Lawmakers want to move quickly on some priorities.
Missouri lawmakers could debate some bills as early as next week, the Legislature's leaders said Wednesday afternoon.
They listed ethics, transportation funding, job-creation and Missouri's economic climate as the main issues to be covered in the 2016 session that runs through May 15.
In House, ethics reform named top priority
On the first day of the session, the House of Representatives applauded anticipated efforts on ethics reform to restore the public's faith in the state government.
The new House speaker, Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff, said in his opening speech people have been "skeptical" of legislators, and today he will refer every ethics bill to the Committee on Government Oversight and Accountability.
During a press conference Wednesday, Richardson said he expects the House to start the session with passing "substantive, meaningful, single-subject" ethics bills, rather than an omnibus bill lumped with various proposals. He said the first ethics bills coming out of the House will address personal financial disclosure, ban on lobbyist gifts, how to terminate a campaign committee and a "revolving door" ban, which would establish how long legislators must wait before they become lobbyists.
"There is no rule or law that can make our imperfect process perfect. We can, and we must, work to improve the culture here in the people's Capitol," Richardson said in his speech.
As chairman of the government oversight committee, Rep. Jay Barnes, R-Jefferson City, said he expects to pass the ethics bills through the House by the end of next week.
He said he agreed with Richardson wholeheartedly, adding legislators aren't here as individuals, they're here as a representation of the people they serve.
"It's a message that everyone here should take to heart," Barnes said. "I think he's exactly right. The vast majority of people who work here are here for the right reasons and work very hard at what they do. I think it's important to pass some of these bills."
Rep. David Wood, R-Versailles, said he was glad the bills are broken down into chunks as opposed to trying to pass a hefty bill that incorporates several ethics issues.
"It's much easier to discuss small items and get several votes than it is to have large groups of items in which you may have two or three parts that you don't really like and four or five that you really do like, so you end up voting on the pieces you do like just to get it through," Wood said.
He also said he's happy some of the bills confront campaign finances. For those who are getting big donations or lobbyists' gifts, there should be discussion on how that should be dealt with.
Rep. Rocky Miller, R-Lake Ozark, said he believed the legislative campaign finances were already open, but he does think there are some tweaks that can be made. He acknowledged the negative perception from the public and the House will do what it can to make people more comfortable with their representatives.
Rep. Travis Fitzwater, R-Holts Summit, said the beginning of the session was off to a positive start. Richardson laid out several challenges the Legislature will face, including ethics. But instead of Richardson detailing those challenges as obstacles, they were poised as opportunities to better the state.
Some of the adversities raised by representatives included wage increases for state employees, job growth and economic development, transportation and health care.
In terms of transportation funding, Richardson said there's no agreement. Sen. Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff, filed a bill that would increase the motor fuel tax by 11/2 cents per gallon and 31/2 cents per gallon of diesel fuel. Richardson said while some think that's a "reasonable, fair" proposal, others disagree with that approach.
"I think what's critical in transportation funding is that we have to make funding a priority," Richardson said. "I think there are some things we can do with the existing revenue streams to make it possible, and that's where the House is going to start."
Senate leaders expect some quick action
Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard gave no opening day speech as the Legislature began its 2016 session.
"In election years, there probably are enough speeches on this floor, so I thought I would save the speeches for my distinguished colleagues," the Joplin Republican told the Senate.
"And we're ready to get to work."
At the joint news conference, Richard told reporters: "We're going to get the committees working so that they can negotiate with the House Committee members ... and save time so that we can have substantive debate on key issues."
In brief remarks during the Senate's first-day session, Sen. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia, questioned President Barack Obama's firearms regulation executive orders issued this week, "attempting to further restrict the Second Amendment rights of Missourians and all Americans," and said that likely would be the subject of debate in the coming weeks.
Schaefer - who is term-limited and can't run for another Senate term, but is running for the attorney general's office - told the News Tribune the REAL ID issue also will be prominent in the session's early days.
Congress passed the REAL ID law in 2005, as a response to the September 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C. It requires state-issued driver's licenses to have certain features in order to be accepted by federal officials at facilities like military bases and airports.
"I think there needs to be a national discussion," Schaefer said. "Missouri is one of five states" not complying with the federal law.
"Keep in mind - while we're in compliance with almost all of the aspects of REAL ID, there's only a couple of them" we don't comply with, he added. "And those are the things that really make REAL ID a national ID card, and I think a lot of Missourians - and I'm one of them - find the idea of a national ID card contrary to constitutional principles."
The federal Homeland Security department says on its website, "REAL ID is not a national identification card. States and territories will continue to issue driver's licenses and identification cards, and there is no federal database of driver information."
Schaefer said U.S. Supreme Court rulings have said Congress doesn't have unlimited "police" powers and can't use an argument that a law affects "commerce" as a way to avoid restrictions on those police powers.
Richard said lawmakers are "trying to decide how to respond" after getting legal advice from their general counsel.
Sen. Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City, noted the federal government must notify states that don't comply with the federal law at least 120 days before imposing restrictions, "so - even though you're hearing this Jan. 10 deadline - they haven't officially given us the 120-day clock-notice yet. So we've got some time to work on it."
Sen. Dan Brown, R-Rolla, said: "The problem with REAL ID is not so much the facial recognition and things. ...
"Retaining the records - all of your original records by the federal government - is, I think, the real hang-up that most Missourians have."
Brown and Schaefer both said there may be a court fight to determine Congress' authority to enforce the 2005 law.