Jefferson City, Missouri - As the warm gentle breeze and the bright sunshine have made its way, it appears the groundhog from Pennsylvania has been given a stay of execution. People are moving activities to the outdoors, many mowing yards, planting gardens, baseball takes front stage on the sport scene, and farm equipment in the fields are preparing for a new year. The color green seems dominant now as the freshness of a new beginning occurs.

Several items to make you aware of, my assistant Shana and her husband, Clay, just celebrated the arrival of a new baby daughter this week and all are doing well. I’m so fortunate to have Irene Foster filling the role and meeting the needs of our constituents of the 150th District.

The Missouri Solution: Market-Based Medicaid Transformation

As we undertake the challenge of transforming Missouri’s Medicaid system, there are several key components that are critical to making the system the high-quality safety net it was meant to be:

Encourage free-market principles and competition to lower costs. Give Medicaid recipients the power to choose the plan that best fits their situation.

Incentivize preventative care.

Promote price transparency to allow recipients to shop for the most cost-effective medical solutions.

Demand less federal oversight and more flexibility. Empower our state to adapt the program to meet the needs of Missouri’s growing population and an ever-evolving health care industry.

Reaffirm Medicaid’s original purpose: to serve as a safety net for our most vulnerable citizens.

Medicaid was never meant to provide healthcare to everyone. Rather than expand the pool of recipients who receive increasingly diminished services, we need to transform Medicaid into a system that ably provides the highest quality care to those who need it most. 

The bill, HB 700, would move private insurers into a position of greater competition to provide coverage for low-income Missourians. It would empower Missourians, turning recipients into participants who actively make health care decisions and not wait until their health care needs require the emergency room

House Supports Military Veterans with HB 168

When veterans return home from service, they often make the decision to advance their education in support of their careers and families.  Unfortunately, our public school system has residency requirements that sometimes force our returning veterans to pay out-of-state tuition rates. 

What Does It Do?

HB 168 waives residency requirements for all separating service members who are applying to our public four year institutions.  It also waives those same requirements for our 2 year colleges so that the service member will receive the “in-district” rate rather than the higher “out-district” rate.

Consent Bills Move to the Senate

This week the Missouri House took up its consent bill calendar. Consent bills must be considered non-controversial, cost nothing to implement, and not reduce revenues. While these bills may not bring overarching reform, they represent Missouri’s goals, values and commitments. The following list is a small sampling of consent bills that have passed the House this session.

HB 334 exempts children working on family farms from child labor laws. Farming parents depend on their children to help out with the family business, and kids gain lifelong skills and responsibility. Agriculture is Missouri’s biggest industry and this measure reaffirms the legislature’s commitment to continue our tradition of family owned and operated farms.

HB 440 enables cottage food producers to keep on selling without health department inspections. This means that home-canned jelly and home-dried herbs, among other products, can continue to be sold at farmers’ markets, fairs, and to friends, without government intervention.

Currently, counties are only allowed to increase their budgets annually, but not decrease them. HB 451 allows counties to amends their budgets during the middle of the fiscal year, if revenues decline dramatically. This allows counties to responsibly act in times of economic crises. Counties have no power other than that granted by the state, and so we want to grant them this power to keep themselves afloat in tough times.

The Missouri Rice Council held its annual legislative luncheon and it was an honor for me to present them with a courtesy resolution. Pictured with me are Representative Donna Lichtenegger, Representative Dennis Fowler, Chris Barry, Gary Murphy, Representative Shelley Keeney, Representative Steve Cookson, Representative Todd Richardson, Greg Yielding, BJ Campbell and Alex Clark.

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.    

Cape Girardeau, Missouri - Gov. Jay Nixon today visited the Southeast Missouri Food Bank in Cape Girardeau to sign legislation which reinstates or extends several targeted tax credit programs, including those that encourage private donations to charitable organizations such as food pantries and crisis nurseries.

"Continuing to move our state forward means making sure we don't leave our most vulnerable citizens behind," Gov. Nixon said. "That is why I am pleased to sign this bipartisan legislation that will help charitable organizations across Missouri feed the hungry, protect children in crisis, and assist families in need."

Senate Bill 20 reinstates or extends seven separate tax credit programs, including incentives for contributions to food pantries, crisis nurseries, child advocacy centers, and pregnancy resource centers.  A donor who contributes financially to a qualifying charitable organization can receive a tax credit worth half of that contribution. By leveraging private donations, these tax credits can decrease the need for more costly state services.

The bill also renews property tax credits for the surviving spouses of public safety officers killed in the line of duty and extends tax credits that help low- and middle-income Missourians make their homes more accessible to loved ones with disabilities.  For families adopting a child with special needs, the bill authorizes a tax credit of up to $10,000 for non-recurring adoption expenses.  Senate Bill 20 also authorizes an incentive for businesses to create jobs in distressed communities.

The bill, which passed unanimously in the Senate and 157-1 in the House, was sponsored by Sen. Bob Dixon and handled in the house by Rep. Eric Burlison.

"As we extend these tax credits that work, we must also acknowledge the unfinished business of reforming those that do not," Gov. Nixon said. "The Senate has passed a bill that reins in some of the state's most costly and least effective tax credit expenditures, and I urge the House to do the same. Comprehensive tax credit reform will create jobs, strengthen communities, and deliver the best possible return on investment for taxpayers."

Gov. Jay Nixon also signed Senate Bill 10, which authorizes a refundable tax credit aimed at attracting amateur sporting events to the state.

The mission of Southeast Missouri Food Bank is to promote food recovery; acquire and distribute food and household products; and provide community leadership and education on issues of hunger and poverty in an effort to alleviate hunger in the region. Over 170 nonprofit hunger relief agencies in sixteen Southeast Missouri counties are members of the Southeast Missouri Food Bank's Hunger Relief Network.

Jefferson City, Missouri - When State Sen. Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff, was elected to serve the citizens of the 25th Senate District, he promised to represent the people of Southeast Missouri and the Bootheel, listen to their concerns and protect the interests of all Missourians.  An issue was brought to light in Stoddard County regarding the illegal use of private documents by employees within the Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR) for citizens who try to obtain certain documents, such as concealed carry gun permits.  Stoddard County is among the eight counties Sen. Libla represents in the Missouri Senate.  This invasion of privacy action that occurred in Sen. Libla’s district has sparked legal action against DOR.

“I fully support my constituents’ right to keep their personal information private,” said Sen. Libla.  “Law-abiding citizens have refused to let the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) within DOR scan some of their personal documentation, which has resulted in the denial of the permits they are seeking — permits these individuals should be able to obtain because they have passed the application process and followed all the rules set forth by the state to obtain certain documents.”

In 2009, the General Assembly passed HB 361, which prohibits DOR from amending its driver’s license application procedures to retain and collect personal documents in order to comply with the federal REAL ID Act of 2005, which shares citizens’ private information with third-party entities or the federal government.  

Legislation filed this session in the Missouri Senate, SB 252, would prohibit DOR from retaining copies of source documents used to obtain various licenses, this includes using technology — much like what was used at the DMV in Stoddard County — to digitally save source documents so they can be easily forwarded electronically, such as through email or saved in third-party or federal databases.

“Unfortunately, this unlawful action has spread from a county in my legislative district to areas throughout our state,” said Sen. Libla.  “If it weren’t for my informed constituency, this illegal action might have gone unnoticed for a longer amount of time.”

This alleged action taken by DOR has resulted in a negative trickle-down effect for many in Sen. Libla’s district, including those who own or work in these privately run businesses, many of which can no longer issue concealed carry permits until legal matters are concluded with the state department.  In addition, Missourians are inconvenienced when licensing offices in their area cannot issue these particular documents due to legal injunctions.

Sen. Libla says he understands the situation that has now spread from his district across the state and hopes the matter can be resolved in a timely fashion.  “DOR needed to stop collecting and sharing private data belonging to our state’s citizens; however, it’s time to protect the civil liberties and rights of all Missourians on all sides of the problem and solve this serious issue.”

Dexter, Missouri - Jason Smith was the guest speaker at the Stoddard County Republican Club meeting on Monday, March 18th.

Jason is the Republican Candidate for the up-coming June 4th special election to fill the Missouri 8th U.S. Congressional seat formally held by JoAnne Emerson.

Jason currently is the Missouri House of Representative for the 150th District and Missouri House Speaker Pro Tem.

Pictures with the Candidate from the left are Stoddard County Republican Club Officers:  Evelyn Griffin, Treasurer, Aleshia Flowers, Secretary, Gloria Hampton, Assistant Treasurer, Jason Smith, Candidate, Jim Henderson, President and Mike Watkins, Vice President.