Representative Neely's Capitol Report
Greetings Friends!
Missouri House Reaches Session Midpoint
The legislative session that began in January has now reached its midpoint with House members touting a long list of legislative accomplishments. The House was able to approve several of its priorities including bills that provide substantive ethics reform, labor reform, and regulatory reform. One of the top priorities in the House, Right-to-Work, has already secured passage in both chambers and been signed into law by the governor.
The House is now returning from its annual Spring Break to complete the legislative session that will conclude May 12. Members will start the second part off focusing their efforts on the state operating budget. House leadership hopes to have the budget out of the House and on to the Senate by April 6. The legislature has a May 5 deadline to complete the budget and send it to the governor.
Mid-Session Highlights
· Ethics Reform (HB 60)
A gift ban was the first bill out of the House for the 2017 legislative session. The legislation received strong bipartisan support and is now under consideration in the Senate where it stalled last year. Current Missouri law places no limits on gifts that lobbyists can give to lawmakers, but the bill passed by the House would put a ban in place that would prohibit gifts that could create an undue influence on the lawmaking process.
· Fairness in Public Construction (HB 126)
The House approved legislation meant to put an end to project labor agreements (PLAs) and ensure a fair and competitive bidding process for public works projects in Missouri. In effect, the bill would ban PLAs, which ensure public works contracts are almost exclusively awarded to union contractors or contractors who agree to labor union demands. Supporters of the bill say it is important to make the bidding process for taxpayer-funded projects competitive and fair so that Missourians will get a better return on their tax dollars.
· Unemployment System Reforms (HB 288)
The House approved legislation this session to keep the state’s system of unemployment financially stable. The bill would link unemployment benefits to the rate of unemployment, and ensure the state keeps more money in the unemployment trust fund. Supporters note that Missouri is the only state that has been forced to borrow money from the federal government to pay for unemployment benefits during each of the last five economic downturns. Supporters say the change is an important step toward ensuring Missouri can afford to help its citizens during times when they are without work.
· Missouri Works (HB 93)
The Missouri House approved legislation that would provide a boost to the state’s small businesses, including many in rural areas. House members voted in favor of a bill that would expand the Missouri Works program so that more of the state’s small businesses would be eligible for workforce training benefits.
· Reducing the Regulatory Burden (HBs 480, 272, 413 & 609 and HB 230)
During the first half of the session, the House advanced part of the policy platform laid out by House Speaker Todd Richardson, who called for the legislature to remove the unnecessary government regulations that stifle innovation and job creation in the state. House members approved legislation to ensure government engages in the licensing and regulation of occupations and professions only when it is necessary to protect the welfare of the public. The House also approved a separate bill to specify that hair braiders do not have to obtain a cosmetology license in order to earn a living.
· Paving the Way for Ridesharing Companies (HB 130)
House members approved legislation that would allow rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft to expand services throughout the state. The legislation is a priority of House Speaker Todd Richardson, who hopes to create a statewide framework that will allow private enterprise to thrive in a free market. Uber has already promised as many as 10,000 jobs in the first year if the bill is passed into law.
· Putting an End to Venue Shopping (HB 460, HB 461, and HB 462)
House members approved legislation supporters say will help put an end to “litigation tourism” and the many lawsuits that are filed in St. Louis by out-of-state parties. The bills are meant to stop the large number of lawsuits filed in the state by people who live outside Missouri, who are alleging injuries that didn’t occur within the state’s borders against companies that are not from Missouri.
· Collateral Source Reform (HB 95)
The House continued its work to improve the state’s legal climate in an effort to make the court system fair to all litigants, and to attract more job creators. As part of its tort reform package, the House approved legislation commonly referred to as collateral source reform. The bill is meant to clarify that an injured person involved in a lawsuit can recover only the actual cost incurred for medical treatment.
· Expert Witness (HB 153)
Continuing with its tort reform efforts, the House also gave approval to legislation meant to improve the reliability of expert evidence that is presented to juries in Missouri state courts. The bill, which has also received Senate approval and is now on its way to the governor, would implement an established standard for determining when expert-witness testimony is admissible as evidence at trial. The proposed standard, which is commonly referred to as the Daubert standard after a 1993 U.S. Supreme Court case, is used in federal courts and in more than two-thirds of the states.
· Protecting Missouri’s Peace Officers (HB 57)
The Missouri House approved legislation to deter crimes against law enforcement officials. The bill would create enhanced penalties for individuals who assault officers of the law. It would increase by one degree the penalty for voluntary or involuntary manslaughter; first- or second-degree property damage; unlawful use of a weapon; rioting; or first-degree trespassing; when those crimes are committed against a law enforcement officer.
· Blue Alert System (HBs 302 & 228)
In an effort to ensure law enforcement officials quickly receive the information they need to apprehend individuals who injure or kill peace officers, the Missouri House approved legislation to create a Blue Alert System. Similar to the Amber and Silver Alert systems, the Blue Alert system would send out identifying information such as a physical description of the suspect and the suspect’s vehicle.
· Stopping Illegal Use of Herbicides (HB 662)
The General Assembly truly agreed legislation that is meant to stop the illegal use of herbicides that have caused widespread damage to crops in Southeast Missouri. The legislation would allow the Department of Agriculture to issue a fine to any individual who knowingly applies a herbicide to a crop for which the herbicide is not labeled for use.
· Expanding Virtual School Options (HB 138)
The Missouri House has approved legislation meant to expand course options and access for K-12 students. The bill would change the Missouri Virtual Instruction Program (MOVIP) to "The Missouri Course Access Program" (MCAP) and allow any K-12 student to enroll in MCAP courses. In order to give students in all parts of the state access to advanced coursework, the legislation would allow students to take online courses that would be paid by the school district or charter school.
· Pay Raise Rejection (HCR 4)
House members came together in bipartisan fashion to overwhelmingly reject a proposed pay increase for elected officials and judges. The House approved a resolution that would prevent the pay increase recommendations made by the Citizens’ Commission on Compensation for Elected Officials from going into effect.
Contact Information:
As always, please do not hesitate to call or write me anytime with your questions or thoughts on this or any other issue. My Capitol office is 573.751.0246 and my email is jim.neely@house.mo.gov . Thank you for the honor to serve as your Representative in the Missouri House of Representatives.
Working on your behalf,
Representative Jim Neely
Proudly Serving the 8th House District
Clinton, Caldwell, Clay and Ray Counties
Missouri House of Representatives
573.751.0246
cials from going into effect.
