By Rob Mayer
After a string of devastating storms rolled through the southern and northern portions of Missouri in late February, federal disaster aid was immediately requested to assist the 18 Missouri counties that were affected by this violent weather. To my shock and complete disappointment, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) denied Missouri’s request to provide our state’s residents with the help they need to get them back on their feet and return to a sense of normalcy during this chaotic time.
Stoddard County is one of the many counties currently working to pick up the pieces after these storms. As this county’s voice in the Missouri Senate, I was disheartened to hear aid from FEMA would not be available to these citizens. With this federal aid, Missourians would have been eligible for grants to help with home repairs, temporary housing, replacing personal and household items, as well as crisis counseling and legal services. Citizens also need assistance with clearing and dispensing debris on the roads and private property throughout the affected areas.
While Missouri will continue to provide critical resources, aid and personnel to the affected comm After a string of devastating storms rolled through the southern and northern portions of Missouri in late February, federal disaster aid was immediately requested to assist the 18 Missouri counties that were affected by this violent weather. To my shock and complete disappointment, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) denied Missouri’s request to provide our state’s residents with the help they need to get them back on their feet and return to a sense of normalcy during this chaotic time.
Stoddard County is one of the many counties currently working to pick up the pieces after these storms. As this county’s voice in the Missouri Senate, I was disheartened to hear aid from FEMA would not be available to these citizens. With this federal aid, Missourians would have been eligible for grants to help with home repairs, temporary housing, replacing personal and household items, as well as crisis counseling and legal services. Citizens also need assistance with clearing and dispensing debris on the roads and private property throughout the affected areas.
While Missouri will continue to provide critical resources, aid and personnel to the affected communities, residents whose homes, businesses and farmland were damaged and destroyed have been told they will not be eligible for much-needed federal grants. In addition, many Missourians’ insurance does not cover the immediate assistance they need at this time. As if this mass destruction is not enough, a number of people were injured and an innocent soul lost his life in Stoddard County during the tornadic storm that ripped through my county.
Missouri is doing what it can to help its citizens – it was my hope that FEMA would have stepped up and provided our state’s citizens with additional assistance and resources.
Assistance was recently made available to qualified homeowners, renters and businesses from the federal Small Business Administration (SBA) in the form of low-interest disaster loans. However, of the 14 counties eligible for SBA assistance, not one falls within the 25th District.
Missourians are resilient, but we all need a helping hand when life deals us circumstances such as the cards dealt to many of the citizens of the Show-Me State, including those who live within my district, on that stormy day in February.unities, residents whose homes, businesses and farmland were damaged and destroyed have been told they will not be eligible for much-needed federal grants. In addition, many Missourians’ insurance does not cover the immediate assistance they need at this time. As if this mass destruction is not enough, a number of people were injured and an innocent soul lost his life in Stoddard County during the tornadic storm that ripped through my county.
Missouri is doing what it can to help its citizens – it was my hope that FEMA would have stepped up and provided our state’s citizens with additional assistance and resources.
Assistance was recently made available to qualified homeowners, renters and businesses from the federal Small Business Administration (SBA) in the form of low-interest disaster loans. However, of the 14 counties eligible for SBA assistance, not one falls within the 25th District.
Missourians are resilient, but we all need a helping hand when life deals us circumstances such as the cards dealt to many of the citizens of the Show-Me State, including those who live within my district, on that stormy day in February.
Rob Mayer of Dexter represents the 25th Senatorial District in the Missouri State Senate and is the Senate President Pro Tem.
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By Rob Mayer Three weeks before the midway point of the 2012 Legislative Session, I am proud to report the Senate has advanced the three priority bills I outlined in my opening day speech to help improve Missouri’s business climate. I appreciate my colleagues swift work that culminated with the Senate now passing and sending all three measures to the Missouri House for similar consideration. It was important we move quickly because, unfortunately, joblessness remains high here in Missouri and across the nation. While Missouri’s unemployment rate has improved, it is still too high as 8% or more than 245,000 citizens are still out of work. In fact, since January of 2008, Missouri has lost more than 90,000 jobs – that’s equivalent to the population of Lee’s Summit, Missouri’s sixth largest city. The number of Missourians who want to work full-time, but have settled for part-time work, has doubled in the past two years and is now at 5% or more than 150,000. Plus, one of every six Missourians is currently receiving food stamps. This is unacceptable. I believe we can no longer continue to do business in our state using the same policies we have relied on and expect things to change. That is why we proposed several ideas that are part of the equation to help employers put Missourians back to work in good-paying jobs with benefits. The Senate’s plan to improve Missouri’s business climate started with the three priority bills we have already passed. They include Senate Bill 469 that moves Missouri business owners a step closer to greater freedom from excessive and burdensome state rules and regulations, Senate Bill 592 that would change state laws to mirror federal employment laws when it comes to discrimination bringing certainty to these laws, and Senate Bill 572 that would restore protections for co-employees from personal lawsuits for their role in honest accidents at work and return Workers’ Compensation as the exclusive remedy for workplace accidents. In the coming weeks, we will examine other legislation as part of a comprehensive package of bills aimed at helping spur job creation. Those include Senate Bill 439 that would go a long way to making sure taxpayers aren’t being fleeced when it comes to the rates they have to pay contractors on public building projects and Senate Bill 438 that would establish worker protections so Missouri will no longer miss out on manufacturing opportunities. The alarm is sounding, and we should all hear the wake-up call that now is the time to put these pieces in place so Missouri can truly compete for jobs. The bottom line is that our unwillingness to change is costing Missouri jobs. We want Missouri’s businesses, big and small, to succeed and be able to create jobs. With these changes, I believe that reality is on the horizon. Rob Mayer of Dexter represents the 25th Senatorial District in the Missouri State Senate and is the Senate President Pro Tem. |
By Rob Mayer
Last week we set out to break a lengthy debate in order to advance a bill that would change state laws to mirror federal employment laws when it comes to discrimination. Just before 2 a.m. Thursday morning, the Senate perfected Senate Bill 592 that would do just that.
The measure makes sure Missouri employees will be protected from employers who break the law by having our standards meet the provisions set out in the historic Civil Rights Act. This gives employers and workers better certainty across the board when it comes to their day in court.
The bill changes Missouri law to state that discrimination must be “a motivating factor” rather than “a contributing factor” in wrongful termination lawsuits, which is identical to language in the federal Civil Rights Act. It would also allow for summary judgments, allow any party to demand a jury trial, limit awards for certain damages as outlined in federal law, and exclude managers and supervisors from being held individually liable.
Missouri’s employment law originally resembled federal law, but unfortunately, Missouri courts have drastically changed Missouri employment law over the years. It’s important the people of Missouri, through their elected representatives, ultimately shape our laws.
I believe this is an important step in helping put Missourians back to work. Missouri businesses tell us that by harmonizing our state employment law with federal employment law, they can invest more in hiring new employees rather than expansive legal fees to navigate a current system riddled with uncertainty.
Also this week, the Senate Governmental Accountability Committee will hold another hearing on the failed Mamtek economic development project. After several hearings where the state economic development department was questioned about their role in marketing this poorly vetted project to Missouri communities, the committee will now hear from a national organization on the best practices in other states that could be applied to Missouri. I have charged the committee with recommending any legislative reforms they find necessary to prevent another failed economic development project of this size from happening again.
Rob Mayer of Dexter represents the 25th Senatorial District in the Missouri State Senate and is the Senate President Pro Tem.
By Rob Mayer
The Senate has been hard at work and last week advanced the first two bills of the year to the House of Representatives. We have also continued work on our priority bills that we believe will improve Missouri’s business climate.
The first bill we tackled would bring more transparency to tracking how your taxpayer dollars are spent. Senate Bill 467, sponsored by Sen. Brian Munzlinger, R-Williamstown, would require state entities accepting grants more than $1 million to post information regarding the grants on the Missouri Accountability Portal. The portal is an online resource for the public to search Missouri’s government financial records.
With the bill, the portal would show you the amounts, origins, and usage of federal grant funds awarded to state departments and agencies. Plus, you would be able to track distribution, as well as repayment of bonds issued by public higher education institutions and tax increment financing obligations. The bill would also require the governor to submit daily reports to the portal of the amounts withheld from the state operating budget. Taxpayers deserve to know where the governor is holding back spending the Legislature has approved and this step will make his actions public, and therefore, more accountable.
The second measure we sent to the House brings state law in line with federal transportation regulations, keeping millions of transportation dollars in our state. Senate Bill 443, sponsored by Sen. Bill Stouffer, R-Napton, allows the issuance of limited driving privileges to repeat offenders in order to drive to work, school, rehabilitation services, or when seeking services to install a device that measures a driver’s blood alcohol content. The bill also addresses several issues pertaining to the Uniform Commercial Driver’s License Act, as well as other provisions regarding failure to appear in court for commercial driver’s license holders, and implements federal guidelines concerning medical certification requirements for commercial drivers.
Making sure we meet federal transportation guidelines in these areas means Missouri can keep $30 million of federal transportation funding in our state in the first year. These changes could lead up to Missouri annually keeping an additional $60 million in highway safety funding.
As these two bills advance to the House for similar consideration, we are also hard at work on the priority bills I outlined at the start of session that will help put Missourians back to work. This week, we hope to conclude debate and pass Senate Bill 592 that would change state laws to mirror federal employment laws when it comes to discrimination.
Rob Mayer of Dexter represents the 25th Senatorial District in the Missouri State Senate and is the Senate President Pro Tem.
In my opening day address, I outlined how the Senate’s plan to help put Missourians back to work starts with three measures. These ideas are not what you call “headline grabbing,” but when we talk with small business owners they says its changes like these that will allow them to invest more in growing their businesses and hiring new employees.
I am proud to report the Senate has already held public hearings on all three of these priority measures.
The first idea, Senate Bill 469, moves Missouri business owners a step close to greater freedom from excessive and burdensome state rules and regulations.
Few things can bring private sector growth to a halt more quickly than overly contrived red tape. That is why this bill would require state agencies to review and reconsider regulations on a regular basis. The bill would give each regulation a limited shelf life of ten years, increase agency accountability, and improve legislative oversight.
The second idea, Senate Bill 592, would change state laws to mirror federal employment laws when it comes to discrimination.
We want Missouri employees to be protected from employers who break the law. We can best do this by raising our standards to meet the provisions set out in the historic Civil Rights Act giving employers and workers better certainty across the board when it comes to their day in court.
Bringing certainty to these laws means businesses can spend less money on expansive legal fees and instead invest those dollars towards expanding their businesses.
The third idea, Senate Bill 572, would restore protections for co-employees from personal lawsuits for their role in honest accidents at work, return Workers’ Compensation as the exclusive remedy for workplace accidents and address Missouri’s insolvent Second Injury Fund.
This bill presents real solutions to problems facing our state’s workforce and their employers. Ending lawsuit abuses, relieving the need for additional insurance to cover honest accidents at work, and protecting injured workers while keeping costs reasonable for employers are all important to making sure Missouri businesses can grow and hire more employees.
I appreciate the swift work by our sponsoring senators and the members of the committees who considered these bills. It is important we act timely on these priorities to help put Missourians back to work in good paying jobs with benefits. I look forward to the full Senate considering these important bills in the coming weeks.
You may have also heard about the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) decision to close 259 offices and labs across the country. This closure of offices includes several here in Missouri and one in our backyard – the Natural Resource Conservation Service Office (NRCS) in Dexter.
The USDA says staff will keep their jobs, but work from other area offices that will stay open. These closures may impact my fellow farmers and ranchers and I encourage you to share any concerns you may have with your local USDA officials.
Rob Mayer of Dexter represents the 25th Senatorial District in the Missouri State Senate and is the Senate President Pro Tem.
