Rep. Perkins Opposes the Biden Administration’s “Waters of the US” Rule

Upon learning of the lawsuit filed by the Missouri Attorney General, Perkins stated, “AG Andrew Bailey has my whole-hearted support regarding this federal bureaucratic overreach. The Biden Administration continuously attempts to infringe on our rights by administrative fiat and it’s time we fought back. This is a clear attack on agriculture, and will have a detrimental impact on our state if we allow this rule to be implemented.”

Rep. Perkins Supports the Removal of St. Louis City Prosecuting Attorney Kim Gardner

Regarding the failure of Kim Gardner, Rep. Perkins said, “The public’s condemnation of Kim Gardener is entirely justified. Her complete disregard for the safety of the citizens of St. Louis is beyond belief. The most recent tragic example of her negligence only adds to a long list of failures of her office.” Rep. Perkins concluded, “It is long past time that she be removed from office, and Attorney General Bailey has my complete support in his effort to do just that.”

House Approves Vital Workforce Development Bill (HB 417)

The members of the Missouri House gave strong bipartisan support to a piece of legislation designed to address the state’s current workforce shortage. By a vote of 124-29, the House approved HB 417 to help employers develop and retain skilled workers.

The bill would allow the Department of Economic Development to award grants to qualifying employers for each employee or prospective employee who obtains upskill credentials. Credentials that could be eligible under the program include manufacturing technology, cybersecurity, blueprint reading, medical assistants, pharmacy technician and medical records coding.

The bill’s sponsor said the measure will help businesses who have good employees or prospective employees that are a good cultural fit but might not have the necessary skills for certain positions.

The sponsor said, “This program allows businesses to do something that I think is vitally important right now and that is to grow their own workers.”

Under the bill, the department could award up to $6 million per fiscal year for upskill training. Each employer could receive up to $2,000 for each employee who obtains upskill credentials. The bill would cap the total an employer could receive at $30,000 per fiscal year.

HB 417 also ensures the funding, which is subject to appropriation, is distributed evenly among small, medium, and large employers. It would reserve one-third of the funding for small businesses with up to 50 employees and another third for medium employers with 51 to 200 employees. Any amount that is reserved and not awarded by March 1 of the fiscal year would be issued to any qualifying employer eligible for an award.

The bill’s sponsor said the provision would ensure the grants are available to Missouri’s many small businesses that can benefit greatly from it. “We want to make sure the mom and pop shops get a chance to upskill their workers just like the large corporations; to try to grow their own workers that can make their business more successful,” he said.

The bill also outlines the process by which an employer can apply for the grants with the Department of Economic Development. The applications would be evaluated on a competitive basis using criteria such as the average wage increase employees would realize with upskill credentials, the level of economic distress in the employer’s region, and the contribution made by the employer toward the cost of obtaining the upskill credentials.

The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.

Proposal to Improve Pay for Kansas City Police Officers Heads to the Senate (HBs 640 & 729)

Legislation is now on its way to the Senate that would help the Kansas City Police Department attract and retain the very best law enforcement personnel. By a vote of 151-3, the members of the Missouri House gave overwhelming bipartisan approval to HBs 640 & 729 to allow the department to offer better pay to officers and the chief of police.

The legislation would eliminate the current authorized salary ceiling for the Kansas City police chief and allow the Board of Police Commissioners to establish a salary ceiling by resolution. The bill would also eliminate the existing salary ceilings for police officers, computed according to rank, and empower the board to use the salary minimums as a base in pay ranges for officers in crafting their comprehensive pay schedule program.

The sponsor told his colleagues, “We are transferring this power to the Kansas City Police Board of Commissioners. They will set the salary schedule. The hope with that is that they will set a compensation package that will give all officers up and down the line a pay increase and hopefully a very, very competitive salary schedule that will help with retention and recruitment for the Kansas City Police Department.”

The bill would also remove the current requirement that the Kansas City police chief be under 60 years of age. House members also approved an emergency clause that would allow the bill to go into effect immediately if it is approved by both chambers and signed into law.

House Speaker Calls for Immediate Recognition of St. Louis Circuit Attorney

Following the horrific tragedy suffered by a young woman visiting St. Louis for a volleyball tournament, House Speaker Dean Plocher joined Attorney General Andrew Bailey and other elected officials to call for the immediate resignation of St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner.

Janae Edmondson, who was visiting St. Louis from Tennessee, was stuck and severely injured in a collision caused by a motorist who had repeatedly violated his bond conditions on earlier charges. The accident resulted in the teenage volleyball player having both of her legs amputated. Elected officials from both parties responded to the tragedy with thoughts and prayers for Edmondson and her family, but also with outrage that Gardner’s office had failed to keep the motorist who caused the accident off the streets.

House members had already supported legislation (HB 301) to help deal with the rampant crime problem in St. Louis. The bill would allow the governor to appoint a special prosecutor to deal with the enormous backlog of unprosecuted criminal cases in a city that is considered one of the nation’s most dangerous. Supporters have called the bill an important tool to restore law and order to St. Louis or any part of the state where violent crime has grown out of control.

This week Speaker Plocher issued a statement calling for Gardner’s immediate resignation from office and reaffirming his commitment to seeing HB 301 passed into law.
Plocher said, “The recent events concerning Janae Edmondson illustrate the risk people from my community, this state and those traveling to St. Louis from anywhere in the country face. Today I call for Kim Gardner’s immediate resignation. For far too long her dereliction of duty has resulted in horrible tragedies and a growing list of innocent victims who have seen their lives devastated. Rather than accept responsibility for her actions, she has deflected warranted criticism and refused help from state resources. Her willful neglect of duty has effectively resulted in her abdicating the duties of her office. This must end immediately. I stand with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who are outraged at her inactions and recognize the safety of our communities must come first. I will continue to advocate for the Senate to pass HB 301 to bring accountability, restore integrity, preserve the rule of law, and deliver justice to victims, including Janae Edmondson and her family.”

The bill now requires another vote in the House before moving to the Senate for consideration.

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