The Mood at the Capitol

Despite the bitter winter weather we faced this prior week, the general assembly accomplished quite a lot this past week. The Senate President Pro Tem, Senator Cindy O’Laughlin put out a statement stating that since the Senators would already be here once the snow begins, they might as well get some work done. This mentality basically drove this week because both chambers passed more bills this week than they did by this time last year. They are working diligently on their respective priority pieces of legislation and we are seeing where the important issues are for both chambers and both sides of the political aisle. As always, someone will be in the building whenever they are in session to monitor and ensure that we have a voice in negotiations whenever they occur.



criminal justice

Death Penalty Judicial Loophole 

SB225 by Senator Mary Elizabeth Coleman (R-22) was heard in committee this last week. Despite the hazardous winter weather conditions, the turnout was very good in support of the bill and no testimony in opposition was provided. We would like to thank everyone who came and testified in support of the bill. 

HB953 by Representative Bishop Davidson (R-130) will be heard in the House Economic Development Committee on Tuesday, 2/25 at 8:00am. This bill closes the judicial loophole by requiring a unanimous jury verdict to sentence someone to death. The bill also includes provisions related to automatic expungement of certain crimes. We will be testifying in support of this bill and we are encouraging everyone to come to the capitol to testify or at least submit testimony online. If you’d like to come and testify, please contact Connor Luebbert to help coordinate the effort.

Truth in Sentencing - Extended Mandatory Minimums

The House had hearings a couple weeks ago on their version of the Truth in Sentencing bills. The bills are scheduled to be voted out of the Rules Committee on Monday. They could be debated on the House floor as early as Wednesday morning. The Senate versions have hearings scheduled for Tuesday. The big change they make is to move all offenders with their second conviction to 80% and "persistent" offenders to 100%. They vary a bit in small ways, but the basics are the same. These bills are horrible for the State of Missouri. Not only to they create arbitrary and unnecessary lenthy sentences, but they also make prison more dangerous by increasing over crowding.

HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Shoot First

Several bills have been introduced that would prevent law enforcement from detaining or investigating murders until they can prove it was not self-defense. This extremely dangerous language is opposed by law enforcement and prosecutors because even they recognize it is a ridiculous overreach. WE oppose it because too often we see young black men and women shot merely for existing. The first of these bills, SB147, had a hearing last week. We expect to see the other bills heard in the coming weeks.

Lead in School Drinking Water

In a piece of positive news, the legislature is once again considering bills that would mandate testing and remediation of lead in school drinking water. The harm lead can cause to developing brains is well documented, but many of our K-12 school buildings are older and plagued with out-dated plumbing. Finding and remediating high lead levels will be a huge step toward a healthier and better educated community. The House Bill, HB995, is scheduled for a hearing Monday afternoon.

Opportunity Race and Justice

DEI Restrictions

Missouri is following the lead of the Federal Government and the Political Right and eliminating Diversity Equity and Inclusion programs and training. The bill that would prevent any state funding going toward DEI, HB742, passed out of the House this week. The bill may be unnecessary given the recent Executive Order from Kehoe. This is the latest in a long line of efforts to eliminate discrimination protections. The debate on the floor got interesting as Republican Rene Reuter stood and pointed out the elimination of "DEI" training also included elimination of sexual harassment training. The programs being eliminated are not "quota" systems or "affirmative action." They are the policies and trainings that seek to make sure State agencies and employees are following anti-discrimination laws and that there aren't any barriers that prevent access to jobs, programs, benefits, and contract bids.

President Chapel released this statement in response to the Executive Orders:

"The executive order from Governor Kehoe is extremely disturbing. It is part of an anti-Black agenda that seeks to revert our nation back to segregation and Jim Crow. We refuse to go back. We will not sit quietly while our dignity and humanity are under attack. DEI programs are not quota systems or affirmative action. They are the foundation of a safe and legal workplace that follows anti-discrimination laws and fosters understanding between employees of different backgrounds. More importantly for state agencies, the DEI programs help service providers connect with their clients and better serve their needs. This is a step backward for everyone."

Political power

Initiative Petition Restrictions

The Senate Local Government, Elections, and Pensions Committee heard SB152 sponsored by Senator Ben Brown (R-26) which would ban foreign spending in ballot measures and create provisions on how violations would be prosecuted. This is already the case on the federal level and does not make any major changes to how the IP process works in Missouri. MOVPC will continue to monitor the bill for any amendments that may alter the bill significantly that would force us to take a position. For now, we do not take a position other than to simply monitor.

The House Elections Committee will hear HB793 by Representative Ben Baker. This bill is the same as SB152 which bans foreign spending in ballot measures. Our position remains unchanged and we will not be taking a position on the bill.

Poll Worker Protections

HB507 by Representative Peggy McGaugh was heard in the House Elections Committee. This bill is essentially identical to SB182 (Crawford) which in addition to other provisions we like includes the poll worker protections we have been fighting for. The hearing took place this last Tuesday morning, which is when the winter storm came in making road conditions quite hazardous. The physical turnout at the hearing was understandably small, however there was quite a lot of online testimony submitted in support of this legislation. We would like to thank everyone who submitted testimony online in support of this bill and we are hopeful that this bill will begin moving quickly.

The Elections Committee will hear HB638 by Representative Mark Matthiesen. This bill would allow election challengers to be present any time that votes are being cast. Currently, election challengers are allowed to be present when ballots are being counted. This isn’t a very consequential issue for MOVPC but we do share concerns that this could lead towards voter intimidation. As of this time, we are not taking a position on the bill but will continue to monitor the bill.

Presidential Preference Primary

In the same House Elections Hearing as HB507, we heard HB126 by Representative Rudy Veit (R-59) and HB367 by Brad Banderman (R-119). Both bills reinstate the Presidential Preference Primary while HB367 also expands absentee voting. These bills received overwhelming support in the form of online testimony and while the physical turnout was low, there was no testimony in opposition to these bills. Thank you to everyone who submitted testimony and we are looking forward to working with the sponsors of these bills to get them passed.

Education

CROWN Act

The CROWN Act bill is progressing through the legislature. This year's versions are only for educational institutions, but students are the most vulnerable people when it comes to discrimination on the basis of one's natural hair. The House Bills are stuck in the Rules Committee, and the Senate Bill has been voted out of its committee and is ready to be put on the Senate Calendar. This important change recognizes that many times racial discrimination hides behind dresscodes. We have been working on it for a number of years, and are hopeful this will be the year we see it passed.

Tracking Lists

Criminal Justice

Health and the Environment

Opportunity, Race and Justice

Political Power

Education Innovation

*These lists are continually updated and improved. If you have questions, please contact Sharon Geuea Jones at sharon@jonesadvocacy.com.