Washington D.C. - U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies, recently received the National Education Service Award from the Association of Community Colleges Trustees and the American Association of Community Colleges. The award recognizes leaders for their efforts to support post-secondary education and training.
“As new jobs emerge in areas like advanced technology and health care, community colleges will continue playing a critical role in preparing students for the 21st century economy,” Blunt said. “That’s why I’ve been proud to lead efforts to make post-secondary education more affordable and accessible for Missouri students, including making Pell Grants available year round. I’m honored to receive this award, and will continue working to expand opportunity and make sure more students in our state and across the nation have the knowledge and skills they need to get ahead.”
As chairman of the appropriations subcommittee that funds the Department of Education, Blunt secured a provision in the bipartisan, committee-passed FY 2017 appropriations bill that would restore eligibility for year-round Pell Grants. This would allow full and part-time students to receive an additional Pell Grant during the year, helping them stay on track for graduation, enter or re-enter the workforce sooner, and graduate with less debt. Restoring year-round Pell would provide an estimated one million students, on average, an extra $1,650 to help pay for college.
Alexandria, Virginia - Rep. Tila Hubrecht, (R-Dexter) has been selected to serve in a leadership role for the National Foundation for Women Legislators, the nation’s oldest non-partisan organization addressing the needs of elected women at the city, county, and state levels of government.
Hubrecht, was recently appointed to serve on the 2017 Policy Committee for the National Foundation for Women Legislators (NFWL). Hubrecht was also appointed last month to serve as the 2017 Missouri NFWL State Director.
“I am excited to be appointed to this position and to have the opportunity to impact policy development and policy issues coming before legislators across the nation and working with individuals across our nation in shaping our nation’s future,” said Rep. Hubrecht.
As a member of the Policy Committee, Rep. Hubrecht will contribute to all committee business by developing educational programs on policy issues, engaging with policy partners, and recommending which areas of policy the Foundation shall focus on. The 2017 Policy Committee will focus on shared legislation by encouraging elected women to exchange legislative ideas. This is a new emphasis for NFWL and the Policy Committee will play an integral role in the launch and maintenance of shared legislation.
Elected women from across the country will gather in Minneapolis, Minnesota November 14-18, for NFWL’s Annual Conference to identify effective solutions to some of the nation’s most timely and pressing issues. Providing a non-partisan environment that encourages dialogue and the sharing of information and experiences, women leaders are able to build coalitions, share the concerns of their constituents, and identify out-of-the-box solutions to the most pressing issues facing their communities today.
“We are so honored Rep. Hubrecht has accepted a leadership position in our foundation,” shared Minnesota State Senator Carrie Ruud, NFWL’s 2017 Chair. “She will play a crucial role in the continued success of NFWL, as we embark on our most exciting year yet.”
Hubrecht, begins serving in her new position immediately and will hold this office through the end of 2017.
About the National Foundation for Women Legislators, Inc. (NFWL)
Through annual educational and networking events, the National Foundation for Women Legislators supports elected women from all levels of governance. As a non-profit, non-partisan organization, NFWL does not take ideological positions on public policy issues, but rather serves as a forum for women legislators to be empowered through information and experience. www.womenlegislators.org
Jefferson City, Missouri - Missouri 151st State Representative Tila Hubrecht put in her Capitol Report the following comments about protecting Missouri's Peace Officers! The Missouri House took action this week to deter crimes against law enforcement officials. House members approved legislation that would create enhanced penalties for individuals who assault officers of the law.
The legislation would increase by one degree the penalty for voluntary or involuntary manslaughter; first- or second-degree property damage; unlawful use of a weapon; rioting; or first-degree trespassing; when those crimes are committed against a law enforcement officer. As an example, voluntary manslaughter is a class B felony under current statute, but if HB 57 becomes law, voluntary manslaughter committed against a law enforcement officer would see the penalty increased to a class A felony.
As the bill’s sponsor told her colleagues, “Hopefully these additional penalties will be a deterrent for anyone who may be considering engaging in a crime against these public servants. This law is intended to further protect those who have dedicated themselves to safeguarding our communities," stated Tila Hubrecht, 151st State Representative.
Supporters of the bill said the enhanced penalties are necessary because crimes against law enforcement officers have increased in recent years. They also said the bill would reinforce the legislature’s commitment to law enforcement.
Hello and thank you so much for reading this week's Capitol Report!!
This week has been incredibly busy for us. I sit in on Budget hearings nearly every available moment, as we are still working very hard on the proposed budget cuts and the current budget shortages. I do want to make it very clear there will be cuts somewhere in the budget, however I am advocating for cuts to areas that will impact as least as possible those who cannot care for themselves. I am talking daily with individuals from our district that are watching numbers and the projected impact of various proposals. I truly want the outcome to be one which is right for Missouri and the people of the 151st district.
There are quite a few pieces of legislation beginning to hit the floor as well as in the various committees. My Utilities Committee has been hearing a significant amount of testimony. I have a lot of reading to do this weekend over these bills! The Employment Securities Committee also heard more testimony this week on Workers Compensation; the Department of Labor presented a very informative presentation to us about what happens with a claim after it is filed.
Tuesday evening I presented House Bill 174 to the Children's and Families Committee. This bill will put into place protections for Alternative to Abortion agencies. I feel these protections are very much required by the recent actions taken place by the city council in St. Louis. This bill will provide employers and the agencies working from a faith based view the protections they need. I am very grateful to the Catholic Arch Diocese for the support they are giving to me on this bill. The services that these agencies offer are an incredible resource and are very important to pregnant women who want to carry their unborn children to term. They range from providing a place for the woman (and child/children) to live, transportation to and from medical appointments, food, clothing and much more.
On Wednesday afternoon, House Bills 226 and 405 were both voted out of Health and Mental Health Committee. House Bill 226 deals with provisions related to Emergency Medical Services and treatments. It will allow a pathway for EMTs to administer the emergency medication of a patient with a rare disorder who carries the emergency medication on their person. With such disorders, the medication must be administered as quickly as possible; without it, the patient will die or suffer long term consequences. House Bill 405 clarifies some confusion in current statute as it relates to hospice patients. The clarification will state that patients under the care of a licensed hospice agency, no death investigation will be required if the death certificate is signed by the hospice physician and will require the coroner to be notified via written communication within 24 hours of the death.
I am staying an extra day in Jefferson City this week due to the first board meeting I will attend for ACT-MO. I was recently selected to serve on the Executive Board and am excited to begin! ACT-MO is a group focused on drug prevention and education. I am looking forward to working with this group and hopefully assisting to decrease the drug addictions in our state.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day this week!! I look forward to updating you more next week!
Until then,
Tila
The Right Recipient
February 17, 2017
In 2012, then President Obama signed into law the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act. While this legislation prevented a scheduled tax increase on millions of middle class families, it also rightfully authorized states across the country to begin drug testing applicants for Unemployment Insurance benefits. Simply put, prioritizing help to those who are doing everything they can to get back to work and to get off of government assistance is not only a right, but a responsibility of your government in its obligation to be good stewards of valuable taxpayer resources. This important section of the law was authored by the Republican controlled House of Representatives, then signed by President Obama, and it overturned an earlier regulation that banned states from drug testing applicants for unemployment assistance.
Unfortunately, soon after this new law hit the books – the same Obama White House that signed it started working behind the scenes, around Congress and behind the backs of the American people to circumvent it. They wrote rules and regulations out of the Department of Labor narrowly defining how, when, where and under what circumstances states may actually test for drug usage among applicants - all but nullifying the law a bipartisan Congress had passed and President Obama had himself signed. So when states like Wisconsin, Texas and others passed laws requiring the testing of Unemployment Insurance recipients for drug usage – they were unable to enforce them due to delays, obstructions and regulations from the Obama instructed Department of Labor.
It is your hard earned tax dollars that are used to fund government and all its programs – as such your government has a fiduciary responsibility to you that it will be good stewards of those resources. Unfortunately we have a federal government that has grown too big, taxes too high and spends too much of your tax dollars on government programs stricken with widespread fraud and abuse. It is one of the reasons I will continue to advocate for a government that takes less and allows the American people to keep more. As such I have long advocated for things like drug testing and work or job training requirements for those seeking welfare support or unemployment assistance. In 2011, I helped co-author and support Missouri State House Bill 73 which required Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients be tested for illegal drug use. That bill garnered support from both Democrats and Republicans because making sure taxpayer resources aren’t used to support individuals who are using those same dollars on illicit and illegal drugs just makes sense.
This week, with my support the House of Representatives passed a resolution to overturn the regulations used by the Obama White House which were preventing states from testing Unemployment Insurance recipients for drug usage. Our actions this week were to roll back and undo President Obama’s unfaithful execution of that 2012 law and to give states like Missouri the right to make sure hard working taxpayer dollars only go to deserving citizens. These are the type of common sense policies which make sense for thousands of private sector employers handing out a weekly paycheck and should as well for your federal government. Too many politicians and bureaucrats forget that it is their responsibility to protect and defend valuable taxpayer resources. As I continue to look for ways to cut the size and scope of your government while reducing fraud and waste, I am glad that I am joined by a President in the White House who shares the same vision of stamping out the abuse rampant throughout all levels of government.
