By Annabeth Miller
ShowMe Times Editor
State Rep. Billy Pat Wright has made the decision to withdraw from the race for the Missouri State Senate.
The announcement of Wright’s decision was made by Senate Leader Rob Mayer at Monday evening’s meeting of the Stoddard County Republican Club.
“Billy Pat is one of the finer men in public office. What you see is what you get; you get a genuine, kind-hearted man who is a man of high morals and integrity,” Mayer said to the large GOP crowded.
Audible surprise gasps were heard throughout the crowd on Mayer’s announcement.
Mayer said he spoke with Wright on Sunday evening and that Wright is withdrawing from the race for the Republican nomination for state senate due to family issues.
“Billy Pat has worked hard these eight years in the House of Representatives,” Mayer commented. “I couldn’t be more proud of a state representative than I am for State Rep. Billy Pat Wright. If we had all that like him in Jefferson City what a wonderful place it would be and we could get a lot of things done and we could all hold our head up high.”
Wright nor his wife, Linda, attended Monday evening’s GOP meeting. Attempts by the ShowMe Times to contact Wright on Monday evening and Tuesday morning were unsuccessful.
Wright’s withdrawal leaves just one person in the GOP field to succeed Mayer in the state senate. Republican businessman Doug Libla of Poplar Bluff will face off against Democrat State Rep. Terry Swinger of Caruthersville in November.
Wright was first elected to the state house in 2004, defeating a pair of opponents in the Republican primary and went on to defeat Democrat challenger Boyce Wooley in the November 2004 general election. He defeated Wooley again in 2006, and went on to win reelection in 2008 and 2010 over challenger Bill D. Burleson.
In the House Wright has served on the Appropriation – General Administration, Agriculture Policy, the Veterans and was chairman of the Emerging Issues in Animal Agriculture committees.
By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor
U.S. Rep Jo Ann Emerson is the scheduled guest speaker Monday evening a county gathering of Republicans.
Emerson will speak this evening at the regular monthly meeting of the Stoddard County Republican Club. The GOP meeting is slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Hickory Log in Dexter. Club members will gather at 5:30 for a dutch treat meal.
Emerson was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996, representing the people of Southern Missouri. She is the Dean of Missouri’s congressional delegation, having served in the Congress longer than any other official currently elected in the state. She is the first Republican woman to represent Missouri in Congress, where she is a leading advocate for farm families and the promotion of America's agriculture, hunger relief, pro-life issues, and access to safe, affordable prescription drugs.
She is the Chairman of the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee and also sits on the Agriculture Subcommittee and Legislative Branch Subcommittee. She believes her extensive involvement in economic development and rural policy issues enables her to serve her constituents to the best of her abilities.
Emerson is also an Honorary and Life Trustee of Westminster College in Fulton. A former Girl Scout, Jo Ann is a leading supporter of the organization in Congress. She is co-chair of the Board of Directors for the Congressional Hunger Center, and a founding member of the Bipartisan Congressional Retreat, whose mission is to foster better relations in Congress with members from each party.
Also on the agenda for the Monday county meeting is State Rep. Cole McNary, who is seeking the GOP nomination for State Treasurer, and county treasurer candidate Mike Watkins and state Representative Bob Thrower.
By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times News Editor
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri lawmakers yesterday sent voters a proposed constitutional amendment that would bolster the governor's power in picking state appellate judges, capping off years of complaints about the process.
The amendment, which will appear on a statewide ballot later this year, would allow governors to appoint an additional person to the special state commission that nominates finalists for openings on the state Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. In addition, governors would get an extra nominee from which to choose in appointing a new judge.
Under the current plan, judges are selected by a commission of three members selected by the governor, three by the Missouri Bar Association, and the Chief Justice of the Missouri Supreme Court. The commission selects three candidates for the governor to select from to fill a judicial vacancy. After their appointment, judges’ names appear on a ballot for a retention vote.
The proposed changes — supported by both chambers of the Missouri General Assembly — would allow the governor to select four members of the committee in a single term. The changes would also allow for a nonvoting judge on the panel.
Some Republican lawmakers and other groups complain attorneys have gained too much influence in choosing judges and that adding another gubernatorial appointee would provide more accountability to the public.
“There is nothing about lawyers that uniquely qualify them to control selection of judges,” said Rep. Stanley Cox, R - Sedlaia, the bill’s sponsor. “The power should be vested with the people.”
Cox believes giving more control to the governor, who is elected statewide, allows for more popular input into the judicial selection process.
The state House gave the measure final legislative approval 84-71 — just barely more than the minimum needed to approve the measure — and senators last week passed the measure 19-12. Voters must approve the constitutional amendment for it to take effect.
“I think what you’re actually trying to get to with this is election of judges,” he said. “I don’t think the citizens of this state are crazy enough to start electing judges.”
The resolution passed the measure 84 to 71. The issue will now go to voters for their approval.
Opponents contend the changes would reverse reforms that have improved Missouri courts.
"Where are the checks and balances now? You eliminate them," said Ellinger, D-University City. "You eliminate your safeguard of the law if the executive overreaches."
Missouri Bar President Lynn Whaley Vogel said the proposed changes would inject politics into the process, adding that the existing method has produced fair and impartial judges for decades.
The state adopted its current process for selecting judges in 1940 to reduce the role of politics in the judiciary and lessen the influence of urban political machine bosses. But its critics have argued that 70 years later politics still plays a role. Criticism intensified in 2007 when Republican former Gov. Matt Blunt considered rejecting all three nominees for an opening on the state Supreme Court. Blunt eventually appointed Judge Patricia Breckenridge, but the governor's chief of staff worked with conservative legal organizations to criticize the selection plan and to try to derail Breckenridge's appointment.
In 2010, Better Courts for Missouri backed a proposed ballot initiative that would have scrapped Missouri's current judicial selection method and replaced it with partisan elections. However, the organization failed to gather enough signatures to get the measure before voters.
JEFFERSON CITY – Approving funding to run critical functions of state government with an emphasis on preserving education, the Missouri General Assembly today advanced 13 budget bills totaling $24 billion for the fiscal year beginning July 1. The bills include a $5 million increase for the K-12 school foundation formula, as well as restored proposed cuts by the governor to higher education.
Senate Appropriations Chairman Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia, handled the budget bills in the Senate. He said the budget reflects the state’s dedication to continue to make education the No. 1 priority.
“As we began the process, we made a commitment to fund our schools so that every child has an equal opportunity to a world-class education,” Schaefer said. “This year, we met that commitment by adding money to K-12 funding while maintaining level funding for higher education.”
Senate Leader Rob Mayer, R-Dexter, thanked Schaefer for his continued leadership and dedication to hold the Legislature’s commitment to education spending without implementing a tax increase.
“We knew going into this process that Missouri faced a difficult budget year with a large revenue shortfall,” said Mayer. “I commend Sen. Schaefer and his committee’s tireless efforts for finding savings and efficiencies so our children do not have to see cuts to their educational opportunities.”
The slow revenue growth, combined with an increase in mandatory expenses in programs like Medicaid and the end of one-time federal stabilization dollars, meant Missouri was forced to make $200 million in reductions and cost avoidance to the budget. Despite this obstacle, through finding efficiencies, the Senate was able to spend $50 million less than the budget proposed by the governor in January.
Schaefer said, “Unlike the federal government, which spends borrowed money, we are faced with the responsibility of not spending more than the state would take in. By cutting back spending where necessary and living within our means, we continued to protect education funding at all levels without a tax increase."
Gov. Nixon’s original budget in January proposed $106 million cut to higher education for the next fiscal year and later amended his cut to $66 million using the mortgage settlement money to fill this gap.
“University officials warned of steep tuition increases, course reductions, and employee furloughs in the coming school year because of the cuts proposed by the governor,” Schaefer noted. “Missouri’s families should not be faced with this increase, and we made sure no cuts were made so tuition is kept affordable, ensuring more of our state’s citizens have opportunities to a higher education.”
The Senate’s higher education funding bill restored those cuts in order to maintain flat funding for the state’s colleges and universities, allocating $65.9 million more than the governor’s budget. The budget also maintained level funding in scholarships, so students have access to tuition assistance.
The budget again protects Missouri’s K-12 students by increasing the foundation formula by $5 million dollars. The $3.009 billion the state will spend on the K-12 foundation formula will be the highest level of spending by Missouri on the foundation formula.
“Education is the greatest investment we can make as a state and is essential to strengthening Missouri’s future,” said Senate Floor Leader Tom Dempsey, R-St. Charles. “The Legislature took the lead and made the tough decisions required to continue to ensure that core funding was left intact.”
Also included in the budget is a 2 percent increase in pay for state employees making up to $70,000. According to census data, Missouri state employees rank 50th in the nation for wages. This change will give roughly 55,000 state workers a raise starting in July.
The budget bills also reaffirmed its commitment to Missouri veterans though a permanent funding source for Missouri’s seven veterans’ homes. The homes treating and caring for 1,300 veterans will receive $30 million generated through a boarding fee on casinos. The money was removed from the Early Childhood Development Education and Care Fund, which will be replaced through tobacco settlement money.
"In this budget we worked to make government more efficient for Missourians,” Mayer added. “Where the governor failed, the General Assembly succeeded in promoting those principles by working to control spending, allowing us to fund education and programs, like our veterans’ homes, without a tax increase.”
Lawmakers completed the budget one day before the deadline set by the state constitution and now moves to the governor for his signature. The state Fiscal Year 2013 begins July 1, 2012.
Photo Above: The Rotunda in the Missouri Capitol was a bee hive of activity this week as legislators finished work on the budget and sent it to Gov. Jay Nixon. (SMT Archive)
