By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Area state legislators give mixed reviews of the just concluded session in Jefferson City, some critical of party infighting, while others say that didn’t stop significant legislation from passing.
St. Joseph State Rep. Bill Falkner, a Republican, is frustrated by a session in which Republican infighting in the Senate stalled a lot of legislation. He says that caused a scramble at the end of session as legislators attempted to pass their bills by amending them onto bills that actually made it to the floor for debate.
“But there were so many changes on some of these things that, I mean, they couldn’t keep up with it,” Falkner tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “So, you were relying on the computer. So, you’d be going through the computer trying to figure out what language was in it.”
Falkner says the rush to add dying bills to those close to the finish line made it very confusing. Bills grew in size and complexity with some falling under their own weight.
Falkner is pleased the legislature approve tax credits for foster homes, devoted more money to mental health services, and devoted more time and money to children and early learning. He is disappointed lawmakers failed to make changes to the state’s initiative petition laws. Falkner advocates making it harder to change the state constitution.
Rep. Brenda Shields, a Republican from St. Joseph, insists the legislature had a good session, especially for education. She notes lawmakers found a way to increase the base pay of teachers.
“When they would ask about base pay and how we are going to continue to fund that, I would say I don’t think we have a choice,” Shields tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “If we want to continue to be able to educate our students, we’re going to have to have quality teachers in our classrooms and one of the ways that we will to do that is to raise our base pay.”
Legislators approved an opt-in program to boost minimum teacher salaries. The base pay for teachers in Missouri currently stands at $25,000 a year. The increase would raise that base to $38,000 with the state paying 70% of the $13,000 increase with the local school district paying 30%.
The legislature also approved $37 million to fund the Career Ladder. Some school districts continued to pay advance teacher education even when the state discontinued funding years ago.
Shields, a member of the House Budget Committee, is pleased with how legislators handled the $48 billion budget. The addition of federal coronavirus relief and stimulus finds made for a record budget year. Shields says that allow the General Assembly to put more money into education and fund capital improvement projects throughout the state.
Missouri legislators approved only 44 bills this legislative session, far short of normal.
Simply making a count of bills misses the point, according to Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer, a Republican from Parkville who represents Platte and Buchanan Counties in the Missouri Senate.
Luetkemeyer does admit it disputes among Republicans in the Senate over Congressional redistricting did slow progress during the session.
“Ultimately, I think we got a lot of big-ticket items done and across the finish line,” Luetkemeyer tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “We were able to pass an election integrity bill this year than bans electronic voting machines and makes sure that Missouri has a valid, in force, photo ID law that requires people to show a photo ID before they can vote.”
Luetkemeyer counts the election bill and eminent domain reform as wins for the legislature, while acknowledging the legislature couldn’t stop the Grain Belt Express. He also is pleased lawmakers approved tax credits of $500 per individual and $1,000 per couple.
Sen. Dan Hegeman, a Republican from Cosby who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, expresses some frustration with Republican clashes in the Senate.
“You know, I was disappointed this year with the infighting in the Senate and the fact that some people really kind of pushed forth their own agenda, their personal agenda, at the expense of trying to move forward for the state of Missouri and the citizens of the state Missouri,” Hegeman tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “It particularly showed itself up on Congressional redistricting maps.”
Members of the Conservative Caucus in the Missouri Senate pushed for a map that it contended could create seven Republican-leaning districts and only one held by a Democrat. The legislature opted instead for a map that likely retains the current Missouri Congressional makeup of six Republicans and two Democrats.
Hegeman counts how the legislature handled the record budget as a plus for the session. He was disappointed the legislature didn’t approve sports betting, one of the victims of Senate filibusters over the Congressional redistricting plan.