Mid-Missouri lawmakers prefiled 19 bills Tuesday, the first day allowed for proposals to be turned in before the legislative session begins Jan. 6.
Senate Appropriations Chairman Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia, filed only one bill Tuesday - but it already drew a negative reaction from the Democratic Party's leaders in the House.
Schaefer's prefiled bill would eliminate the 1 percent earnings taxes now imposed by the city governments in St. Louis and Kansas City, after the end of 2017.
Several years ago, Missouri voters changed state law so only those two cities could have an earnings tax - and then only as long as the voters in each city reaffirm the tax every five years.
House Minority Leader Jacob Hummel, D-St. Louis, and Assistant Minority Leader Gail McAnn Beatty, D-Kansas City, in a news release accused Schaefer of defying "the will of local voters."
They said Schaefer's proposal - which would have to be passed by both chambers and signed by the governor - would "bankrupt Missouri's two largest cities by eliminating the funding source that provides more than a third of their budgets."
Sen. Jeanie Riddle, R-Mokane, prefiled two bills.
One is a renewed effort to pass a civics education test, which was debated last year.
Her "Missouri Civics Education Initiative" would require any student starting ninth grade after July 1, 2017, to take and pass a basic civics test - similar to the civics portion of the U.S. naturalization test - in order to receive a high school diploma or its equivalent.
Riddle's second prefiled bill revisits a proposal to let county and city governments - including Jefferson City - turn over their now-closed pension plans to the Local Government Employees Retirement System (LAGERS) when current employees already are covered by LAGERS.
Sen. Dan Brown, R-Rolla, prefiled seven bills, including the controversial right-to-work proposal vetoed by Gov. Jay Nixon last spring.
Brown also filed a measure to require a union re-certification election every two years, and a third bill would require public employees to approve the withholding of their dues from their paychecks each year, with a separate approval for the union to use dues and fees for political purposes. If lawmakers agree to the third bill, Brown's measure requires a statewide vote for approval.
Brown also prefiled a bill to eliminate the current requirement that contractors pay the "prevailing wage" on public projects. That bill also requires the measure be submitted to a statewide vote.
Another bill Brown filed would require a special primary election for political parties to choose candidates for a special election to fill a vacancy in an office. Currently, the parties' nominating committees choose those candidates.
Brown also would require some money now handled by the state Natural Resources department to be turned over to the general revenue fund.
And he would require high school students to take 30 minutes of CPR instruction and additional training in the Heimlich maneuver or other first aid for choking before they can graduate high school.
In the House of Representatives, Rep. Rocky Miller, R-Lake Ozark, prefiled eight bills, measures which would:
• Prevent local school districts from establishing a start date for the first semester that is more than 10 calendar days before the first Monday in September (Labor Day) for the 2017-18 academic year and beyond.
• Change state law that both parents or guardians of a minor wishing to receive an abortion must be notified prior to the procedure. The bill maintains that one parent or guardian and the minor give informed written consent.
• Motorcycle drivers and passengers not wearing a helmet not in compliance with set standards are in violation of a secondary offense. The driver can only be cited for a helmet violation if he or she is stopped by law enforcement for another offense.
• Hotline reports of child abuse or neglect investigated by the Children's Division that go unsubstantiated must be referred to the local prosecuting attorney.
• Allows an insurance policy holder to request reimbursement for insurance costs during a legal separation or dissolution of marriage is in the court process.
• Holds the Missouri Department of Conservation liable to farmers or owners of crops, property or animals for damages to those by a wild otter, elk or bear.
• Specifies requirements for an evaluation by the Department of Natural Resources prior to the implementing changes to water quality standards.
• Adds businesses with up to 100 employees to the "small employer" definition regarding the Affordable Care Act.
Rep. Travis Fitzwater, R-Holts Summit, who is in the second year of his first term, prefiled one bill.
It prevents licensed marital and family therapists from being paid differently than licensed professional counselors when Missouri's Medicaid system establishes rules for payments.
Links: