Submitted by
Beth Farrah, SMT Writer
Jefferson City, Missouri – Missouri’s Juror Appreciation Week will be observed this year Monday, April 29 through Friday, May 3, 2013. During the week, judges, lawyers and court clerks let jurors know the importance of their contribution to the courts and to their communities.
According to court records, more than 88,000 Missourians reported for jury duty in state courts in 2012.
More than 50 courthouses throughout the state will observe the week in different ways. Many will display a Missouri Bar poster that thanks jurors for doing their part. Judges also may take additional time to thank jurors and to acknowledge the significance of their service.
Missouri Bar President Patrick B. Starke said the right to trial by a jury is one of the fundamental guarantees included in the Bill of Rights. He noted Thomas Jefferson’s quote on the importance of this right: "I consider trial by jury as the only anchor yet imagined by man by which a government can be held to the principles of its constitution."
“This year, thousands of Missourians will be called to report for jury duty,” Starke said. “We understand that to serve means rearranging schedules, canceling appointments, and often times missing work. This week is dedicated to recognizing those sacrifices and thanking Missourians who report for jury duty because they are doing their part to protect this core right which is as fundamental to our country’s democracy as the right to vote.”
Missouri is one of only a few states that hold a statewide Juror Appreciation Week. The observance began in 2000 by order of the Supreme Court of Missouri. The order states, “Each year thousands of Missourians perform one of the most significant civic duties granted to citizens -- they serve as fair and impartial jurors in communities throughout the state. To honor those citizens who have performed their civic duty, all Missouri courts are directed to observe Juror Appreciation Week…”
To learn more about Juror Appreciation Week, visit The Missouri Bar’s website on the event at http://www.mobar.org/jurorappreciationweek/.
The Missouri Bar is a statewide organization that is dedicated to improving the legal profession, the law and the administration of justice for all Missourians. Created in 1944 by order of the Supreme Court of Missouri, it serves all 30,000 of Missouri’s practicing attorneys. To achieve its mission, The Missouri Bar provides a wide range of services and resources to its members, as well as the media, educators and the citizens of Missouri. To learn more about The Missouri Bar, visit www.mobar.org.
Submitted by
Beth Farrah, SMT Writer
Jefferson City, Missouri - Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander today issued a report on his first 100 days in office. From his first day in office, Kander hit the ground running as Missouri's 39th Secretary of State.
"I'm grateful to Missourians for granting me the opportunity to serve as Secretary of State," Kander said. "These first 100 days were just the beginning. I am committed to working for Missourians every day of my term, and improving this state and this office during that time."
Kander's accomplishments have been outlined in "The first 100 days: A report on early accomplishments of Missouri's 39th Secretary of State." This report highlights efforts made by the Secretary of State's office to help Missourians since Kander was sworn in on January 14.
A few of the accomplishments highlighted include the return of thousands of dollars for Missouri investors, and the disbursement of more than $1 million in grants to public libraries. Kander was instrumental in the introduction of several pieces of legislation, including one that would assist veterans starting a business and another to allow early voting in Missouri. Kander has also upgraded office policy to protect employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation.
The report which is available on the Secretary of State's website: www.sos.mo.gov/100DayReport.pdf.
Submitted by
Beth Farrah, SMT Writer
U.S. Senator Roy Blunt’s staff will host a Listening Post Meeting on Wednesday, April 24, 2013 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Bootheel Regional Planning Commission.
Listening Posts are intended for Missourians to share their questions and concerns during meetings with members of Senator Blunt's staff.
Senator Blunt’s Jefferson City office also extends one-on-one service to all Missourians who have an issue with a federal agency or need additional assistance.
To reach the Senator’s Office of Constituent Services, please call at (573) 634-2488 or send a letter at 308 E. High Street, Suite 202, Jefferson City, Missouri 65101.
What: Senator Blunt's Staff Hosts Listening Post Meeting
When: Wednesday, April 24, 2013 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. CT
Where: Bootheel Regional Planning Commission
105 E. North Main
Dexter, MO
Submitted by
Beth Farrah, SMT Writer
As we approach the final 5 weeks of session, there are issues that you may or may not be aware of that should be of importance to you as a citizen of the state of Missouri. Listed below are two such issues.
House Urges Koster to Protect Missourian’s Religious Liberties
The Missouri House took action this week to encourage Attorney General Chris Koster to act in the best interest of Missourians by protecting their religious and conscience rights. House Concurrent Resolution 35 was filed in the wake of the errant US District Court’s decision that sections of Senate Bill 749 – overwhelmingly passed by the General Assembly after being vetoed by the Governor – was unconstitutional.
What was SB 749?
Senate Bill 749 provided employers the protections needed after the congress and the president moved to violate the rights of millions of Americans in requiring them to provide insurance coverage for anti-life forms of “healthcare” for their employees regardless of their religious objections.
If you’ve been minding the state news wires, you’ve no doubt heard the accusations that the Missouri Department of Revenue, which operates the Division of Motor Vehicles, has been scanning, storing, and sharing private information with the federal government regarding our citizens who can carry concealed weapons. The original complaint came from a Stoddard County resident who did not wish for their information to be scanned at the local DMV. On April 10, the Missouri State Highway Patrol admitted that in fact they had requested on two occasions the complete list of Missouri CCW holders and they had forwarded that information on to the federal government.
There are a variety of reasons why this issue is premier. First, it’s against the law. The Missouri General Assembly, in 2009, passed HB 361 which specifically states “no citizen of this state shall have his or her privacy compromised by the state or agents of the state.”
Second, while the government might have good interest in certain data at the group level (this helps when they are tracking and mitigating disease, for example), I can think of no good reason the government should be pinpointing CCW holders individually. Having a CCW is not a crime or grounds for an investigation.
What Are We Doing to Help?
The House has responded with House Bill 787, which would further prohibit the Department of Revenue from retaining copies of source documents used to obtain driver's licenses and nondriver's licenses. On the Senate side, Senator Kurt Schaefer (R-Columbia) has led the investigative charge and continues to garner information from the Nixon Administration regarding this apparent breach of privacy and trust.
My office continues to receive a variety of concerns from constituents regarding this evolving issue. I’m committed to ensuring your government is responsible in protecting your privacy. Let me reaffirm that your local fee office has not done anything wrong. They were only following instructions from the Department of Revenue in this new process of scanning documents.
I was honored to host the nine students who attended the Sophomore Pilgrimage (photo at right). Those attending were Bailey Burton, South Pemiscot High School; Kirsten Flowers, Cooter High School; Maegan Jones, Southland High School; Sarah Beth Prater, Caruthersville High School; Matthew Campbell, Campbell High School; Zachary Provance, Clarkton High School; Dalton Whitfield, Delta C-7 High School; Abigail McMullan, Kennett High School; and Katie Jones, Senath-Hornersville High School.
As always, it is an honor to serve you in the Missouri House. If you would like to discuss any issue, please call 573-751-3629. You can also email me at Kent.Hampton@house.mo.gov. I look forward to hearing from you.
Submitted by
Beth Farrah, SMT Writer
Poplar Bluff, Missouri - During a meeting led by Sen. Doug Libla (R-Poplar Bluff) on Friday, April 5, at Three Rivers College, Poplar Bluff R-I Superintendent Chris Hon [left] tells a group of Missouri lawmakers—including [to right] Sens. Joe Keaveny and Jason Holsman; and Rep. Courtney Allen Curtis—about the school district’s digital transformation. Each junior high student will be issued a MacBook Air in August, and high schoolers will receive individual laptops during the 2014/15 school year under the one-to-one initiative recently approved by the Board of Education.
Also present were Reps. Steve Cookson, Todd Richardson and Noel Torpey; former legislators Franc Flotron and Billy Pat Wright; officials from Three Rivers and SRG Global of Portageville; and other regional leaders.
