By Rob Mayer
Last year communities across our state experienced historic floods, resulting in many devastated Southeast Missouri homes, farms, and livelihoods. This unacceptable destruction is why I introduced, and the Senate overwhelming passed, Senate Concurrent Resolution 25.
In the wake of last year’s rising waters, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was forced to make unenviable decisions without full understanding of its consequences. One such decision was to release water from upstream along the Mississippi River. This caused pressure on river levees that protect our communities, businesses, and agriculture from water damage. The resulting levee breaks caused massive damage impacting the economic stability of our state. The Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute of the University of Missouri found the economic loss, because of the flooding of crop lands, to be $60.6 million in Southeast Missouri alone.
This concurrent resolution encourages our representatives in the U.S. Congress and the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop a better plan to deal with severe flooding. It is vital for the Corps of Engineers to have a plan in place that eliminates, when possible, or otherwise minimizes damage to homes, farms, and businesses so further economic hardship is not handed to people across the state of Missouri.
Last year’s devastation cannot be repeated. Senate Concurrent Resolution 25 is one of the many ways we continue to press the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to be better prepared for future flooding and natural disasters in our state.
Missouri’s natural disaster recovery is also one reason why it is a priority to move forward in making important changes to our prevailing wage laws. Many needed public projects across the state, especially in disaster areas like Joplin, are unaffordable because of our prevailing wage laws and are therefore being put on hold.
Currently in Missouri the prevailing wage is set by the Division of Labor Standards. The goal with prevailing wage is that it is supposed to use data on the wages paid for occupations in each county to set the rate contractors are paid on public works projects. Unfortunately, our current system does not work well, and wages are then artificially inflated, causing taxpayers to pay more than they should for public projects.
I have proposed in Senate Bill 439 that Missouri no longer use the Division of Labor Standards and the MODE method of statistical analysis in determining the prevailing wage. Instead, wages would be based on the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics data for each county. With this new system in place, we have the right balance between spending of taxpayer money responsibly and maintaining good wages for workers.
I expect the Senate to continue moving forward this week on this priority, as well as working on strengthening our educational system and passing a balanced budget.
Rob Mayer of Dexter represents the 25th Senatorial District in the Missouri State Senate and is the Senate President Pro Tem.
By Rob Mayer
At the beginning of this legislative session, we set three specific priorities we would work tirelessly to accomplish. As we approach the later stages of the session, there is still much work to be done to fulfill those goals for Missourians, but we continue to press forward.
This past week, the Senate Appropriations Committee began the process of editing the state’s $24 billion budget. As it carefully goes though the budget line by line, we remain committed to passing a balanced budget without a tax increase.
Because of the stagnant economy, the state has seen slow revenue growth, along with federally required increased expenditures in areas like Medicaid. Yet, just as so many Missourians who have been affected by the economy are examining how they spend money, we too are working to scrutinize how every tax dollar is spent. And we are prepared to make the tough decisions to reshape state government to rid it of waste and ensure your tax dollars are used effectively and efficiently.
Improving Missouri’s budget situation though is directly related to improving Missouri’s economic situation. In order to create a budget that is sustainable for Missouri taxpayers, we must work to spur job creation. That is why the Senate has been focused on returning Missourians to work in good-paying jobs with benefits. To do this, we quickly passed both Senate Bill 572 and House Bill 1219 to remove the barriers that are preventing businesses from investing in new workers.
SB 572 would have restored protections for co-employees from personal lawsuits for their role in honest accidents at work and ended lawsuit abuses, while HB 1219 would have restored balance to Missouri’s employment law. Both pieces of legislation would have fixed the current failed policies, created certainty for businesses, and cut the costs businesses incur on expansive legal fees. All of which would have allowed employers to invest in new jobs.
It is disappointing the governor does not share our priority of helping businesses put Missourians to work and vetoed both bills. There are far too many Missourians out of work and the governor’s vetoes do not change our determination to put Missourians back in good-paying jobs. To demonstrate this, the Senate voted 24 to 9 to override his veto of SB 572.
We also know the education of our children is the biggest investment we can make, as well as a huge driver in Missouri’s economic stability for years to come. Our third major goal has been to address key education reforms so every student has the opportunity to a world-class education.
Last week, we began debate on a number of reforms to Missouri schools, specifically addressing students trapped in a failing school district. This discussion is only the beginning of making the needed changes in improving our students’ educational opportunities. We also plan to look closely at how Missouri is funding our schools.
I will keep you informed as we continue our work to pass these important changes for Missouri.
Rob Mayer of Dexter represents the 25th Senatorial District in the Missouri State Senate and is the Senate President Pro Tem.
One of our country’s core principles found in the First Amendment is our freedom to excise religion without government interference. Recent actions by the federal government have threatened this freedom and we have taken action to defend this fundamental right.
As part of the president’s health care law, the federal government is mandating that employers offer to cover, through their health care plan, services such as abortions, contraception, and sterilization. This goes against many Missourians’ religious or moral beliefs, yet, the federal government is still forcing the employer to cover those services.
This is why last week the Senate advanced Senate Bill 749. The bill prevents individuals, employers, or other entities from being compelled to obtain insurance coverage that is contrary to the individual, employer or other entities’ religious beliefs or moral convictions. The legislation also prevents discrimination against or punishment for declining or refusing to provide coverage that is contrary to the person, employer or other entities’ religious beliefs or moral convictions.
Passage of this legislation goes a long way in defending the rights of employees and employers in practicing their religious beliefs.
As the Senate worked to pass this important religious protection act last Tuesday, we were greeted by overwhelming support for Senate Bill 749. Thousands of Missourians came to the Capitol and rallied for the protection of their religious freedoms. I am thankful for the many that stopped by my office and expressed the importance in defending our religious freedoms and moral beliefs. I believe their voice was heard and many of my colleagues took notice, passing Senate Bill 749 with bipartisan support.
There is still plenty of work to be done. This week, the Senate Appropriations Committee will begin the process of editing the state’s $24 billion budget. As the former chairman of the Appropriations Committee, I know the importance of transparency in the budget process so you have a clear understanding of how we are spending your hard earned tax dollars.
That is why I introduced and last week the Senate advanced unanimously Senate Bill 877 to require regular reports on the number of state employees. Under the legislation, each department would have to present quarterly to the Speaker of the House and the Senate President Pro Tem the number of full-time employees of the department by job classification or job description and the geographic location of state employees. The act also requires the report to indicate the number of vacancies over the past quarter and the number of such vacancies that were filled over that quarter.
There will be many tough decisions crafting a budget that lives within the taxpayers’ means and protects our priorities. Senate Bill 877 provides greater and more accurate information to the budget process so we can ensure every dollar is spent efficiently and effectively.
Rob Mayer of Dexter represents the 25th Senatorial District in the Missouri State Senate and is the Senate President Pro Tem.
One of the Senate’s top priorities this session is to help put Missourians back to work. We believe we can no longer continue to do business in our state using the same policies we have relied on and expect a different result. There are far too many Missourians without a job and it is important we improve Missouri’s business environment so businesses can grow and hire more employees.
In an effort to ease the pain Missouri workers are going through, we worked quickly this session to pass Senate Bill 572 and House Bill 1219 to help employers put Missourians back to work in good-paying jobs with benefits.
SB 572 restored protections for co-employees from personal lawsuits for their role in honest accidents at work and ended lawsuit abuses. It is difficult for businesses to hire employees if they are going to need to spend money for additional insurance to cover these honest accidents. Passage of the bill rejected a 2010 appeals court decision that opened up co-employees to this risk. It also returned Workers’ Compensation as the exclusive remedy for workplace accidents. This bill gave a level of certainty to the risk employers take when hiring employees.
HB 1219 simply harmonized our state employment law with federal Civil Rights Act. Missouri’s employment law originally resembled federal law, but differences have surfaced through case law. Over the past few years, Missouri courts have drastically changed Missouri employment law so that it no longer matches federal law. Employers are slow to invest in jobs in Missouri when faced with different employment law standards creating lawsuit abuses. Passage of HB 1219 made Missouri’s standards meet the provisions set out in the historic Civil Rights Act, giving employers and workers more certainty.
Unfortunately, for as quick as we moved both bills to the governor’s desk for signing, he just as quickly vetoed them. Had the governor signed SB 572 and HB 1219, businesses could spend less money on expansive legal fees and instead invest those dollars towards expanding their businesses, putting Missourians to work. Instead, because of the veto, business growth will continue to be strangled with the same failed policies these bills were aimed to fix.
Luckily for Missouri, the legislative session is not over and we will continue to work on the Senate’s priority of putting people back to work. For businesses to grow or consider moving to Missouri, we must change both Missouri’s employment law and Workers’ Compensation system. There are a number of different options we will consider to do this, including a veto override or passage of new legislation the governor finds acceptable. We invite him to join us for discussions on passing legislation that put Missourians back to work.
Rob Mayer of Dexter represents the 25th Senatorial District in the Missouri State Senate and is the Senate President Pro Tem.
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.
