MISSOURI — HB 430 (Perkins) Presented to Agricultural Policy Committee

Rep. Perkins was pleased that he was able to present HB 430 to the Committee on Agriculture Policy this week. HB 430 deals with the issue of foreign ownership of agricultural land in Missouri. Perkins said, “The passage of this bill cannot come soon enough. Hostile foreign states having the ability to purchase agricultural land is unconscionable and  in complete contradiction to our stated goals of national security and food security.”

Perkins concluded, “I believe that the current political environment is favorable for this bill and I further believe that my fellow representatives also understand its importance. My efforts will be indefatigable when it comes to getting this bill across the finish line.”

Bills protecting the integrity of female sports also had a marathon committee hearing this week. Regarding the numerous bills filed that address this issue, Perkins said, “I am looking forward to supporting legislation that addresses this issue. While the debate will be contentious, with passions running high, I will always support female sports.

Perkins added, “This is a basic issue of fairness, but just as important is the potential financial implications of allowing biological males to compete against females. The potential loss of scholarships would be devastating to a family whose daughter has worked hard all her life to achieve only to snatched away by unfair competition.”

Perkins concluded, “The overwhelming support from constituents in my district makes me more confident each day that this legislation will pass.”

House Committee Advances Initiative Petition Reform Legislation (HJR 43)

Legislation designed to protect the sanctity of the Missouri Constitution is moving quickly through the legislative process and is now on track for discussion on the House floor. House Speaker Dean Plocher and Speaker Pro Tem Mike Henderson said as early as next week the House will consider a constitutional amendment that would allow voters to change the initiative petition process.

“It’s important that we protect the right of Missouri citizens to make their voices heard while also preventing our initiative petition process from being abused by out-of-state money that has no ties to our state and no interest in working on behalf of Missouri families,” said Plocher.

He added, “Our constitution is a sacred document that should be treated with respect and amended only when absolutely necessary. By implementing commonsense reforms we can continue to give Missourians a voice but minimize the influence of special interests from outside our state.”

This week HJR 43 was approved by the House Committee on Elections and Elected Officials. If approved by the legislature and voters, the proposed constitutional amendment would change the threshold required to approve changes to the state constitution. Currently, changes to the constitution require only a simple majority for approval. HJR 43 would raise the threshold to 60 percent voter approval for passage.

Henderson, who sponsors the legislation, said, “I see the constitution as a living document but not an ever-expanding document. We have one of the largest state constitutions in the country and that’s because we keep adding and adding to it.”

He added, “Since our current constitution was written in 1945 it has changed more than 60 times. In comparison, the United States Constitution has been amended 17 times since 1791. It takes 38 states to ratify an amendment to the constitution.”

House Committees Focus on Suicide Prevention Efforts (HB 132)

Two House committees met this week to discuss ways to reduce suicide in Missouri, particularly among its veterans.

The House Veterans Committee took testimony on HB 132, which would task the Missouri Veterans Commission with expanding its efforts to prevent veteran suicide. The House Health and Mental Health Policy Committee received a report issued by the Interim Committee on Veterans’ Mental Health and Suicide and discussed suicide prevention methods with a focus on the importance of the 988 hotline.

The sponsor of HB 132, who also chairs the House Veterans Committee and chaired the interim committee, spoke to both committees about the importance of his bill, which would give guidance to the Missouri Veterans Commission about how to use the data it collects on veteran suicides. The bill would also require the commission to report annually to the legislature on that data and what it’s doing to reduce the number of those incidents.

He told the House Committee on Health and Mental Health Policy, “Where we rank in this in the entire country is not good.” He added that Missouri is around fourth or fifth among the states with the most veteran suicides.

He also added that even though his bill hasn’t been passed into law, the commission is already doing much of what it would require.

He said, “Their heart is in the right place and I can tell you that they get it and they’re dealing with it.”

The sponsor said his aim is not just to increase awareness about mental health and suicide in the military and veteran communities but among the population as a whole.

He emphasized the importance of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Hotline and explained the vital service is currently not fully funded.

“The recommendation we had out of the committee was that $27-million be added to the budget to enhance and to continue the 988 program. 988 is one of the most effective tools because just in the first six months that it was used, it was used over 200,000 times. They’re estimating that in the first year it’s going to be used over one million times,” he said.

He said the 988 hotline plays a critical role because of the importance of listening to those considering suicide, whether it be when they call the hotline or in other settings.

He said, “For someone that has suicide ideation, for them to be able to step forward and say, ‘I need some help,’ that’s one of the hardest things for them to do.  When they do, they need to have someone that’s going to be able to sit there and to listen to them and hear what they’ve got to say.”

Legislation similar to HB 132 passed out of the House unanimously last year but didn’t reach Governor Parson. The Veterans Committee will likely vote on it soon.

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