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MISSOURI NEA LEGISLATIVE UPDATE RETURNS
Welcome to the first installment of the weekly MNEA
Legislative Update for the 2008 session!
GREAT
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Missouri NEA believes that great public schools are
a basic right for every child. The Association will
continue to promote a positive agenda that strengthens
public education and public educators for the benefit
of children. Key issues for the upcoming session will
include: 1) protecting the newly restored bargaining
rights for education employees; 2) establishing state
teaching standards; and, 3) promoting school accountability.
Also,
the Association will work to push back the extremist
attacks on public education and uncover the deceptions
of proposals that purport to help schools and teachers
but actually undermine public education values. Proposals
for tax credit vouchers, ABCTE certification mandates
and “pay for performance” schemes will return
with renewed vigor in the 2008 session.
SESSION
BEGINS WITH SPEECHES
On Jan. 9, 2008, the new legislative session began.
House Speaker Rod Jetton gave his opening address to
the House. The speech attempts to put a positive spin
on a legacy of inadequate education funding, harmful
healthcare cuts and job losses suffered due to state
budget cuts. A summary is online at: http://www.house.mo.gov/news.aspx?id=137.
The full text is available beginning on page 6 of the
House Journal: http://www.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills081/jrnpdf/jrn001.pdf.
Speaker
Jetton announced that his priorities include raising
teacher pay, limiting teacher liability, reducing illegal
immigration and reducing property taxes.
Senate
President Pro Tem Michael Gibbons gave a brief speech
to open the Senate's first day. He announced that his
three priorities will be reducing property taxes, reducing
illegal immigration and increasing health insurance
affordability.
STATE
MANDATED SALARIES: THIS YEAR'S “65% DECEPTION?”
Speaker Rod Jetton's comments regarding teacher pay
are apparently a reference to the statewide teacher
salary schedule proposed by MSTA. While no bill has
yet been filed, Missouri NEA continues to have several
concerns regarding any state-mandated salary schedule.
Missouri NEA believes that the state legislature's primary
education duties are to: 1) provide adequate state funding;
2) help school districts maintain stable and adequate
local property tax revenues; and 3) ensure that all
education employees have true bargaining rights. Salaries
and working conditions for all employees should be bargained
locally at the district level. MNEA's legal efforts
resulted last year in restoring the constitutional bargaining
rights of some 400,000 public employees statewide.
TAX
ROLLBACKS
Both Speaker Rod Jetton and Pro Tem Michael Gibbons
announced that reducing property taxes is a priority
this session, and the issue will, no doubt, receive
much debate and attention. Local school property taxes
are the largest single source of funding for Missouri's
public schools, and any proposal that affects the setting
of tax rates and the collection of property taxes will
have a significant impact on public schools. Missouri
NEA will strive to ensure that any such legislation
will allow school districts to maintain adequate and
stable revenues from property taxes.
NEXT
WEEK'S HEARINGS
The Senate Education Committee and the House Higher
Education Committee will meet in joint session at 8:30
a.m. on Tues., Jan. 14 in House Hearing Room 3 to hear
a presentation from Larry Isaak, President of the Midwestern
Higher Education Compact. Topics will include MHEC activities
in Missouri, participation by Missouri institutions
in MHEC programs and a review of Missouri higher education
policy indicators and trends compared to other states
in the Midwest and the nation.
MISSOURI
NEA’S COMPREHENSIVE GOVERNMENT RELATION PROGRAM
Missouri NEA will depend on a grassroots lobbying effort
led by MNEA and carried out by our Government Relation
Teams and our membership. Our teachers and other staff
must take the initiative to contact legislators about
the key issues affecting public education.
Here's
what you can do to support MNEA's legislative agenda:
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Be a part of your local Government Relations Team.
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Take the initiative to contact local legislators now
to discuss our key issues.
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Attend the legislative brunch in your area.
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Attend the Missouri NEA Capitol Action Days for your
governance district. Capitol Action Days begin in
early February and include most Tuesdays and Wednesdays
until the first week of May.
-
Receive and read the daily MNEA Daily Legislative
Update 2008 via e-mail while the legislature is in
session from January to May.
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Visit the Missouri Legislative Action Center:
http://capwiz.com/nea/mo/state/main/?state=MO
The
Missouri Legislative Action Center (MLAC) is a convenient,
Web-based way to lobby state legislators (and other
elected officials) on key education issues. MLAC uses
a program called CapWiz to make sending an e-mail on
a priority issue quick and easy. As priority issues
move forward this session, the MNEA Daily Legislative
Update will provide links to Action Alerts on the MLAC
Web site.
CAPITOL
ACTION DAYS RETURN!
MNEA will continue the successful program of Capitol
Action Days begun in 2007. A series of Capitol Action
Days throughout most of the session will allow planned,
face-to-face contact with legislators throughout the
session. Capitol Action Days will be on Tuesdays and
Wednesdays starting with the first week in February
and continuing through the first week of May. Your MNEA
calendar includes the dates that MNEA Board of Directors
members selected for your governance district. If you
are not able to attend on these designated days, feel
free to contact Otto Fajen (otto.fajen@mnea.org)
to arrange to attend a different Capitol Action Day.
Each Capitol Action Day will start with a briefing at
10:00 a.m. to provide you with the most up-to-date information.
Typical
Capitol Action Day Agenda
10:00
a.m. - Meet for briefing, 2nd Floor Capitol rotunda,
Senate-side alcove under the grand staircase
10:15 a.m. - Visit with your legislator/watch floor
debate
12:00 noon - Invite legislator to lunch
1:00-4:30
p.m. - Committee hearings, floor debate, visiting
legislators
FINDING INFORMATION ABOUT BILLS
To find out more about legislation this session, go
to: http://www.mnea.org/capitol/legissues.htm.
This
page contains numerous links, including: the NEA Legislative
Action Center, which addresses key education issues
at the federal level; the Missouri NEA Legislative Action
Center, which will address key education issues at the
state level. This page also will contain links to legislative
updates, the MNEA Legislative Platform, legislative
priorities and other policy-related links.
To
find information about a specific bill currently pending
before the Missouri General Assembly, go to: http://www.house.mo.gov/jointsearch/.
Type the bill number (example: HB1000) or sponsor name
in the “search” box to find a link to the
bill. This link will take you to a “home page”
for the bill that provides bill text, bill summaries,
fiscal notes and information on legislative action on
the bill.
PLAN
TO ATTEND YOUR MNEA LEGISLATIVE BRUNCH
Legislative involvement is close to home at your MNEA
Legislative Brunch. The brunch is a great opportunity
to visit with local area legislators and hear a legislative
briefing. The 63 Strip Legislative dinner returns this
year in Moberly on Jan. 10, 2008!
Area
legislative brunch schedule:
Moberly
– Jan. 10, 2008
Jefferson County – Jan. 26, 2008
Kansas City – Jan. 26, 2008
St. Charles – Mar. 8, 2008
St. Louis – Mar. 15, 2008
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