Legislative Session Recap

My first legislative session was both engaging and educational. I was pleased to see that on most issues, party politics does not interfere with good old common sense. After hundreds of votes, on May 15 the Speaker used his gavel and ended the 2009 regular session. In this report, I will summarize some important legislation that we passed. Along the left side of the page, you will find some pertinent budget information.

January will be here in just a few short months, and it will be time to start the process over again. Like the generations of legislators before me, I anxiously anticipate guiding this state successfully into the future. As always, my goals are to ensure that tax dollars are spent responsibly and to meet our constitutional obligations to the people of Missouri. With that in mind, I will always look to capitalize on efficiencies and eliminate wastes.

Education Bill – SB 291

Education is a top legislative priority and during this session we passed a major education reform package. One of the most important aspects of that bill is a minor technical change that will mean a major difference for Missouri schools. Our bill fixed a glitch in our funding formula to allow the Proposition A gaming money approved by voters last year to be distributed to Missouri schools as intended. This will mean an additional $108 million in funding. Every additional dollar we can channel to our schools makes a difference and I am pleased we were able to make this change so our schools receive the money they are entitled.

One of the biggest reforms in the bill is a change in the state's high school dropout laws. Under the bill, a student would have to earn at least 16 credits or turn 17 before they could drop out of high school. Current law allows students to drop out at 16 for any reason. Our goal is to change the mind-set of 14-year-olds who enter high school and often count down the days until they can legally drop out. Instead, we want to make students earn their way out. We think this change will go a long way toward reducing our drop out rates here in Missouri. The most recent numbers we have in from our annual Kids Count report show that 29 teens drop out of school every day. It’s obvious we have a serious problem and I think our bill does a great deal to address the issue in an effective way.

Another component included in the bill allows four-day school weeks at the discretion of school districts. The legislation also established a flexible hour program, which allows junior and senior students to attend school a minimum of two hours each day. Students can work or receive technical training for the rest of the day, provided they meet attendance and behavior standards. The bill also authorizes the legislature's Joint Committee on Education to study the issue of open enrollment among all public schools.

Transportation – HB 683

We also passed a wide-ranging transportation bill. Perhaps one of the most prominent components of the measure is it statutorily requires that the awarding of fee office contracts be done through a competitive bidding process. Until recently, the contracts were awarded on a subjective basis. The law removes any appearance of preferential treatment.

The transportation bill also establishes a drunk driving risk reduction awareness program. Called David’s Law, this program allows MoDOT memorial signs placed at the scene of alcohol-related accidents. Family members of a victim may request to sponsor a sign on the victim’s behalf.

The bill also exempts vehicles from the state motor vehicle safety inspection for the five-year period following their model year of manufacture. Currently, new vehicles are only exempt for two years.

Another provision in the bill allows motor vehicle dealers to collect sales taxes at the sale site, although buyers can go to state revenue department offices to pay their taxes if they wish.

The bill also helps us crack down on speed traps by expanding the Mack's Creek Law that limits the amount small towns can raise for their municipal budgets through the issuance of speeding tickets.

Crime Bill – HB 62

A major piece of crime legislation passed this year addresses one of the issues I’m sure most of you have noticed while driving along Missouri roadways - young people texting rather than paying attention to the road. The bill we passed bars anyone 21 or younger from text messaging while driving. Many horror stories have surfaced nationally about the dangers of driving while texting. Recently, there was an accident in Illinois in which a teenage driver drifted off the road and killed a bicyclist while downloading ring tones to her cell phone. Tragedies like this are easily avoidable and that is the reason for our legislation this year. We want to make certain that drivers are focused on driving and not sending text messages.

The crime bill includes several other provisions as well, including one to curb some of the dangerous activity that occurs on many of our rivers by banning the use of beer bongs and other devices intended for drinking on some waterways. The bill also strengthens some elements of the state's sex offender regulations and stiffens penalties for cattle theft.