Area lawmakers reflect on Missouri Legislature session

From tax reform to right-to-farm, May has been a busy month for Missouri's General Assembly.

When the legislative session ended May 16, it brought a flurry of House and Senate bills approved in the final moments. A number of those bills sit on the governor's desk waiting for approval, while the fate of an unprecedented eight issues will be determined by voters in the fall.

Local representatives Kathy Swan and Donna Lichtenegger said each measure represents months of research and review. Both said they were pleased voters would have an opportunity to make the final decision on issues that would directly affect them.

"Tax issues, especially," said Swan, R-Cape Girardeau.

In the fall, voters will decide whether to approve a three-quarter-cent transportation sales tax. It would raise more than $500 million annually for roads, bridges and other projects and would offset the Department of Transportation's declining revenue.

Another widely discussed issue that will appear on the ballot is the "right to farm" constitutional amendment, a "huge" issue in her district, said Lichtenegger, R-Jackson.

"Right to farm is simply a bill which gives anyone who is farming, whether it be crop farming or livestock farming, the right to do so without groups coming in and trying to make trouble for them," she said.

The measure has been poorly received in some circles, as it includes captive deer in its definition of livestock. That means they're regulated by the Missouri Department of Agriculture rather than the conservation department. Lichtenegger said the captive deer are different from wild deer; they are frequently tested, and the agriculture department has many veterinarians that check on all breeds of livestock around the state.

"They're actually really healthy because they get tested so often. And anyone who has livestock doesn't want any of their livestock getting sick because they know how fast it can spread to their other animals, and they don't want that to happen," she said. "So that's the reason we took the deer farms and put them into agriculture. ... If you talk to veterinarians, they're happy we did this."

Lichtenegger said she plans to speak more with people of her district about the issue as the election approaches.

Another bill the local representative was pleased to see sent to the governor's desk dealt with parental rights and foster children. Sponsored by state Sen. Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff, the measure would more quickly allow courts to terminate parental rights for parents using or selling illegal drugs.

Lichtenegger said the legislation takes the children's rights into consideration, as they are often "stuck in limbo" under the current system and placed in the foster care system for months as their parents work through rehabilitation programs.

"What we're trying to do is get these kids into good, loving homes faster, and if that means we can get the parents who have these drug problems into rehab faster, all the better," she said. "Since I grew up in a children's home, I know about [this issue]. Kids want three things in their life: They want safety, security and, most of all, they want love. And that's what we're trying to do with this bill."

Swan similarly focused on improving opportunities for children the legislative session, largely through education bills.

She sponsored an early childhood bill that would provide state funding through the Missouri Foundation Formula to unaccredited school districts that offer prekindergarten classes.

The measure, which she said gives students a head start to be better prepared and more successful through school, received bipartisan support.

Swan said another exciting development in education this year was the approval of Bryce's Law.

Designed to set up scholarships to help special-needs children receive services from private facilities or other public schools, it has expanded to include children with dyslexia.

While an overhaul of the criminal code doesn't take effect until 2017, both representatives praised it as one of the most important laws approved.

"Many local attorneys contacted me saying, 'Please, support this bill.' We've needed a revision for many, many years for that criminal code," said Swan.

The overhaul -- the first for Missouri's criminal code since 1979 -- reduces possible prison sentences for certain nonviolent drug crimes and imposes harsher penalties for crimes such as sexual assault. It also creates a fifth class of felonies to cover lesser offenses.

Not every proposed bill received approval before the final day of the legislative session. When the General Assembly reconvenes in 2015, Swan and Lichtenegger have bills they plan to resubmit.

One bill Lichtenegger hopes to see eventually approved is her fluoride bill, which would require 90-day notification to the public as well as the departments of health and natural resources when a change is made to fluoride levels in water.

Swan plans to continue her efforts in education by promoting an online learning bill. It would establish an advisory board to study digital learning and oversee a portal that would provide online access to take the GED, dual-credit classes and other educational or training classes that might not be available in students' area.

Tapping into online resources is vital to promoting lifetime learning, she said.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Jackson, Mo.