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By
Otto Fajen
MNEA Legislative Director
Number
4
Jan. 29, 2009
GOVERNOR
DELIVERS STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS
Gov. Jay Nixon delivered the State of the State address
to a joint session of the House and Senate in the House
Chamber at 7 p.m. on Jan. 27. The State of the State
address gives the governor a chance to present his vision
for the state and his budget priorities. Gov. Nixon
emphasized job creation, education and healthcare. The
governor proposed no cuts to the K-12 basic school funding
program and even included proposed increases to early
childhood education, Parents as Teachers and sheltered
workshops. The governor’s budget proposal will
maintain college scholarships and institutional aid
at current levels in exchange for an agreement to maintain
current college tuition rates.
While the
governor anticipates that the federal stimulus package
will pass and provide funding to avoid some cuts next
year, he still proposed significant reductions in the
state workforce, totaling a loss of 1300 state jobs.
As Missouri
prepares to struggle through the economic downturn with
insufficient state services and investment, the MNEA
urges the governor and General Assembly to address the
structural budget deficit, improve the fairness of the
state tax code and ensure adequate funding for public
education and other vital public services.
LEGISLATURE
REJECTS PAY RAISE FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS
The Senate approved House Concurrent Resolution 5 (Mike
McGhee) on Jan. 29, thereby blocking proposed cost-of-living
adjustments for legislators and other elected officials.
Under Article XIII of the Missouri Constitution, salaries
for legislators, judges (other than municipal judges)
and other elected officials are to be established and
revised every two years according to a schedule created
by a “citizen commission” appointed for
that purpose. The pay raises are proposed by Dec. 1
of each even numbered year and go into effect unless
a concurrent resolution to reject implementation of
the entire schedule of pay raises is approved by a two-thirds
majority of each chamber of the legislature before Feb.
1 of the following year.
The legislature
has generally approved such resolutions and, thus, has
blocked pay raises, including proposals to merely approve
cost-of-living adjustments for themselves, for judges
and other elected officials since the commission was
created in 1996. The governor’s signature is not
required for the resolution to become effective and
stop the pay raises.
CHIEF
JUSTICE DELIVERS STATE OF THE JUDICIARY ADDRESS
Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Laura Denvir Stith
delivered the State of the Judiciary address to a joint
session of the House and Senate in the House Chamber
on Jan. 28. The State of the Judiciary address gives
the chief justice a chance to update the legislature
on the key initiatives of the Supreme Court. Chief Justice
Stith identified the four strategic missions of Missouri’s
courts:
1. Ensuring
equal and affordable access to justice for all our citizens;
2. Providing
a fair, unbiased and impartial forum for resolving disputes;
3. Effectively
and efficiently administering our courts; and
4. Enhancing
the public’s trust and confidence in the justice
system and, indeed, the whole government.
The
text of the entire address is available at this
link.
Chief Justice
Stith spoke about the urgent need to increase state
investment in the public defender system. Missouri currently
has the lowest per capita investment for its public
defender system. This is not only a weakness in ensuring
equal and affordable access to justice for all, but
may present serious safety concerns. The U.S. Constitution
guarantees all defendants a speedy trial and competent
legal counsel. If Missouri does not successfully resolve
the funding crisis for public defenders, state courts
may be compelled to let prisoners go if they can not
meet U.S. Supreme Court standards for a prompt trial
with competent and prepared counsel.
COLLECTIVE
BARGAINING
MNEA supports collective bargaining rights for all education
employees. An effective bargaining process must have
a unified employee voice. MNEA supports legislation
that would treat all public employees fairly and that
is built on broad consensus among public employee groups
and public employers. An effective bargaining law must
provide for exclusive bargaining representation, a duty
for both employees and employers to bargain in good
faith, binding agreements with a clear ratification
process and a fair process to resolve impasse and grievances.
HOUSE ELEMENTARY
AND SECONDARY EDUCATION COMMITTEE
The House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee
held its initial meeting on Jan. 28. The committee heard
the following House Bills:
1. H.B. 96
(Maynard Wallace) enacts numerous provisions regarding
school safety. This lengthy bill makes a number of changes
designed to increase employee liability protection,
improve school safety precautions and improve notice
and reporting of acts of school violence by students.
MNEA testified in support of those efforts. Concerns
were raised last year by law enforcement associations
regarding broad language in the bill to allow school
districts to commission peace officers. Rep. Wallace
has indicated his willingness to address the concerns
of the law enforcement community by limiting the scope
of that provision and requiring buy in from all affected
local law enforcement jurisdictions before the school
would be allowed to proceed.
2. H.B. 242
(Gayle Kingery) allows school districts to change to
a four-day-per-week school calendar. This bill presents
an option for a substantial change in the school calendar
that will affect students, parents, staff and communities.
Missouri NEA noted that, while the proposal may offer
operational savings that may appeal to some districts,
significant concerns must be addressed concerning the
impact of four-day schooling on students, parents and
school employees. Lack of available child care on the
fifth week day could be a safety and educational concern
for students and a financial concern for parents. The
extended school day may create difficulties for younger
students and special education students. MNEA urges
careful study of the experiences other states have had
with this proposal prior to passage of such a bill.
Missouri NEA also urges passage of a good collective
bargaining law for all school employees to ensure they
have an effective voice in improving their working conditions
and their students’ learning conditions.
SENATE EDUCATION
COMMITTEE
The Senate Education Committee met for the first time
this session on Jan. 28 and heard the following Senate
Bills:
1. S.B. 117
(Tim Green) requires the Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education to recalculate state school aid
for Riverview Gardens School District to correct an
error. MNEA supports this measure to correct a financial
error by a former district official that continues to
have a profound negative effect on the district’s
state aid, amounting to more that $2 million per year
for the last three school years.
2. S.B. 55
(Rita Days) allows school districts to maintain permanent
records digitally or electronically. This bill is being
heard as a Consent Bill, meaning that it is considered
to be noncontroversial in nature. If passed by the committee
with Consent Status, the bill will be placed on a special
calendar and taken up for floor debate without the option
to amend the bill, but only to approve or reject it
by a final vote. Missouri NEA testified in favor of
this measure to improve efficiency of school recordkeeping.
3. S.B. 79
(Yvonne Wilson) modifies the definition of “bullying”
as used in school district antibullying policies to
include cyberbullying and electronic communications.
Missouri NEA spoke in support of this measure to improve
school safety.
4. S.B. 182
(Matt Bartle) prohibits the use or attempted use of
false or misleading diplomas for admission to higher
education institutions or in connection with businesses
or employment.
HOUSE HIGHER
EDUCATION COMMITTEE
The House Higher Education Committee held its initial,
organizational meeting on Jan. 27. The committee chair
will again be Rep. Gayle Kingery and the vice-chair
will be Rep. Mike Thomson. Other committee members include
Walt Bivins, Bob Dixon, Chuck Gatschenberger, Denny
Hoskins, Rebecca McClanahan, Margo McNeil, Chris Molendorp,
Sue Schoemehl, Jill Schupp, Mary Still. Missouri NEA
is delighted to welcome Rep. McNeil, a recently-retired
MNEA leader, to the House!
WAYS AND
MEANS
The House Ways and Means Committee met on Jan. 29 to
hear several bills, including House Bill 64 (Scott Lipke).
H.B. 64 would reduce the top bracket of Missouri’s
state income tax from six percent to five percent, reduce
or eliminate taxes on the lower income brackets and
increase the allowable deduction for federal income
taxes paid. The bill’s fiscal note indicates a
reduction of state revenues by $102 million per year,
but the fiscal note radically underestimates the true
impact of the bill, which would permanently reduce state
revenues by at least $1 billion per year.
Missouri
NEA testified in strong opposition to this bill, as
it would make the state’s tax policy less fair,
less adequate and less sustainable. In a session where
the legislature is facing a difficult budgeting process
due to declining state revenues, this bill would significantly
compound the budget shortfall and require even more
permanent cuts to state services.
HOUSE EDUCATION
APPROPRIATIONS COMMITEE
The House Education-Appropriations Committee held a
hearing on Jan. 28. The committee heard public testimony
from witnesses for Access Missouri scholarships, vocational
rehabilitation services, career and technical education
programs, Parents as Teachers, Character Plus and University
of Missouri Extension.
The committee
plans to meet each of the next four weeks on both Tuesday
and Wednesday at 2 p.m. in House Hearing Room1 to complete
its work.
MISSOURI
NEA’S COMPREHENSIVE GOVERNMENT RELATIONS PROGRAM
Missouri NEA needs a vigorous grassroots lobbying effort
this session. Our members 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:
1. Be a part
of your local Government Relations Team.
2. Take the
initiative to contact local legislators now to discuss
our key issues.
3. Attend
the legislative brunch or dinner in your area.
4. Attend
the Missouri NEA Capitol Action Days for your governance
district. Capitol Action Days begin in early February
and include most Wednesdays until the first week of
May.
5. Receive
and read the daily MNEA Daily Legislative Update 2009
via e-mail while the legislature is in session from
January to May.
6. Visit
the Missouri Legislative Action Center: http://capwiz.com/nea/mo/state/main/?state=MO.
The Missouri Legislative Action Center 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.
FINDING INFORMATION
ABOUT BILLS
To find out more about legislation this session, go
to: http://www.mnea.org/gr/legissues.htm. This page
contains numerous links, including the NEA Legislative
Action Center, which addresses key education issues
at the federal level, and the Missouri NEA Legislative
Action Center, which will address key education issues
at the state level. This page contains 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/billcentral.aspx. Type the bill
number (example: H.B.1000) 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.
CAPITOL ACTION
DAYS RETURN
MNEA Capitol Action Days will allow planned, face-to-face
contact with legislators throughout the legislative
session. Capitol Action Days will generally be on Wednesdays
starting with the first week in February and continuing
through the first week of May. Your MNEA calendar includes
the dates MNEA Board members selected for your governance
district. If you are not able to attend on these designated
days, feel free to contact MNEA Legislative Director
Otto Fajen at otto.fajen@mnea.org to let him know when
you can attend on another Capitol Action Day. The following
is a 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
PLAN
TO ATTEND YOUR MNEA LEGISLATIVE BRUNCH OR DINNER
Legislative involvement is close to home at your MNEA
legislative brunch or dinner. The event is a great opportunity
to visit with local area legislators and hear a legislative
briefing. Area legislative brunch schedule:
St. Charles
Feb. 26, 2009
Kansas City Feb. 28, 2009
Jefferson County Mar. 7, 2009
St. Louis Mar. 21, 2009
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