Week
11 - April 5th, 2013
I
decided to take a week off from writing this report over the Legislative Spring
Break. Since we weren’t at the
Capitol, no progress on legislation was made. However, I took the opportunity to visit with constituents,
businesses, and groups all across the District to learn more about issues
confronting our area and what topics are most important to the people of the region!
Department
of Revenue
Everywhere I go and every day at the
Office people ask me for an update on the Dept. of Revenue and the issues
surrounding the scanning and maintaing of personal documents. The House and Senate both have
investigation committees that have interviewed the Director. A sub poena was filed by Senator
Schaeffer to try and receive more information from the Department related to
their actions, the federal government, and Real ID. Representative Richardson sponsored an amendment,
which I supported, that stripped from the Departments Budget the money being
used to scan and transfer this documentation. Needless to say, we are working very hard to protect the
privacy and 2nd Amendment rights of all Missourians. Like everything else, it is a process. Rest assured we are working to find a
solution and see that proper actions are taken for all involved.
Medicaid
Expansion
The consensus among most of the
legislators in the House is that we are not opposed to expanding Medicaid IF,
AND ONLY IF, the Governor and Federal Government grant us a waiver allowing us
to make changes to the program to fix some of the many problems within it. This is a very complicated issue that
we are working very hard on. In
2010 and again in 2012 voters of this state rejected implementing Obamacare. This Medicaid expansion is just Stage 1
implementation of the Obamacare mandate.
That being said, we realize we are going to have to work with the
Federal Government on this now that President Obama has won re-election to see
that it is handled in the best way possible for our state. That means making changes to ensure,
above all else, we can afford it! Our Caucus held a meeting with the Governor
this week to discuss potential changes.
The program must become self-sustaining—the Federal dollars won’t be
there as a crutch forever.
The
Budget
This week the House passed our final
version of the Budget that is now over at the Senate. I am very proud of the work we did to secure that our
State’s vital programs are adequately funded while still maintaining a balanced
budget. The importance of our
State balancing its budget each year cannot be overlooked. Our Nation and several states are
experiencing tough economic times due to an unbalanced budget and a severe
spending problem. Here in Missouri
we have fought hard to balance our budget and maintain a great AAA credit
rating. These factors help make Missouri
competitive when businesses are looking to settle down in a state.
Even
in tough budget times we were able to find or keep money for:
• $65m
Increase for the Foundation Formula.
•
Increased funding for K-12 Education by $100,000,000
• $2.4m
increase for Bright Flight scholarships.
• $2.5m
for Teaching programs in Urban Areas (Teach for America).
• Restored
sequestration cuts to Missouri National Guard tuition assistance scholarships.
• An
across the board pay raise for every State employee, $500 increase starting Jan
1 2014.
• $200k
for Missouri Charter School Commission.
• Cut
$85k from Department of Revenue for scanning and retention of personal
documents.
• $50k
for WWI Memorial and Museum.
• Cut
$178k and 4 FTE for prevailing wage inspectors from Department of Labor.
• Restored
Governor’s $1.5m cut to the Cyber Crimes Task Force.
• $1m
for STL prisoner re-entry program that reduces recidivism rates and violent
crimes.
• $13.8m
for Developmentally Disabled provider rate restructuring in Dept. of Mental
Health.
• $1/Hour
increase for Home and Community Based Services providers.
Legislation
Spotlight
HB 412: Increases amount allocated
for Livestock Feed and Crop Loans
HB 586: The right of Missourians to
hold and participate in Rodeos
HB 451: Grants County Commissions the
ability to adjust their Budget (twice per fiscal year)
As
always, thank you for allowing me to serve the people of the 40th
District. Please do not hesitate
to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns you might have. I can be reached by phone at
573-751-4028 or by email at jim.hansen@house.mo.gov