023.

Heidi Miller filed two proposals: a statutory change and a constitutional amendment that would expand who is eligible for enrollment in the MO HealthNet program.

Petition 2020-52 and Petition 2020-53 both state those eligible “shall be eligible for medical assistance under MO HealthNet and shall receive coverage for the health benefits service package.”

To date, the Secretary of State’s Office has received 54 initiative petitions for the 2020 general election ballot. Of those, 16 have been approved to circulate, six are open to comment, one is closed to comment, nine have been withdrawn, and 22 have been rejected.

Before circulating petitions for signatures, state law requires groups must first have the form of their petition approved by the Secretary of State’s Office. Every

Cierpiot’s ‘border war’ bill forges ahead LAWMAKERS Kaitlyn Schallhorn A bill removing tax incentives for businesses relocating to Missouri from certain counties in Kansas is advancing through the legislature.

Proposed by Republican state Sen. Mike Cierpiot, SB 182 would remove certain tax incentives for businesses that relocate from specific counties in Kansas to Missouri and would be contingent upon similar action taken by the Sunflower State.

“We have a lot of economic development policies and incentives trying to get companies to either grow here or move here,” Cierpiot told The Missouri Times.

“In my area … we have had companies taking advantage of our and Kansas’ economic policies, moving back and forth across state lines without bringing the benefit of most companies when they come in here or grow here,” he said. “So it’s not really generating new jobs per se and what goes with that normally like buying homes and all the economic activity that accompanies that.”

The Missouri counties targeted in the bill are Cass, Clay, Jackson, and Platte. The Kansas counties included are Douglas, Johnson, Miami, and Wyandotte.

“The Kansas City community was

very supportive of it. They see what’s happening, and it’s just silly to spend money like they’re spending,” Cierpiot, who represents part of Jackson County, said.

Cierpiot noted his bill would not remove incentives from all businesses relocating to one of the four Missouri counties. For example, a business in Illinois seeking to make the change would still be able to receive current incentives.

He also said Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly’s office has been in contact with Missouri’s economic development officials regarding the legislation. A spokesperson from Kelly’s office did not immediately return a request for comment from The Missouri Times.

“I’m just hopeful. I think this year we’ll actually pull it off,” Cierpiot said. “I know conversations [between the two states] are going on, and I’m confident they’re being very thorough.”

Prohibitions of these incentives existed in Missouri before but expired in August 2016. As the bill stands now, it could also expire in either August 2021 or August 2025, depending if it’s in effect.

SB 182 has been perfected in the Senate and is currently in the House Economic Development Committee.

INVITED TO CRAB BOIL TO RAISE MONEY FOR LOCAL NONPROFIT Kaitlyn Schallhorn

Missouri lawmakers with an appetite to help those with developmental disabilities will get the chance to do so later this month.

Crab boils are scheduled on April 8 and 23 — for the state Senate and House respectively — that will raise money for Day Solutions Foundation. The events will be held at The Millbottom in Jefferson City.

The nonprofit’s mission is to “empower individuals with developmental disabilities in the state of Missouri by creating meaningful experiences, otherwise unavailable, providing opportunities for positive community engagement, and access to goods, services, and support which help build self-confidence, max-

www.missouritimes.com

imize personal growth and improve the quality of life.”

Among other things, the Day Solutions Foundation offers tutoring services, social skills therapy, community integration grants, after-school care, and a special needs camp. The foundation has also partnered with the Special Olympics of Missouri in the past to help provide funding for people to participate in sporting events in central Missouri.

Founded in 2016, the Day Solutions Foundation helps both adults and teenagers around Jefferson City, according to its website. So far, the organization has helped more than 100 people and has raised more than $60,000.

proposal received by the Secretary of State’s Office is sent to the Auditor’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office.

The Attorney General’s Office reviews the petition and forwards its comments to the Secretary of State’s Office within 10 days after receiving the proposed petition. The Auditor’s Office prepares a fiscal note and fiscal note summary and forwards it to the Attorney General’s Office within 20 days after receiving the proposed petition.

Comments are taken pursuant to Section 116.334, RSMo. This provision allows Missourians to offer their observations on the submitted proposal online, by mail, or phone. Missourians can provide their comments online.

More about the initiative petition process can be found on Secretary of State’s webpage.

BONDON SEEKS CHANGE IN LIMIT ON LINKED DEPOSITS One representative is looking to help Missouri small businesses by raising the limit on linked deposit investments.

Rep. Jack Bondon’s HB 1029 would increase the amount the State Treasurer may invest in linked deposits to help small businesses. This is part of the Missouri Linked Deposit Program which serves to give low-interest loans to Missouri business to encourage innovation and advance economic development.

Currently, no more than $720 million may be deposited at one time with no more than $110 million of linked deposits to small businesses. The measure changes those limits to $800 million and $190 million, respectively.

Bondon noted that the cap of the program has increased significantly in usage and that not expanding the program could severely hinder Missouri’s relationship with small business.

CONTINUE ONLINE

9

The Missouri Times

BILL WOULD REMOVE GROWING RESTRICTIONS ON HEMP Alisha Shurr

A multitude of Missourians made their case before lawmakers on Monday, urging the restrictions on industrial hemp be loosened.

Almost a dozen people with an interest in the fledgling industry testified in support of Sen. Denny Hoskins’ SB 482 before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food Production and Outdoor Resources. No one spoke in opposition, and the Missouri Department of Agriculture testified for informational purposes only.

The measure seeks to eliminate the restrictions placed on growing hemp when the crop was legalized last year per the 2014 Farm Bill and brings state law in line with the 2018 Farm Bill.

“Our state law, that we passed last year, does not correspond with federal law,” said Hoskins.

As the law stands, those looking to grow hemp must pass a background check, including fingerprinting. Each producer will be able to grow maximum of 40 acres hemp, with a statewide limit of 2,000 acres.

Currently, the Missouri Department of Agriculture is working on rules for hemp in the state, which will go into effect on June 30, 2019. The department is

on track to start approving applications in October of this year, putting growers on pace for spring 2020 planting.

The bill Hoskins put forth seeks to correct that while repealing acreage limits. It also has an emergency clause that only applies to universities, which would allow them to immediately start conducting research on hemp.

“Hemp is the commodity that is going to save small Missouri farms,” said Jeric George, with MU Students for Cannabis Agriculture. “Without this, we are going to be left out.”

Supporters touted the benefits of the crop — its versatility, durability, and profitability — along with the advantage of giving farmers another rotational option.

It is a crop that has more than 2,000 uses including to make rope, clothes, food, paper, textiles, plastics, insulation, concrete, biofuel, and more.

It is a crop that has not been cultivated in Missouri for roughly five decades.

Sen. Justin Brown, a farmer by trade, expressed trepidation of just opening up with all the risk being placed on the farmers and so many unknowns on the Missouri industry.

It is with so many unknowns — from

drill depth for seeds to fertilizer use — that supporters note the importance of letting universities get started on research immediately. The emergency clause with the bill would allow the crop to be planted for analysis purposes this growing season.

“That will provide a baseline of information to get going,” said James Forbes, co-founder of the St. Louis-based Tiger Fiber.

Hemp and CBD oil are currently legal to sell in Missouri, but none of it is sourced in Missouri.

One individual who testified quit his corporate job to work in in the hemp industry.

“Is there demand? There absolutely is,” said Jay Humfeld, owner of Hemp Life Kansas City. He noted that nothing he sells is locally sourced, which is causing the state to miss out on tax revenue. The sooner Missouri farmers can grow the crop, Humfeld said, the sooner Missourians and Missouri can start benefiting.

Hoskins bill needs committee approval before moving to the full Senate for debate.

SENATE CONSIDERS REVIVING FILM TAX CREDIT Kaitlyn Schallhorn In an effort to draw more film production business to the Show-Me State, Sen. Denny Hoskins proposed reinstating a tax credit this week.

Hoskins’ SB 366 would authorize a discretionary tax credit of 20 percent of qualifying in-state expenses and 10 percent of qualifying out-of-state expenses for film production. If at least 50 percent of the film production is filmed in Missouri, an additional 5 percent tax credit could be awarded.

It would be up to the Missouri Film Commission to determine the percentage of the film project that takes place in the state, Hoskins said. Total tax credits would not exceed more than $4.5 million, Hoskins also told the Senate Economic Development Committee earlier this week. As it stands, the bill would

sunset six years after it goes into effect unless it was reauthorized.

“Passage of SB 366 would say to the rest of the world that Missouri’s film industry is open for business again,” Hoskins said.

Steph Scupham, vice president of communications for the Missouri Motion Media Association (MOMMA) said there is already a “pipeline” of Missouri-centric stories, and film executives view the state as “unique” because it’s “underseen on screen” and “want to shoot places they haven’t seen a million times.”

“We do believe that we can have an industry here. In fact, I think someday, we might be the next best place to film, and this is the first step in that direction,” Scupham testified before the committee.

And Hoskins’ bill already has bipartisan support. Democratic state Sen. Jason Holsman told The Missouri Times he supports the tax credit and lambasted the fact Missouri has lost projects — based in the Show-Me State — to other places in the U.S. with incentives already in place.

Missouri used to give tax credits for film productions, but the provision sunset in 2013.

Similar legislation is already being debated in the state House, championed by Republican state Rep. Kathryn Swan. The House version, HB 923, was voted out of House Rules Committee on Legislative Oversight on Thursday.

“Since Nov. 28, 2013, Missouri’s been closed for business, having taken down the ‘Welcome to Missouri’ sign for film and digital media,” Swan previously said.

www.missouritimes.com

Sweeping criminal justice reform package prepared for consideration Mike Lear The House Speaker has said criminal justice reform is a priority in the remaining weeks of the session, and a bill containing several proposed reforms has just been compiled. It has the backing of a man made famous by President Donald Trump earlier this year.

House Committee Bill 2, also being called the Missouri First Step Act, was assembled by the House Special Committee on Criminal Justice. It is a compilation of several individual bills, some of which have already been passed by the House.

Trump featured Matthew Charles during his State of the Union Address.

Charles is the first person released from prison under the federal First Step Act, a federal reform bill signed into law by Trump in December.

In 1996 Charles was sentenced to 35 years in prison for selling crack cocaine.

In prison he turned his life around and earned an early release in 2016. Though he was living a productive life, a court decision overturned his release and sent him back to prison until he was released under the First Step Act. He’s excited about a provision in HCB 2 that would let judges ignore mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent crimes in Missouri.

“It would allow the probation officer as well as the judge to make an assessment on the amount of time that needed to be imposed on somebody for that crime, or the amount of time they will actually serve for that offense, whereas rehabilitation has been taken away from prison for a long time,” said Charles.

The stand-alone mandatory minimum sentences legislation, House Bill 113 sponsored by Representative Cody Smith (R-Carthage), has been sent to the Senate and awaits a committee hearing.

HCB 2 will be carried by the committee’s chairman, Representative Shamed Dogan (R-Ballwin), who has been a proponent of criminal justice reform during his five years in the House.

“These measures are all evidencebased. They will all help us save enormous amounts of taxpayer money while also improving public safety, and they’ll give people who’ve made mistakes in their lives a chance to be treated with dignity while incarcerated and to have more of a chance of rebuilding their lives whenever they get out,” said Dogan.

HCB 2 would apply the state’s law restricting the use of restraints on pregnant offenders to county or city jails.

That bars the use of restraints on a woman in the third trimester of pregnancy and through 48-hours after delivery while they’re being transported except in extraordinary circumstances, which must be documented and reviewed.

Representative Mary Elizabeth Coleman (R-Arnold) sponsors that

legislation (House Bill 1122). She said it’s about the safety of those offenders, but also of their babies.

“It’s making sure that when women are in labor, when women are in advanced stages of pregnancy, and when they have really no risk of harm that we’re really treating people as people and that we’re being appropriate as well,” said Coleman.

“It’s not about trying to be lax on people who have committed crimes. They’re paying their costs, but a pregnant woman is very vulnerable and we want to make sure that she and her child are delivered safely.”

Another piece of HCB 2 coming from a bill sponsored by Coleman (House Bill 920) would require that feminine hygiene products are available to women being held in the state’s prisons or on state charges in county and city jails.

“That is not an issue that I expected to be tackling but you find out certain things and you think, ‘How is it possible that as a state we’re not providing adequate hygiene supplies to those who are in our care and custody?’” said Coleman.

Representative Cheri Toalson Reisch (R-Hallsville) sponsored House Bill 189, to allow people convicted of felonies to work in certain businesses that sell alcohol or lottery tickets, such as grocery or convenience stores. That is also included in HCB 2.

“Where I’m from in Boone County we have 1.5-percent unemployment.

This is the second lowest in the country.

We cannot find enough employees. We would like to put these felons to work,” said Toalson Reisch. “We need them to avoid recidivism and make better lives for themselves and their families.”

Two of the other pieces of HCB 2 would restrict the use of drug and alcohol testing by privately operated probation supervisors (House Bill 80 – Justin Hill, R-Lake St. Louis); and would keep courts from putting people in jail for failing to pay the costs associated with prior jail time (House Bill 192 – Bruce DeGroot, R-Chesterfield). Both of those standalone bills have been sent to the Senate for its consideration.

HCB 2 includes language to allow for the early parole of certain inmates over the age of 65 (House Bill 352, Tom Hannegan, R-St. Charles); to stop the confiscation of assets from a person who hasn’t been convicted of a crime (House Bill 444, Dogan); and to prohibit discriminatory policing (House Bill 484, Dogan).

HCB 2 awaits a hearing by a House committee before it can be sent to the full chamber for debate.

10

The Missouri Times

EXECUTIVE

Basin states need to speak with unified voice on Missouri River management Gov. Mike Parson The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages the Missouri River through the Master Manual, a 432-page document that lays out eight congressionally authorized purposes: flood control, river navigation, hydroelectric power, irrigation, water supply, water quality, recreation, and fish and wildlife (including preservation of endangered species). Congress authorized flood control and navigation as the dominant project purposes for the Missouri River system. However, during a 2004 update of the Master Manual, the Corps shifted the prioritization of these purposes to hold water higher in the reservoir system to benefit fisheries – an action that effectively reduced flood control.

For decades, the State of Missouri has strongly argued flood control must be the Corps’ top priority and that reducing flood impacts is the dominant project purpose that Congress authorized to guide the Corps’ management of the Missouri River. The Midwest is now bearing witness to the devastating results when those eight purposes are not appropriately prioritized.

The Corps maintains one of the nation’s largest flood control systems on the Missouri river main-stem, but the devastating flooding we are experiencing and the previous record 2011 flooding have demonstrated the current system is insufficient to protect us.

The majority of the runoff causing the flooding in the Missouri River basin this week came either from unregulated tributaries to the Missouri River without a Corps reservoir or in tributaries to the Corps’ most downstream reservoir, Lewis and Clark Reservoir above Gavins Point Dam – a reservoir with very little flood storage. The Corps should be considering expanding Lewis and Clark Reservoir, adding more flood control reservoirs on the tributaries in the lower Missouri River, or implementing other strategies to expand flood storage, instead of being distracted by protracted debates about endangered species.

It is long past time for change.

We must begin a serious discussion about how we improve flood control on the Missouri River. To accomplish this, the states of the Missouri River basin must reassert our leadership in guiding the federal government’s management of the river. After the 2011 flood, the Governors of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming agreed that flood control was their number one priority. I am certain it remains so today.

The State of Missouri has always been vigilant about protecting the life and property of its citizens. For decades Missouri has vigorously opposed changes to Corps operations that would reduce flood

control. Unfortunately, despite Missouri’s strong opposition, the Corps’ recently released Missouri River Recovery Program Management Plan includes the possibility of an artificial spring rise, which would deliberately cause downstream flooding to purportedly benefit an endangered species of fish. As this year’s flooding clearly shows, however, there are too many natural rises on the Missouri River. It is time for the Corps to finally abandon any proposal that includes a man-made spring rise on the Missouri River.

In the weeks and months following this flood, it is imperative that the Corps work with levee districts and municipalities to quickly repair the damage to our flood-control infrastructure. The Corps must also work with the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to make our infrastructure more resilient to these recurring impacts.

The Corps can, and needs to, improve the way it manages the system, but we as a state also need to take a stronger role in guiding the federal government’s management of the Missouri River. Our citizens can’t continue to risk their lives, homes, livestock, and futures on a flood-control system that is insufficient to protect them.

www.missouritimes.com

KEHOE ‘ENTHUSED’ AFTER HYPERLOOP TASK FORCE HOLDS FIRST MEETING Kaitlyn Schallhorn The bipartisan task force charged with determining the feasibility of constructing a Hyperloop in Missouri met for the first time Monday — and Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe said he left the meeting feeling “energized.”

The bipartisan panel — made up of lawmakers, public officials, and private businesspersons — gathered Monday in Jefferson City to discuss organizational matters of the task force meant to determine the Hyperloop’s funding and financing.

“I’m very enthused and energized and ready to work with the task force” in coming up with recommendations for the governor, Kehoe told The Missouri Times, adding that the group is made up of “great people” who are ready to get to work.

A Hyperloop would make it possible for people to travel between Kansas City and St. Louis — Missouri’s two largest cities — in just 30 minutes. Proponents have heralded the Hyperloop as allowing businesses to easily have offices on both sides of the state and for individuals to be able to live in one city but work in the other across the state.

“I’m excited and encouraged that Missouri has a plan and a wonderful set of assets statewide from engineering and design to procurement and investment,” Travis Brown, president of the Heartland Hyperloop Coalition, told The Missouri Times following the meeting.

The task force’s objective is “to present recommendations to the Speaker on how to establish Missouri as the global epicenter for the research, development, and commercialization of hyperloop technology.”

Its biggest obstacle so far, according to Kehoe, is time.

The Blue Ribbon Panel on Hyperloop has been tasked with submitting a report to House Speaker Elijah Haahr in September. Haahr previously said the state is already “ahead of the game when it comes to this issue.”

“This project represents a transformational economic development opportunity for Missouri,” he said. “We have a real opportunity to serve as a gateway to the future of transportation.”

This Week in the Governor’s Office: Week of March 25, 2019 Alisha Shurr Missouri’s chief executive kicked off the week by honoring a former colleague and wrapped it up by touring an “Opportunity Zone” in St. Louis.

Gov. Mike Parson also met with various groups, monitored the flooding situation in the state, and ran into country singer Easton Corbin.

On Monday, Parson signed HB 448 and 206 into law. Now a portion of Lindbergh Boulevard in St. Louis County will officially be designated as the “Rep. Cloria Brown Memorial Highway.” The legislation aims to honor Brown, who passed away while in office last March after battling cancer.

“Representative Brown was a dedicated, compassionate public servant who always had the best interest of her constituents at heart,” Parson said. “It was an honor to sign today’s bill that will help ensure Representative Brown’s legacy lives on with St. Louis County residents and all Missourians for generations to come.”

Throughout the last couple of weeks, Parson has been keeping a close eye on the flooding that is taking a toll on parts of the state. This led him to pen an op-ed on the subject.

“The Corps can, and needs to, improve the way it manages the system, but we as a state also need to take a stronger role in guiding the federal government’s management of the Missouri River.

Our citizens can’t continue to risk their lives, homes, livestock, and futures on a flood-control system that is insufficient to protect them,” Parson wrote.

Parson presented Democrat state Sen. Jill Schupp with a U.S. flag on behalf of her father, a WWII veteran. The flag was flown over the Capitol in his memory.

Throughout the week, he met with a variety of groups including Northrop Grumman, the Missouri Pharmacy Association, faith leaders from across the state, the Bolivar jazz band, MU extension, and more.

11

The Missouri Times

Galloway calls on administration to take responsibility for misleading Missourians on their taxes

AUDIT FINDS JANUARY 2019 WITHHOLDING CHANGES MADE UNLAWFULLY, WILL RESULT IN OVER-WITHHOLDING FOR MORE THAN HALF OF MISSOURI TAXPAYERS Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released an audit detailing uncertainty and confusion related to the state’s individual income tax withholding tables. The report found that changes made to withholdings in January 2019 were done unlawfully and will result in over-withholding for the majority of individual Missouri taxpayers.

“For more than six months, this administration failed to communicate with Missourians on how changes to withholdings would affect their bank account.

Then, despite bipartisan calls for answers, they attempted to downplay the issues,” Auditor Galloway said. “Taxpayers deserve honesty from the administration. Instead, the Department of Revenue continues to operate in secrecy.”

In December, as a part of the audit of the timeliness of tax refunds, Auditor Galloway directed her team to begin asking questions about the withholding tables. The report outlines multiple changes made to the withholding tables and the administration’s failure to effectively communicate with the public about those changes. New tables were released in March 2018 and October 2018. As a result of these changes, taxpayers are expected to pay an additional

$134 million when they file their returns, and there will be $232 million less in tax refunds issued.

Changes were made without explanation and resulted in confusion for individual taxpayers. While department officials contacted employers and payroll agencies directly about the changes, they failed to adequately notify all taxpayers.

As a result, many taxpayers were unaware of the changes, unclear on what adjustments to make to their withholdings, and have encountered an unwelcome surprise in the form of unexpected tax payments.

In January 2019, the withholding table calculation was changed to over withhold. This change is expected to result in an additional $62.9 million coming from Missourians with adjusted gross incomes under $125,000 annually, 53 percent of Missouri taxpayers.

The administration failed to follow the appropriate legal process for the changes despite state law requiring legislative and public review.

On March 8, the Department of Revenue received the Auditor’s draft report.

Less than a week later, the Governor an-

“Over and over, this executive agency makes decisions that directly impact the daily lives of Missourians without clearly communicating with the citizens who are affected.”

nounced the department director’s resignation.

“Over and over, this executive agency makes decisions that directly impact the daily lives of Missourians without clearly communicating with the citizens who are affected. The decision to take more money out of paychecks without going through the legally required process shows a clear pattern of mismanagement,” Auditor Galloway. “It should be simple: follow the law, get it right, and stop misleading taxpayers.”

The report also found that the timeliness of refunds in fiscal year 2018 improved after an audit last year brought to light increasing delays in issuing refunds.

Eighty percent of total refunds were paid

by May 9, 2018; in fiscal years 2016 and 2017 the state did not reach that payout level until late June. The audit also found 3 percent of total refunds were paid with interest in 2018, as opposed to 24 percent in 2017.

Concerns remain, however, as the state continues to rely on borrowing to supplement cash flow and pay operating obligations. Cash reserves have not recovered since the recession in 2008, even as the economy has improved. In past years, the state’s decreasing cash balance resulted in less money to pay Missourians’ tax refunds. In fiscal year 2019, the state’s general revenue fund has not had sufficient cash to cover expenditures, resulting in high levels of borrowing to make ends meet. The state has borrowed $500 million from the budget reserve fund, the maximum level of borrowing for the year. By law, that money must be repaid before May 16.

www.missouritimes.com

PARSON MAKES APPOINTMENTS TO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, FILLS COUNTY VACANCY April 3, Governor Mike Parson announces five appointments to various boards and commissions and a county office.

William M. “Bill” Abbott, of Tuscumbia, was appointed to the Petroleum Storage Tank Insurance Fund Board of Trustees.

Mr. Abbott served as the Miller County Sheriff for over 16 years. During his time as Sheriff, he was instrumental in forming the Mid-Missouri Drug Task Force and establishing policies and procedures for deputy conduct. Before his election as Sheriff, Mr. Abbott served in the Missouri National Guard for 22 years. He held a variety of positions in the Guard, including as a motor vehicle operator, materials handler, and as the Armory Sergeant for the 135th Maintenance Unit.

Aimee Agderian, of Kearney, was appointed to the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission.

Ms. Agderian is currently a Deputy Sheriff with the Clay County Sheriff ’s Office. She has been with the sheriff ’s office for over 23 years. She has served in a number of different assignments across all divisions of the office, including helping to create and implement the office’s current training program. Ms. Agderian currently holds the rank of Sergeant in the Training and Career Development Unit. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Affairs from Park University and a Bachelor’s Degree in the Administration of Justice from the University of Missouri – Kansas City.

Benjamin C. Jones, of Gideon, was appointed to the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission.

Mr. Jones is currently a Captain with the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) and serves as the Director of the Career Recruitment Division.

He has been with the MSHP for 18 years, including time as a Sergeant and Lieutenant before being promoted to

Captain in 2018. He spent the first several years of his career with MSHP assigned to Troop E, including as a Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Trooper.

Michele Murrell, of Linneus, was appointed as the Linn County Assessor.

Ms. Murrell is currently an employee of the Assessor’s Office and has been trained in both the Real Estate and Personal Property offices and works as the Field Appraiser for Linn County.

Ms. Murrell holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from Missouri Western State University. Her community involvement includes serving as the President of the PTO of the Linn County R-1 School.

Richard C. Peerson, of Jefferson City, was appointed to the Petroleum Storage Tank Insurance Fund Board of Trustees.

Mr. Peerson spent the majority of his career in the insurance business before retiring in 2018. He was a Managing Partner at Wallstreet Insurance Agency for the last decade of his career. Before entering the insurance field, he spent time as the Executive Director of the Missouri Jaycees. Mr. Peerson has also owned and operated a small family farm. His community involvement has included time with the Jefferson City Area Chamber and the Cole County Planning and Zoning Commission.

John Worden, of Columbia, was appointed to the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission.

Mr. Worden is currently the Director of the University of Missouri Extension’s Law Enforcement Training Institute (LETI). Prior to joining LETI, he had a 21-year career with the Columbia Police Department, rising to the rank of Sergeant. Mr. Worden was also recently named as the Senior Director of the MU Center for Excellence in First Responder Education. He holds a Master’s and Bachelor’s Degree in Education from the University of Missouri.

12

The Missouri Times

PEOPLE

Axiom Strategies ramps up for 2020 election cycle

Axiom Strategies and its affiliate companies are ramping up in preparation for a competitive 2019-2020 election cycle, hiring eight new employees since the beginning of the year. The firm continues to bring on board political and policy experts who have served in governor’s offices, statehouses, U.S. Senate and House offices, top federal agencies, and presidential campaigns, many who were integral to some of the largest, most high-stakes statewide and national campaigns during the 2018 cycle.

“I am incredibly proud of the team we have built at Axiom over the years. Maintaining best in class product offerings, recruiting some of the best talent in the country and innovating our services constantly has made us who we are today,” said Axiom founder and CEO Jeff Roe. “A relentless focus on our clients’ success, be it in the market place or on the ballot, is all that matters. We will have exciting news to share in the coming weeks of additional mergers, acquisitions, and executive hires. Now that the 2018 midterms are in the rearview mirror, we are excited to be ramping up for an exciting, aggressive, and successful 2020 election cycle.”

Since November, Axiom Strategies has brought on board a new vice president and general consultant, two senior vice presidents to grow its corporate public affairs arm (Clout Public Affairs), two senior associates, two associates, and a designer to support Axiom’s robust research, direct mail, campaign, and corporate operations. These new hires are based across five different offices nationwide and their full bios are included below.

Axiom Strategies is an unparalleled political consulting firm that leverages big thinking, bold strategies, and creative execution to achieve meaningful results for our clients, our people, and our country. It is one of the largest GOP political consulting firms in the U.S., maintaining an 85+ percent win rate. Since 2008, Axiom has played an integral role in GOP presidential primary campaigns, and in 2016 managed one of the highest-profile GOP presidential primary races of the cycle. In 2018, Axiom consulted for seven of the top 10 GOP races in the country.

Overall, the Axiom team has helped elect 78 current Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives (40 percent of Republican members), 10 U.S. senators, and seven governors. Since 2010, Axiom has grown from four offices, three service/ product companies, and 27 employees to 12 offices, 10 service/product companies, and more than 100 employees in 2018.

Kristin Davison – Vice President and

General Consultant Axiom Strategies Kristin has over a decade of campaign and policy experience, from local mayoral races to national presidential campaigns, from the White House to the British House of Commons.

Most recently she worked with several candidates and issue initiatives around the country managing statewide run-off elections and orchestrating statewide campaign launches the Tampa Bay Times dubbed, “…the most impressive and picturesque campaign kickoffs…” before heading to Nevada to spearhead former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt’s 2018 gubernatorial campaign.

Prior to the 2018 Election Cycle, Kristin was the Deputy Surrogate Director on Sen. Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential campaign and the Senior Advisor to Senator Roy Blunt’s (R-Mo.) winning 2016 re-election campaign. In Missouri, she refocused the Blunt campaign’s data targeting and opposition research, restructured its field operation, increasing voter contacts by 1,091% in her first month, and led the 2016 Missouri Victory program that resulted in a sweep of all statewide Republican candidates on the ballot.

Kristin studied political science, but the foundation of her education came during her time as Chief of Staff at Karl Rove and Company. There she was involved in polling, data, messaging, and strategy for statewide, national, and international campaigns, political groups, Fox News, and the Wall Street Journal. She also led the research, editing, and marketing of former Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush, Karl Rove’s, two best-selling books, “Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight” and “The Triumph of William McKinley: Why the Election of 1896 Still Matters.”

A Pennsylvania native and Catholic University of America graduate, Kristin can generally be found traveling or having way too much fun with excel spread sheets.

Samantha Dravis – Senior Vice President Clout Public Affairs Samantha is a policy advisor and strategist who has experience working at the White House, Capitol Hill, Federal Agencies and for some of the country’s most influential political and public policy organizations.

Samantha most recently served as Associate Administrator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency where she was responsible for leading policy

for the agency’s regulatory and permitting programs and providing analysis and oversight of all the agency’s major regulatory actions. Samantha also served as the EPA’s Regulatory Reform Officer, leading the agency’s response to President Trump’s Executive Order 13771 and spearheading a major effort that resulted in 22 deregulatory actions during the first year of the Trump Administration.

Samantha also led the process of EPA’s coordination with the White House, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), as well as all other federal agencies.

Prior, Samantha worked as an attorney on Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign for the presidency, and as the Associate Director of Political Affairs at the White House during the administration of President George W. Bush, and as legal counsel for Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, an organization dedicated to promoting the benefits of free markets and a free society.

Samantha attended the University of Notre Dame Law School, receiving several merit scholarships. She served as the Solicitation Editor of the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics, and Public Policy and graduated cum laude.

Catherine Frazier – Senior Vice President, Communications Clout Public Affairs Catherine is a communications expert and strategist with more than a decade of experience in political communications, crisis management, state and federal public affairs, and state and national political campaigns.

She has crafted communications strategies around numerous policy and political efforts in the Texas Governor’s Office, on two presidential primary campaigns, and on Capitol Hill. She is proficient in messaging, rapid response, media training, media booking, article, and op-ed placement, and event planning.

Before joining Clout, Catherine served as senior communications adviser to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz on his winning re-election campaign and prior to that, managed his U.S. Senate press office. In both roles, she was responsible for long-term communications planning, day-to-day media relations, rapid response, and organizing his press events and media interviews. She also served as the national press secretary to Cruz’s 2016 presidential primary campaign, where she traveled to more than 40 states, serving as the campaign’s primary spokesperson on the road, managing traveling press, and overseeing day to day messaging and press event logistics.

CONTINUED ONLINE

www.missouritimes.com

AFTER CAR ACCIDENT, ROEBER IN SERIOUS CONDITION BUT NOT ‘OUT BY ANY STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION’ Alisha Shurr While driving to Jefferson City on Monday, Rep. Rebecca Roeber was involved in a two-car collision near Syracuse. The accident has the Lee’s Summit Republican looking at a long road to recovery.

According to the crash report, Roeber’s injuries were “serious” while the other driver involved in the collision had “minor” injuries. Both were taken by ambulance to the hospital.

“I encourage people to pray for her.

She is in a bad spot, and she is going to be a sore lady for a while,” Sen. Mike Cierpiot told the Missouri Times.

One state senator actually came across the wreck, after the drivers were removed from the scene, as he was driving to the Capital. Sen. Denny Hoskins said it appeared to be “horrific wreck.”

“I am thankful both are still alive, and no one died,” said Hoskins.

“It’s terrible. Rebecca helped me when I first got elected…She is a friend at a personal level long before politics, and I am really sorry to about her wreck. The extent of her injuries, it is devastating.

The good thing is, is that is doesn’t look like it is life-threatening. The bad thing is that she got a lot of injuries, a lot of damage, and it is going to take a long time for her to heal up,” said Cierpiot.

Roeber was first elected to the Missouri House in 2014 and was re-elected in 2016 and 2018. Each year in the legislature, the former teacher has advocated for expanding charter schools in order to improve the education landscape in the state.

Missouri hemp producers launch statewide association Alisha Shurr

A group of agriculturalists from around the Show-Me State have joined together in an effort to protect the interest of hemp producers while creating a thriving market place.

The Missouri Hemp Producers Association is a nonprofit organization that looks to advance hemp production in the state to the point that it is the nation’s leader in production, producers, and products.

“We’re focused on balancing freemarket principles with reasonable protections to make hemp production a vital part of Missouri’s number one industry, agriculture,” said Tom Raffety, president of MHPA. “Historically, hemp is an adaptable crop used to create many practical products used in our daily lives and now is the time to ensure our state’s policies allow this market to thrive sustainably and economically.”

Hemp has been touted as an incredibly versatile plant used to create and manufacture diverse products which benefit people’s lives through textiles, health foods, and products, biodegradable plastics, and construction materials.

During the 2018 regulation session, the General Assembly put its stamp of approval on the industrial hemp pilot program that is under the purview of the Missouri Department of Agriculture.

The measure, which has been signed into law, legalized an industrial hemp pilot program in the Show-Me State and

exempts the crop — which has less than 0.03 percent THC — from the list of controlled substances and the definition of marijuana.

In January 2019, the department released draft rules for the fledgling agricultural commodity. According to a proposed timeline, farmers will be able to plant the crop in 2020.

Rep. Rick Francis has a bill, HB 824, currently moving through the Missouri legislature that would remove some restrictions on industrial hemp.

Raffety noted hemp producers around the state are working to educate lawmakers about the crop and its applications based on research.

“Hemp is an emerging opportunity, and I expect Missouri agriculture to be at the forefront of new and innovative technologies,” House Speaker Pro Tem John Wiemann said in a statement. “The Missouri Hemp Producers Association will be a strong, consistent educator in this new space.”

Members of the statewide nonprofit organization include: Tom Raffety, President of Charleston Peter Rost, Jr., Vice President of New Madrid Jeremy Nothdurft, Secretary/ Treasurer of Cape Girardeau Neal Bredehoeft of Alma James Marshall of Cape Girardeau To learn more about hemp and the association, visit MoHempProducers. com.

LET’S GIVE LOCAL BUSINESS LEVEL PLAYING FIELD WITH OUT-OF-STATE COMPANIES Amy Blouin With spring comes an iconic image: teams of youth baseball or softball gathering for pizza after a game, jerseys adorned with the logos of local businesses that support these tried and true traditions.

But while Missouri’s businesses contribute to their communities through jobs, sponsorships, and community partnerships, our state’s tax structure puts them at a competitive disadvantage compared to out-of-state retailers that sell to Missourians.

Local Mom & Pop shops across Missouri are required to collect sales taxes every time a purchase is made, yet outof-state online retailers aren’t. Although sales taxes may be owed, under our current law, it’s the burden of taxpayers to track their purchases and remit what they owe. While our roads and bridges get the wear and tear of delivery, money leaves the state and our communities see little from these companies in return for their business.

Fortunately, legislators have the power to level the playing field – and to protect the resources our communities need to prosper.

The “Wayfair Fix,” named after a recent United States Supreme Court decision, would implement the specific mechanisms needed to collect taxes from out-of-state retailers.

Not only would this remove the competitive advantage currently enjoyed by companies based out-of-state, but it

would provide much-needed resources to our local communities.

Missouri has been missing out on these resources for far too long. Legislators could use these funds for school transportation, sending more dollars into our classrooms.

They could restore prescription drug assistance to struggling seniors, letting families across the state breathe easier.

Or they could use this revenue to support plans to fix roads and bridges using an already cash-strapped General Revenue budget.

It’s important to note that none of this involves any new taxes. Implementing the Wayfair Fix simply puts into place a way to collect tax that is already owed, but rarely paid.

Efforts to use funds that were already owed to our state to further cut taxes are shortsighted and irresponsible, particularly at a time when our budget situation is volatile, at best, and lawmakers are looking at an additional $100 million in General Revenue spending for roads and bridges.

Legislators owe it to their constituents to work towards a state that offers strong schools, safe roads and bridges, and a safety net that’s there when families falter.

By enacting the “Wayfair Fix” without irresponsibly throwing away the much-needed revenue, legislators can level the playing field for Missouri businesses and promote the quality of life our families need to build a better tomorrow.

Conservatives Stop invisible agree that lynchings in Missouri America colleges Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. must protect due process Sen. Bill Eigel Time after time, institutions have rushed to judgment and destroyed innocent lives because the pursuit of justice is strangled by the media’s addiction to outrage. This has become an epidemic on college campuses where, in allegations of sexual misconduct, society has turned “innocent until proven guilty” on its’ head. Instead of justice, every claim becomes proof and every accused student has become a convicted criminal.

Under flawed Title IX recommendations from the Obama Administration, the due process rights of Missouri’s college students have been trampled on by our higher education institutions. This dangerous trend is drowning out the voices of actual victims while devastating the futures of innocent youth. Our founders enshrined due process in the Bill of Rights to prevent this very travesty. But our colleges and university are refusing to give students their Constitutional rights.

As a constitutional conservative, their lack of due process protections is a disturbing encroachment on constitutionally guaranteed liberties. As a fiscal conservative, these colleges are exposing our state to incredible legal exposure and our taxpayers to significant financial exposure. By failing to protect due process rights of students, Missouri will soon be liable for lawsuits by students whose rights have been infringed upon, just as has happened in numerous other states.

It’s time for change. The Missouri Senate should pass Senate Bill 259. This common sense measure would simply require testimony to be made under oath, guarantee due process for all parties per the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and, finally, it would guarantee representation by attorney, access to any and all evidence, including testimony by witnesses.

As a member of the Missouri Senate Conservative caucus, I am proud to support this measure to protect the constitutional rights of Missouri students and the interests of Missouri taxpayers. It’s time for Missouri campus due process.

www.missouritimes.com

No form of lynching should be tolerated or permitted in America. A lynching is defined as putting a person or a group of people to death by hanging a person or group with or without legal due process.

However, in the no so distant past, the hideous act of racially-motivated lynching African Americans was considered legal, judicial and moral under state and federal laws.

The Congress of the United States finally has a bill pending enactment that makes lynching a federal crime. We support this long overdue anti-lynching federal legislation.

However, there are other forms of lynching that are still occurring across the nation, without due process of law and without a national public moral outcry. Why? Because today, some lynchings are invisible.

There are no blood-thirsty mobs of people salivating their pleasures at the sight of a fresh Black body swinging lifelessly via a rope around his or her neck hanging from a tree or from the institutionalIzed gallows of history.

On college and university campuses in too many states, what is increasingly happening should be called an invisible and insidious form of lynching.

Disproportionately, young African male college students and others are being summarily expelled from college based solely on mere allegations of sexual misconduct violations of Title IX rules without any due process of law or findings of fact. College administrators are arbitrarily determining that these targeted students are guilty and expendable until their innocence is proven.

This is not about guilt or innocence. This is about denial of due process.

For thousands of the accused students the outcomes are fatal to their education and life goals.

I know that this is a controversial subject that many would prefer to remain silent about. But as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. clearly warned: “An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Currently, in the state of Missouri, there is important pending legislation (HB 573 and SB 259) in both the Missouri State House and Senate that seeks to stop and prevent these kinds of invisible Title IX-related lynchings from occurring at Missouri colleges and universities.

This year marks the 400-year anniversary of the enslavement of African people in America. The horrid history of racism and racially-motivated lynchings of African American men, women and children is a gruesome reminder of the depravity of humanity, as well as the malicious lack of due process when a person or group is deemed expendable to satisfy the rage, fear and hate of “others.”

In the past, lynchings were very visible. Today Title IX-related lynchings on colleges and universities are less visible, but this form of injustice must be exposed and challenged in Missouri and in every state.

Equal justice and the constitutional right to due process should be afforded to all without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation. This is the reason we add our voice and advocacy to encourage the Missouri legislature and all other state legislatures to stop Title IX-related invisible lynchings from occurring.

13

OPINION

The Missouri Times

14

Missouri Times Ad 2.pdf 1 1/23/2019 3:41:28 PM

The Missouri Times

Capitol Calendar CHECK ANY TIME AND SIGN UP TO RECEIVE THE CALENDAR IN YOUR EMAIL WEEKLY AT THEMISSOURITIMES.COM/CALENDAR Sent events for included to calendar@themissouritimes.com.

C

M

Y

CM

MY

ALS IMPACTS FAMILIES.

CY

CMY

K

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neuromuscular disease that robs a person of their ability to talk, walk, move and eventually breathe. There is no cure.

Because of it’s debalitating and relentless nature, ALS exacts an enormous toll on families.

The ALS Association St. Louis Regional Chapter helps families manage the emotional and physical strain brought on by an ALS diagnosis, with free programs and services for patients,

=

April 2 Child Advocacy Day 3 Missouri Canoe and Floaters Association Reception 3 Missouri Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Legislative Day 3 Conservation Federation of Missouri Lobby Day 5 #GoBlueDay for Child Abuse Prevention 8 MAC Legislative Conference – Capitol Plaza 8 Senate Crab Boil 8 Lineworker Appreciation Day 9 Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation Reception 10 Boys & Girls Clubs of Missouri Advocacy Day

10 Softball Tournament 15 Missouri Music Educators Association Lobby Day 15 Missouri Times Magazine Release 16 Missouri Republican Assembly (MRA) Day at the Capitol 16 Missouri Annual Gun Rights Rally 16 Associated Industries of Missouri Centennial Industry Day 17 MOFED Lobby Day 17 Mid-Missouri PRSA Lunch & Learn 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

22 Easter Observed 23 Legislature reconvenes – 4:00 p.m.

23 House Crab Boil 24 Missouri Electric Cooperative’s Fish Fry Luncheon

24 Missouri REALTORS Capitol Conference – 100 E. High St. Jefferson City 26 Lafayette County Republican 2019 Lincoln Dinner 29 Standing with Children Luncheon – 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

29 Women in Policy Discussion 11:30 a.m.12:30 p.m.

30 Lake of the Ozarks/ Tri-County Lodging Association Ice Cream Social 30 Concerned Women for America of Missouri (CWA of MO) Day at the Missouri Capitol May 2 National Day of Prayer and Salute to our Military and Vets – Rotunda – Noon

BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE MISSOURI SOYBEAN ASSOCIATION.

caregivers and children.

Learn more at

www.alsa-stl.org.

www.missouritimes.com

15

The Missouri Times

OPINION: WE NEED TO MAKE A STAND FOR LOCAL CONTROL AND INDEPENDENT FAMILY FARMS Roger Allison Corporate agri-business and their lobbyists are attempting to take away local control and our rights. Why? They would rather have decisions being made where their money and lobbyists have the biggest impact– at the state and federal levels of government. But family farmers, county commissioners and rural citizens are standing up to these attacks and fighting to protect local control.

Senate Bill 391, introduced by Senator Bernskoetter, would strip local control from ALL rural counties, taking away our right to protect ourselves and our neighbors from the negative impacts of corporatecontrolled industrial livestock operations, including foreigncontrolled Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). This bill even overturns the will of the people when farmers and rural people have voted to protect their communities from out-of-state and foreign CAFOs. CAFOs are industrial livestock operations that create millions of gallons of waste, dead animals, decreased property values, and

degradation of our water and air.

CAFO corporations and their lobbyists have zero allegiance to our state and our country. Most CAFOs are controlled by entities that are not based in Missouri and many aren’t even American.

Senate Bill 391 is state governmental overreach at its worst. People who live in our communities know what’s best for our communities, not corporate lobbyists and bureaucrats.

Many of the organizations that support this bill are the same groups that have supported pro-corporate policies at the expense of family farmers and rural communities for far too long.

Including: The Missouri Cattlemen’s Association and Farm Bureau worked to kill country of origin labeling (COOL), which allowed consumers to know and be able to choose American meat over foreign imports.

The Missouri Cattlemen’s Association and Farm Bureau lead the charge to force MO beef producers to pay an additional mandatory beef tax of $2 million every year. (But, thanks to Missouri cattle farmers who stood

up to this attack, it was voted it down by 75% to 25%.)

And just last year, the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association joined with the Missouri Pork Association and Chinese-owned Smithfield to support allowing foreign corporations to own Missouri farmland.

Unfortunately, these same groups also supported the corporatization of the pork industry and the results have been devastatingly clear. In just one generation: 90% (over 20,000) of Missouri’s hog producers are out of business.

Consumers are paying 121% more for pork.

And, TWO foreign corporations now control half of the entire U.S. hog industry.

This corporate controlled system drives people away from rural Missouri and puts farmers out of business and off the land. We can’t afford any more of their corporate model and vision for the future of agriculture and our state.

They want to take away local control, and are trying to force industrial livestock operations into our communities with no

accountability to protect ourselves, our land and our way of life.

20 rural counties have passed health ordinances to protect their communities from the negative impacts of corporate-controlled CAFOs, including common sense setbacks from homes, populated areas, and wells and water sources.

Many of these ordinances have been in place for decades protecting family farmers, property owners and citizens that have been there for generations.

And, right now the state government and corporate Ag lobbyists want to take away our rights along with the only way we have to protect ourselves from unaccountable, absentee and foreign corporations that are bent on controlling our food supply and making profits at any cost.

Senate Bill 391 is an attack on our fundamental rights as citizens to have government that is closest to the people.

CAFOs make up only 1/2 of 1% of Missouri’s farming operations.

CONTINUE ONLINE

Opinion: Video lottery machines aren’t going to bring prosperity to rural Missouri Rachael Freeman

Our elected officials are constantly looking for new ways to create jobs for Missourians and new revenue in local communities. During this endeavor, however, it is vital to not support any and every effort simply because it is labeled as economic development.

One such measure that has been proposed is to allow video lottery terminals to be dumped into every corner of our state – in gas stations and convenience stores, shopping malls, and strip malls. Video lottery terminals are not going to bring prosperity to the Show Me State.

The argument for video lottery machines is that they will create jobs and generate revenue. I have seen these eyesores of flashing lights and sounds in other states and I was not impressed. It also forces individuals with addiction issues to walk past these types machines when they fill up on gas or purchase chewing gum at a local convenience store. Proponents claim that virtual slot machines stood up in every dive bar and gas station is somehow going to improve Missourians’ lives. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Lottery machines are not economic development and they are not a part of the hospitality industry, which is a part of the larger tourism industry.

The only jobs video lottery terminals create are for 2-3 employees with a van maintaining machines for a certain geographic area. These aren’t the types of sustaining, long-term jobs that we need in a community like ours, where we are so dependent on tourism to make ends meet. These machines hurt the communities where they are installed, taking money out of the area instead of adding to it. Again, what is being proposed is not hotels or casinos or restaurants that would provide a revenue to hard working families in our rural communities.

Even the revenue generated from lottery terminals leaves the area and into the bank accounts of those operating the machines — they act as a vacuum, sucking up local dollars and depositing them somewhere else.

Even worse, video lottery terminals take money out of the pockets of Missouri families. The path to economic prosperity cannot be

paved through a widespread, fairly unregulated form of new gaming in the state. By allowing these terminals, we aren’t making our families better off. This isn’t the Missouri way.

What we are in danger of is a government that abandons moral and ethical principles for a Trojan Horse labeled “economic development”.

The consequences of such actions would be severe: quasi casinos in strip malls throughout the state, backrooms in gas stations where desperate individuals try and make a quick buck, and an air of unsafety at every locale where these machines exist.

This type of imagery doesn’t say, “Welcome to Missouri – We are open for Business.” Instead, it says, “We are poor here, and trying to get poorer.” Imagine a family taking a road trip across our state and finding at every pit stop a makeshift casino.

This isn’t the rural way of life we are trying to portray in our corner of the state.

I am for Missouri. I am for economic development. I am for supporting Missouri families and Missouri values and to lift people out

of poverty. That is precisely why I am against video lottery terminals. They strip communities and Missourians of resources, contribute to poverty and gambling addictions, and perpetuate behaviors that we should be dissuading not encouraging. I ask Missourians to consider if gambling is a reliable pathway towards economic development and if they would want that in their own communities. We need to make our voices heard to our state officials.

We cannot allow lottery video gambling to expand in our state.

www.missouritimes.com

Lobbyist Moves 04/02/2019 Arnold, Charles Andy Missouri Licensed Beverage Retailers Association 03/31/2019 04/02/2019 Petrie, Jessica DentaQuest, LLC 04/02/2019 04/02/2019 Winton , David DentaQuest, LLC 04/02/2019 04/01/2019 Blunt, Andrew ‘Andy’ MTC Truck Driver Training 03/27/2019 04/01/2019 Blunt, Andrew ‘Andy’ Professional Certification Coalition 03/27/2019 04/01/2019 Brooks, Jeffery Autism Speaks, Inc. 03/29/2019 04/01/2019 Brown, Patrick R Union Electric Co. DBA Amerenue, Ameren Services, Ameren Corp.

04/01/2019 04/01/2019 Ford, Trent VSA Holdings 04/01/2019 04/01/2019 Gamble, Cynthia Autism Speaks, Inc. 03/29/2019 04/01/2019 Gamble, Kathryn Autism Speaks, Inc. 03/29/2019 04/01/2019 Gamble, William Autism Speaks, Inc. 03/29/2019 04/01/2019 Hannah, Tracey CommunityAmerica Credit Union 02/11/2019 04/01/2019 04/01/2019 Hoover, Caroline Missouri Association of Municipal Utilities 04/01/2019 04/01/2019 Hoover, Caroline Jackson County Legislature 04/01/2019 04/01/2019 Jackson, David Autism Speaks, Inc. 03/29/2019 04/01/2019 Johnson, Laurence CVS Health 04/01/2019 04/01/2019 Payne, John William Missouri Medical Marijuana Collective 04/01/2019 04/01/2019 Reichard, Jay MTC Truck Driver Training 03/27/2019 04/01/2019 Reichard, Jay Professional Certification Coalition 03/27/2019 04/01/2019 Schlemeier, Sarah Autism Speaks, Inc. 03/29/2019 04/01/2019 Steinmetz, Ginger MTC Truck Driver Training 03/27/2019 04/01/2019 Steinmetz, Ginger Professional Certification Coalition 03/27/2019 04/01/2019 Tipton, Marco A Union Electric Co. DBA Amerenue, Ameren Services, Ameren Corp.

04/01/2019 04/01/2019 Topp, Sarah Autism Speaks, Inc. 03/29/2019 04/01/2019 Wagner, Paul D Council on Public Higher Education 04/01/2019 04/01/2019 Wilson, Olivia Autism Speaks, Inc. 03/29/2019 03/31/2019 Arnold, Charles Andy Invenergy 03/31/2019 03/31/2019 Arnold, Charles Andy Missouri Licensed Beverage Retailers Association 12/31/2018 03/31/2019 03/31/2019 Licklider, Samuel G. Missouri Automobile Dealers Association 03/29/2019 03/29/2019 Baker, Aaron Invenergy 03/29/2019 03/29/2019 Beers, Hannah Invenergy 03/29/2019 03/29/2019 Clark, Jacqueline Ash Grove Cement Company, a CRH Company 01/07/2019 03/29/2019

03/29/2019 Cooper, Shannon Independent Colleges & Universities of Missouri 03/29/2019 03/29/2019 Schlemeier, Jorgen Autism Speaks, Inc. 03/29/2019 12/31/2019 03/29/2019 Thampy, Eapen Hemp Haven 03/28/2019 03/28/2019 Dalton, Jonathan F. Healthy Crops, LLC 03/27/2019 03/28/2019 Dalton, Jonathan F. Pace-O-Matic 03/27/2019 03/28/2019 Thampy, Eapen Great State Strategies LLC 03/28/2019 03/28/2019 Thampy, Eapen Hemp Haven 07/23/2018 03/28/2019 03/27/2019 Schaaf, Robert ‘Rob’ Benjamin Show Me Integrity 03/27/2019 03/27/2019 Shores, Alice Patricia AAUW MO 03/27/2019 03/26/2019 Altmann, Jeffrey The Elster Law Office 03/26/2019 03/26/2019 Bardgett, Jacqueline Independent Colleges & Universities of Missouri 03/26/2019 03/26/2019 Harris, James Missouri Alliance of Professional Bail Bond Agents 03/26/2019 03/26/2019 Linton, David Jefferson County Public Sewer District 03/26/2019 03/25/2019 Baker, Aaron Missouri Physical Therapy Assoc 03/25/2019 03/25/2019 Beers, Hannah Missouri Physical Therapy Assoc 03/25/2019 03/25/2019 Sachs, Adam Workday 03/25/2019 03/25/2019 Sachs, Adam Accenture LLP 03/25/2019 03/25/2019 Wasser, Casey Allen Missouri Hemp Producers Association 03/01/2019 03/21/2019 Galbraith, Brad Excellence In Education National, Inc., DBA Excellence In Education In Action 03/21/2019 03/21/2019 Hemphill, Brent Independent Colleges & Universities of Missouri 03/19/2019 03/21/2019 Strong, Nikki Independent Colleges & Universities of Missouri 03/19/2019 03/20/2019 Baker, Aaron Regulatory Consulting Group 03/20/2019 03/20/2019 Bardgett, Jacqueline Treehouse LLC 03/20/2019 03/20/2019 Bardgett, Jacqueline McBride & Son Homes, Inc. 01/06/2015 03/20/2019 03/20/2019 Bardgett, John E Treehouse LLC 03/20/2019 03/20/2019 Beers, Hannah Regulatory Consulting Group 03/20/2019 03/20/2019 Leonard, Erika Treehouse LLC 03/20/2019 03/20/2019 Roepe, Christopher ‘Chris’ Treehouse LLC 03/20/2019 03/19/2019 Baker, Aaron Independent Colleges & Universities of Missouri 03/18/2019 03/19/2019 Beers, Hannah Independent Colleges & Universities of Missouri 03/19/2019 03/19/2019 Johnson, Ryan People United for Privacy 03/13/2019 03/18/2019 AuBuchon, Rich-

16

The Missouri Times

SUNDAY MORNINGS KANSAS CITY - 38 THE SPOT AT 10:00 A.M. ST. LOUIS - ABC 30 KDNL AT 11:00 A.M. MID-MO - CONNECTIONS 22 AT 11:00 A.M. SWMO - CONNECTIONS 22 AT 11:00 A.M.

STREAM ONLINE AT TWMP.TV

www.missouritimes.com