During the penultimate week of session, The Missouri Times will be bringing you daily updates of all the floor activity of each chamber. Below is all the floor activity for the Senate.
Monday, May 5
House Bills for Third Reading:
House Bill 1090 — Changes how overtime is calculated for Department of Corrections workers. Sen. Munzlinger says the language allows employees who has accrued overtime hours to use the hours as compensatory leave time.
- The bill was unanimously approved and now returns to the House for a likely conference committee.
House Bill 1092 — Changes the deadline for the Children’s Division within the Department of Social Services to complete a child abuse or neglect investigation from 30 days to 30 business days.
- The bill was amended to place SB 973 and HB 1184 onto it, making an omnibus bill and sending it back to the House if the Senate approves it.
Bills for Veto Override
Senate Bill 509 — The tax cut bill vetoed by Gov. Jay Nixon last Friday would gradually reduce the top income tax rate from 6 percent to 5.5 percent across a 5-year period beginning in 2017. The cuts would only take place if state revenues grow $150 million more than the high mark of the previous three years. Republicans largely extolled the value of the cut to small businesses while Democrats said it would gut state services. Both sides clashed over a so-called error that Nixon called “cataclysmic.” Republicans say Nixon’s analysis of the “error” is “absurd.”
- Nixon’s veto was override by a party-line vote after a lengthy debate, 23-8. The bill now goes before the House, where they will attempt to override the veto.
House Bill 1631 — Specifies that the Air Conservation Commission shall develop emissions standards and compliance schedules under federal law through a unit-by-unit analysis of each existing source of a designate.
- The bill was approved and advanced to the House with amendments.
House Bill 1190 — Requires the Department of Transportation to issue emergency utility response permits for the transporting of equipment and materials needed following a disaster where utility service has been disrupted
- The bill was approved and sent back to the House with amendments.
House Bill 2011 — This budget bill appropriates money for the expenses, grants, and distributions of the Department of Social Services.
- The measure was approved and sent into conference committee with the House.
House Bill 1791 — Authorizes the Governor to convey specified state properties
- The measure was approved by the body and sent back to the House with amendments.
House Bill 1779 — Allows advanced practice registered nurses in collaborative practice arrangements to make certain decisions regarding patient restraints.
- The measure was approved with amendments and sent back to the House.
House Bill 1206 — Removes the expiration date on the authority of certain public higher education institutions to transfer real property, except in fee simple, without General Assembly authorization
- The measure advanced back to the House after the senate approved it with amendments.
House Bill 1300 — Allows fire protection district board of directors to meet without public notice in order to disburse funds necessary for the deployment of certain task forces
- The measure was approved by the body and sent back to the House for a likely conference committee.
Tuesday, May 6
House Bill 1729 — Requires the Division of Commerce and Industrial Development to support and assist the development of biotechnological enterprises and establish an office in Israel to assist with the promotion of state exports.
- The bill was approved with senate Amendments, sending it back to the House for final approval or conference.
House Bill 1217 — Specifies certain unlawful transfers or assignments of pension benefits.
- The bill was approved and sent back to the House for final approval.
House Bill 1270 — Requires specified disclosures on new credit card processing service contracts
- The bill was laid over on the informal calendar.
House Bill 1359 — Authorizes the Missouri State Capitol Commission and the Office of Administration to enter into contracts for events held at the State Capitol and the Missouri State Penitentiary historic site.
- The bill was sent back to the House for a conference committee.
DISRUPTION: For about an hour, The Missouri Senate stood at ease. A group of Medicaid expansion supporters, many of them clergy, began singing gospel and chanting in the upper gallery of the Senate as a protest of the body’s refusal to pass Medicaid expansion.The protestors locked arms and originally refused to leave. Eventually many of the protestors left one-by-one as they were escorted by police, and about 15 members of the group were arrested.
House Bill 1307 — Changes the minimum waiting period before a woman can have an abortion from 24 hours to 72 hours.
- This bill has been the source of major friction between majority and minority members after floor leader Ron Richard told reporters last month that he was open to using a rarely-used Senate motion to cut-off a Democratic filibuster to bring the issue to a vote. The Senate spent three hours on the bill, largely thanks to Democrats seeking to talk the bill to death. After a number of Democratic amendments were struck down on the floor, the Senate laid the bill over.
House Bill 1617 — Requires authorization for certain labor unions to use dues and fees to make political contributions and requires consent for withholding earnings from paychecks.
- (Updated at 11:01 pm) After a filibuster lasted for hours, Senate handler Dan Brown moved that the bill be laid over on the informal calendar, ending debate for the evening. The Senate stood adjourned a few minutes later.
Wednesday, May 7
Senate Bill 614 — The act modifies the county description of Jefferson County in provisions of law which allow Jefferson and Franklin Counties to prosecute violations of county orders in a county municipal court.
- The bill was passed and sent to the House for a conference committee.
House Bill 1918 — Changes the laws regarding the foreign ownership of agricultural land.
- The bill was laid over on the informal calendar after brief debate.
House Bill 1124 — Changes the laws regarding “all-terrain vehicles,” “recreational off-highway vehicles,” and “utility vehicles”
- The bill was passed and sent back to the House for a conference committee.
House Bill 1389 — Implementation of a state authorization reciprocity agreement for distance education.
- The bill was passed and sent back to the House for a conference committee.
House Bill 1411 — Requires persons less than 17 years of age using a tanning device in a tanning facility to have the parent or guardian of the minor give written consent in person to the minor’s use of a tanning device.
- After brief debate, the bill was passed by a vote of 22-10 and sent back to the House with changes for a conference committee.
House Bill 1504 — Changes the laws regarding tax increment financing
- The bill was passed and sent back to the House for a conference committee.
House Bill 1866 — Designates a portion of U.S. Highway 54 in Cole County as the “Billy Dean Robinett Memorial Highway”
- The bill was passed and sent back to the House for a conference committee.
House Bill 1999 — Changes the laws regarding liens or encumbrances upon a motor vehicle or trailer
- The bill was passed and sent back to the House for a conference committee.
House Bill 1412 — Specifies that it shall be a crime to intentionally file a fraudulent financing statement or any financing statement with the Secretary of State with the intent to harass or defraud any other person
- The bill was passed and sent back to the House for a conference committee.
House Bill 2028 — Designates the month of November each year as “Epilepsy Awareness Month”
- The bill was laid over on the informal calendar.
House Bill 1136 — Changes the laws regarding elections
- The bill was passed and sent back to the House for a conference committee.
Senate Joint Resolution 36 — This proposed constitutional amendment, if approved by voters, modifies provisions regarding the right to keep and bear arms. This amendment provides that a citizen has the right to keep and bear arms, ammunition, and accessories typical to the normal function of such arms, in defense of their family, in addition to the current rights in defense of home, person and property. The amendment removes language stating that the right to keep and bear arms did not justify the wearing of concealed weapons.
- The bill was Truly Agreed to and Finally Passed, sending it to the SOS to be placed on the ballot.
House Bill 1085 — Expands library record privacy to include digital resources and materials and adds a third party contracted by a library to the list of those who cannot release a library record
- The bill was passed and sent back to the House for a conference committee.
House Joint Resolution 47 — Proposes a constitutional amendment specifying that general law may require a person to provide valid government-issued photo identification in order to vote in person in an election
- After about an hour of a Democratic filibuster, the bill was laid over.
House Bill 1303 — Establishes the Missouri Student Religious Liberties Act
- The bill was Truly Agreed to and Finally Passed. It now heads to Gov. Jay Nixon’s desk.
House Bill 1372 — Prohibits protest activities at funeral services
- The bill was approved by the body.
House Bill 1882 — Changes the laws regarding the administrative requirements of public employee retirement plans
- The bill was approved and sent to the House for a conference committee.
House Bill 1410 — Removes the option for a trial de novo in landlord-tenant actions
- After several amendments were added, the bill was approved and sent to the House for a conference committee.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 41 — This concurrent resolution designates November 2014 as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Awareness month and encourages the Department of Health and Senior Services to include COPD as a chronic health condition in its current efforts to educate the public about the effects of smoking.
- The bill was approved by the body.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 43 —This concurrent resolution designates the Vietnam Veterans Memorial which is to be built on the College of the Ozarks Campus in Point Lookout, Missouri as the official Vietnam War Memorial of the State of Missouri.
- The bill was unanimously approved.
Senate Bill 530 —Allows for alcohol or drug use or related convictions to be considered in determining parental fitness in termination of parental rights proceedings
- By a party-line vote, the Senate approved the HCS for this bill, sending it to the desk of the Governor.
Senate Bill 719 — Modifies the laws relating to school purchases
- The bill was adopted with House amendments, sending it to the desk of the Governor pending signatures from Pro Tem Tom Dempsey and Speaker Tim Jones.
Senate Bill 693 —Modifies provisions relating to taxation, fire sprinklers and merchandising practices
- The HOuse version of the bill was adopted and the bill was laid over.
Senate Bill 621 —Modifies various provisions of law regarding garnishments, criminal procedure, prosecutors’ retirement system, judicial resources, court surcharges, and crime prevention.
- The Senate requested the House grant a conference on the bill.
Senate BIll 859 —Modifies provisions relating to agriculture
- The bill was approved by the body and now heads to the desk of the Governor.
Senate Bill 796 —Establishes a procedure to obtain a marriage license for incarcerated persons.
- The bill, along with an emergency clause, was approved by the body.
Thursday, May 8
House Bill 2021 — Appropriates money for purposes for the several departments and offices of state government for planning and capital improvements.
- The bill is now before the House.
House Joint Resolution 90 — Proposes a constitutional amendment requiring the establishment of a six-week early voting period for all elections except local, special district, and municipal elections.
- The bill was laid over on the informal calender immediately after it was introduced on the floor.
House Bill 1390 — Requires the cooperative development of a university resource allocation model that incorporates performance funding for public four-year institutions of higher education.
- The Senate added several amendments before approving the measure and sending the measure to committee.
House Bill 1361 — Changes the laws regarding insurance
- The bill’s conference committee substitute was accepted, sending it to Nixon’s desk pending House approval.
Senate Bill 672 — Modifies provisions relating to businesses, political subdivisions, fire sprinklers, investments, hair braiding, garnishments, asphalt shingles, and Sunday sales
- The conference committee report was approved by the body, sending it to Nixon’s desk pending House approval.
House Bill 2002 — Appropriates money for the expenses, grants, refunds, and distributions of the State Board of Education and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
- The first in the slew of bills crafting the state’s budget, the bill was approved by the House before getting approval in the Senate, sending it to Nixon’s desk.
House Bill 2003 — Appropriates money for the expenses, grants, refunds, and distributions of the Department of Higher Education
- The bill was approved by the House before getting approval in the Senate, sending it to Nixon’s desk.
House Bill 2004 — Appropriates money for the expenses, grants, refunds, and distributions of the Department of Revenue and Department of Transportation.
- The bill was approved by the House before getting approval in the Senate, sending it to Nixon’s desk.
House Bill 2005 — Appropriates money for the expenses, grants, refunds, and distributions of the Office of Administration, Department of Transportation, and Department of Public Safety.
- The bill saw some debate over the funding mechanism for the rebuild of Fulton State Hospital. The bill has the state borrowing nearly $198 million for the project and a 25-year payment plan with the first payment of $14 million this year. The bill was approved by the House before getting approval in the Senate, sending it to Nixon’s desk.
House Bill 2006 — Appropriates money for the expenses, grants, refunds, and distributions of the Department of Agriculture, Department of Natural Resources, and Department of Conservation
- The bill was approved by the House before getting approval in the Senate, sending it to Nixon’s desk.
House Bill 2007 — Appropriates money for the expenses and distributions of the departments of Economic Development; Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration; and Labor and Industrial Relations.
- The bill was approved by the House before getting approval in the Senate, sending it to Nixon’s desk.
House Bill 2008 — Appropriates money for the expenses, grants, refunds, and distributions of the Department of Public Safety.
- The bill was approved by the House before getting approval in the Senate, sending it to Nixon’s desk.
House Bill 2009 — Appropriates money for the expenses, grants, refunds, and distributions of the Department of Corrections.
- The bill was approved by the House before getting approval in the Senate, sending it to Nixon’s desk.
House Bill 2010 — Appropriates money for the expenses, grants, refunds, and distributions of the Department of Mental Health, Board of Public Buildings, and Department of Health and Senior Services.
- After a brief delay in the House as Democrats opposed the bill’s lack of Medicaid expansion language, the bill advanced through both bodies and made its way to Nixon’s desk.
House Bill 2011 — Appropriates money for the expenses, grants, and distributions of the Department of Social Services
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The bill was approved by the House after Democrats chided Republicans for not including Medicaid expansion. The Senate approved the measure, sending it to Nixon’s desk.
House Bill 2012 — Appropriates money for the expenses, grants, refunds, and distributions of statewide elected officials, the Judiciary, Office of the State Public Defender, and General Assembly
- The bill was approved by the House before getting approval in the Senate, sending it to Nixon’s desk.
House Bill 2013 — Appropriates money for real property leases and related services.
- The bill was approved by the House before getting approval in the Senate, sending it to Nixon’s desk.
Collin Reischman was the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
