Submitted by
Beth Farrah, SMT Writer
Jefferson City, Missouri - After adjusting our mechanical and body clocks and “springing forward” to adjust to daylight savings, work at your state capitol continued with several issues debated and passed out of the House and others scheduled for hearings.
Much of the focus was on allegations that the Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR) is scanning and distributing of private information to external parties and possibly the federal government. If you’ve followed the news, you have likely seen that a Stoddard County resident filed a lawsuit against the department after they told him it was a requirement to scan and save his "source documents" (birth certificate, social security card, marriage license, divorce decree, utility bill, etc.) in order to add his concealed carry status to his driver’s license. He believes, as I do, that the state has no business keeping electronic copies of this information, and certainly has no right to send the information to companies that operate outside of Missouri, as seems to be the current practice.
Representatives from DOR answered questions in the Capitol this week about this development; a senate committee hearing was held with DOR on Monday. This is especially concerning given the fact the White House has made it clear it wants to establish a federal gun owner database, and the new equipment that is currently being installed in local license offices has reportedly been provided through a grant with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
To combat this situation, we are pursuing several avenues. HB818 will further protect our 2nd Amendment rights, and prevent state agencies from creating or assisting the federal government to compile information relating to firearms, ammunition, or firearm accessories.
HB787, would prohibit DOR from scanning personal documents and transferring them to an out-of-state database. Together, these measures send a strong message that the Missouri House is ready to defend the privacy rights of all Missourians. Following Spring Break, these bills will be heard in committee, and quickly moved to the House floor.
This week we answered the call of thousands of workers in the medical field who do not want to be forced to perform or participate in procedures or research that infringe upon their beliefs.
HCS HB 457, sponsored by Speaker of the House Tim Jones (R-110), is a shield for medical professionals to exercise their conscience rights. It serves to protect them from participation in medical procedures or research that violates their religious, moral or ethical beliefs.
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
Dee Loflin, SMT Writer
Jefferson City, Missouri - As we have reached the halfway point of session and with a week off for Spring Break. This week’s report turns to the most important event in history. Holy Week is approaching, but what does that matter in a modern world that is forgetting about God?
When Jesus rose from the dead, grief departed, and His suffering—so wrenching and complete—became a thing of the past. At the moment of Christ's resurrection, His focus, and ours, turned to the future.
The miraculous lesson of Easter is that through Jesus' death on the Cross, and by our acceptance of Jesus as our Lord and Savior we have been granted a second chance—permission to leave our old lives behind and stand before the pristine, unmarred canvas of a new day, with all its potential for joy and choices that honor God.
Christ is victorious over death, and His Kingdom is forever.
When we hear about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, it should stir and shake us. "What? Somebody has risen from the dead? Who is it? That can't be – if it is true the whole world must change!"
“And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.”
(Matthew 28:7 NLT)
Did you know?
Easter, is Christianity's most important holiday. It has been called a moveable feast because it doesn't fall on a set date every year, as most holidays do. Instead, Christian churches in the West celebrate Easter on the first Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox on March 21.
Therefore, Easter is observed anywhere between March 22 and April 25 every year. Orthodox Christians use the Julian calendar to calculate when Easter will occur and typically celebrate the holiday a week or two after the Western churches, which follow the Gregorian calendar.
Across all cultures, men and women have found consolation and courage in the belief that death is not the end, but as a follower of our Lord and Savior that it is followed by another, better life to come.
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.
Kent Hampton
Kent Hampton is a member of the Missouri House of Representatives. He has recently created a Capitol Report that was recently issued on March 11th. This report contains bills that have been discussed, debated, and voted on within the House of Representatives. The bills are now being passed on to the Senate to be approved. If they are approved, they will be sent to the Missouri Governor to be signed and officially be put into action as Missouri laws.
Recently Passed Bills in the Missouri House
Parent and Community School Information Act (HB 388): In order to give parents an easy understanding and progress of their children’s schools, the Parent and Community School Information Act would be used to evaluate every public and charter school in the state.
Right to Farm (HJRs 11 & 7): Upon voter approval, this constitutional amendment would protect the traditional rights of Missourians to engage in the farming traditions that have been handed down for generations. And restrict groups that have an agenda to drive up cost and incur non-feasible restrictions.
Veterans Lottery Ticket (HJR 8): Upon voter approval, this constitutional amendment would require the State Lottery Commission to develop and begin selling a “Veterans Lottery Ticket” by July 1, 2015. Proceeds generated from ticket sales would be dedicated solely to the Veterans' Commission Capital Improvements Trust Fund.
School Construction Act (HB 34): Eliminates prevailing wage requirements for school renovation and upgrade projects in rural school districts.
Employment Law Reform (HB 320): Changes laws regarding unlawful discriminatory employment practices and protection for whistleblowers.
General Assembly Term Limits (HJR4): Upon voter approval, this proposed constitutional amendment prohibits a person from serving more than 16 years in the General Assembly. The service may be split between the House of Representatives and the Senate in any proportion as long as the individual serves no more than 16 years total.
Admissibility of Evidence (HJR16): Upon voter approval, this proposed constitutional amendment allows relevant evidence of prior criminal acts, whether charged or uncharged, to be admissible in the prosecution for a crime of a sexual nature involving a victim under 16 years of age for the purpose of corroborating the victim's testimony or demonstrating the defendant's propensity to commit the crime with which he or she is presently charged.
Initiative and Referendum Petitions (HB117): This bill changes the laws regarding initiative and referendum petitions.
Purple Heart State (HCR5): This designates the State of Missouri as a Purple Heart State, honoring the service and sacrifice of our nation’s men and women in uniform who were wounded or killed while serving to protect the freedoms enjoyed by all Americans.
The Purple Heart State would be a great addition to Missouri and the recently passed project of turning highways I-70 and I-44 into part of the Purple Heart Trail.
Although this is a great accomplishment for the workers, it is not their first victory. In fact, this is the sixth consecutive year that MoDot has taken first place in the Charitable Campaign. This year, they have raised a total of $164,551.
The campaign is annually organized by the Missouri Office of Administration that allows employees to voluntarily raise money for non-profit organizations and help out with charity. These multiple fundraisers and the campaign itself has become a raging success. Throughout the twenty-eight years that the Missouri State Employee Charitable Campaign has been around, MoDot has always played a big part in the program, along with many other Missouri employees. This year, Missouri raised a grand total of $1,050,000 for the campaign and is eager to donate it to various charities all over the country.
MoDot raised the most money as a whole, but each branch of MoDot performed their own fundraisers and have decided to donate to certain charities. Many of these fundraisers included raffles, chili suppers and cook offs, activity fairs, and others collected multiple donations.
The campaign usually starts in late August and lasts a few months until ending sometime in November, which gives the employees plenty of time to come up with fundraisers and plan fundraising events. There were about 8,500 different Missouri donors that participated in the campaign this year, which was a 2% increase from the previous years. MoDot is proud to be one of these 8,500 donors. They are currently the fourth largest that participates in the campaign.
The total money raised was donated to nearly one thousand different charities in organizations. Some of these foundations are well known, such as the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, American Association for Cancer Research, and the American Wildlife Conservation Fund. Many of the others were local donations, such as: Shop with a Cop, local Christmas programs, 4H Clubs, Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops, humane societies, and church related groups.
The money that was raised by the people near the Stoddard County area and/or the Southeast Missouri area donated a majority of their money to the Salvation Army, American Red Cross (Southeast MO Chapter), Big Brothers Big Sisters of Missouri, Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland, and The Safe House for Women Group.
In previous years, money has been donated to Joplin to help repair the horrific damage from the tornado. A majority of the funds will go towards medical foundations or local schools, clubs, or organizations that help younger children thrive and grow properly.
To willingly raise such a large amount of money and help people all across the United States is an amazing thing to do. The employees of both MoDot and other Missouri companies and businesses really put their heart into it and the totaled numbers have really shown that.
The recipients of the money raised are very thankful and the Missouri employees are preparing for next year’s campaign as they create fundraising ideas and begin planning events for the months ahead so that they will have an even better turn out next year.
To see the full list of charities or money raised by the various areas and regions across the state of Missouri, visit http://www.msecc.mo.gov. The website also contains information about the charities that are involved, the donors that participated, and ways to help get involved in next year’s upcoming campaign.
MoDot has joined the crew and has become a large part of the new official Purple Heart Trail that has been recently established in the state of Missouri. Both I-70 and I-44 will be associated with the new trail and road signs will be placed along these highways for miles upon miles in honor of the Purple Heart recipients. Sixteen road signs were unveiled at the official ceremony that took place last week on Wednesday, March 6th at Jefferson City. These two highways and the other roadways, bridges, and historical monuments serve as symbols to honor the soldiers that have received Purple Hearts.
The idea of the Purple Heart Trail was introduced by Carl Dietrich, a retired United States Navy electrician from Springfield. Dietrich is a member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, which has been a big inspiration to his newest proposal.
Dietrich began planning a committee and received help from Representative Charlie Denison and former Representative Jerry Nolte played a large part in the passing of the Senate Bill 480 at The Missouri General Assembly’s latest session.
“I am pleased with the support we received to honor those wounded or killed while serving their country.” Dietrich stated.
The three men worked closely together and created a committee that helped put the plan into action. They also received a helping hand from MoDot and a new worker joined their project. MoDot’s Assistant Chief Engineer, Don Hillis, agreed with the men who had taken on the task of bringing the Purple Heart Trail into Missouri.
“I believe that what we are going to see with these highway signs is a continual reminder of the sacrifice that people have made so that we can maintain our freedom in this country.” Hillis explained.
Missouri is not the only state that has taken on the responsibility of joining the Purple Heart Trail and we certainly will not be the last. In fact, the trail was first established in 1992 by the Members of the Purple Heart and the trail officially begins at the burial place of George Washington in Mount Vernon, Virginia. We are proud to say that Missouri has joined the other forty-five states that participate in the Purple Heart Trail so that we can honor our military members and soldiers who have received this medal of honor and for all of the ones that will in the future.
“It is my hope that the people who travel through the state of Missouri will recognize that we want to honor our veterans.” Denison concluded.
