It has been a true honor to serve as your State Representative these last two years. I have greatly appreciated the privilege of serving as the voice for the 40th District. Below you will find some of the bills that made it through the process this year. As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns you might have. I look forward to meeting with many of you doing the interim to discuss important issues for the next legislative session.
Broad – Based Tax Relief – SB 509 provides tax relief to Missouri families and businesses by reducing the state’s personal income tax for the first time in nearly a century. Beginning in 2017, the legislation will phase in a one-half % cut to the income tax over a period of five years and increase the personal income tax exemption amount for low income Missourians by $500. The bill also allows Missouri businesses, especially small businesses, to keep more of their income by gradually phasing in a 25 percent deduction for income tax over a period of five years. The bill contains safeguards that require revenues to increase by at least $150 million each year for five years in order for the tax cut to be fully implemented. In addition, the bill requires Missouri’s income tax brackets to be adjusted for inflation.
Benevolent Tax Credits – HB 1132 increases the amount of tax credits available for donation to organizations which assist Missourians in need. The bill increases the amount of credits available each year for contributions to pregnancy resource centers to $2.5 million. The bill also increases the amount of credits that may be claimed by those who contribute to a local food pantry from $1.25 million to $1.75 million annually. In addition, the bill increases the cumulative amount of tax credits that can be claimed by individuals who contribute to maternity homes from $2 million to $2.5 million annually.
Air Conservation Commission HB 1631 is meant to limit the impact of new regulations being considered by the EPA on carbon emissions for existing coal – fired power plants. The bill specifies that the Air Conservation Commission, which is part of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, will have the authority to develop emissions standards and compliance schedules under federal law. The bill gives the state control and flexibility to prevent potentially burdensome federal mandates from driving up consumer prices.
Right to Keep and Bear Arms – SJR 36 is aproposed constitutional amendment which, if approved by voters, would reinforce the right of Missouri citizens to keep and bear arms, ammunition, and accessories in defense of their families and to protect themselves, their homes, and their property. The amendment would also acknowledge these rights as inalienable, and obligate Missouri officials to uphold these liberties against infringement.
Oral Chemotherapy Parity – SB 668 makes it more affordable for cancer patients to obtain life-saving oral chemotherapy pills. Currently, many insurance providers view the pills as a pharmacy benefit rather than a medical treatment. The result is that patients in Missouri on average pay between $2,000 and $5,000 for a month’s supply of pills. In contrast, an intravenous treatment is available at the cost of a co-pay for a doctor’s visit. SB 668 requires financial parity for both oral and intravenous chemotherapy. Under the bill, a patient won’t be charged more than $75 for a month’s supply of oral chemotherapy pills.
Gun Rights – SB 656 lowers the age requirement for a concealed carry permit from age 21 to 19 and makes other changes to strengthen the gun rights of Missouri citizens. The bill also simplifies the process to obtain a permit by eliminating the need for applicants to physically demonstrate proper use of both a semiautomatic pistol and a revolver. Instead, the legislation allows an applicant to demonstrate the ability to load and unload one firearm, either a revolver or a semiautomatic pistol. In addition, the bill allows Missourians with a concealed carry permit to open carry. Specifically, the bill states that local governments are not allowed to prohibit the open carrying of a firearm by an individual with a valid concealed carry endorsement.
Another provision in the bill allows Missouri school districts to designate teachers or administrators as school protection officers who would promote safety in the school environment. This will be up to each individual district based upon a decision by the School Board. A school protection officer will be required to have a concealed carry permit and to complete a school protection office training program established by the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission.
Abortion Waiting Period – HB 1307 lengthens the time a woman must take to consider an abortion. Currently, Missouri requires a 24 hour waiting period between the time a woman seeks her first consultation and exam from a physician and the time she returns to undergo an abortion procedure. The bill will lengthen the waiting period to 72 hours.
Assistant Physicians – SB 716 and SB 754 will allow Missourians who live in medically underserved areas to have better access to medical care. The bill allows a medical school graduate who has not yet completed a residency to enter into a collaborative agreement with a licensed physician in an underserved area in order to provide primary care services. The partnership will allow medical school graduates to stay and learn in Missouri while also alleviating the shortage of primary care providers that currently exists in several areas of the state.
Protecting Electronic Information – SJR 27 is a proposed constitutional amendment designed to protect Missourians’ electronic information from unwarranted seizure. If approved by voters, the state constitution would protect email, cell phone data, and other electronic information in the same way it currently protects an individual’s papers, homes, and property from search or seizure without a warrant or probable cause.
Student Religious Liberties Act – HB 1303 establishes the Missouri Student Religious Liberties Act, which prohibits a school district from discriminating against a student or parent on the basis of religious viewpoint or expression.
Developing Missouri- Based Education Standards – HB 1490 allows the state to reject the federal Common Core standards and develop Missouri- based student achievement benchmarks. Specifically, the bill allows districts to continue with the current Common Core standards but would create teams to develop standards to be implemented by the 2016 academic year. Work groups of teachers, parents and other experts will work to develop standards for English, math, science, and history. The bill also protects schools from being penalized for poor performances on the Common Core tests while they remain in place.
Performance Based Higher Education Funding – SB 492 requires the state’s universities and colleges to develop performance based measures to help determine how funding is allocated in years when the legislature increases funding to higher education. Schools will work with the Missouri Department of Higher Education to develop goals to be used to determine their funding. In addition, they will develop an institutional performance measure to gauge student job placement.
Medical Treatment – HB 1685, or the “Right to Try” bill, gives Missourians battling a terminal illness better access to potentially lifesaving treatments. The bill allows terminally ill patients under the care of licensed doctors to access investigational drugs that have passed basic safety tests but whose efficacy is not yet conclusive. The bill expedites the process for patients fighting a terminal illness who don’t have the time to wait for the full FDA approval process that can often take as long as a decade.