Paul Berry III Congressional Exploratory Committee
MEDIA ADVISORY
Berry III Touts Support For 2016 Missouri Senate GOP Agenda
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-January 18, 2016
ST. LOUIS, MO- Paul Berry III Congressional Exploratory Committee releases the following statement from Paul Berry III regarding various legislative bills filed by Missouri Republican Senators during the 2016 Legislative Session:
“In the State of Missouri, our rally cry during times of crisis and peace remains we are the Show Me State,” states Berry. “We are a people that recognize actions trumps empty rhetoric, substance always outweighs form.” “During the 2016 legislative, I am most proud of our Missouri Republican Senators who have sponsored multiple bills founded in constitutional principles that seek to restrain the weight of government against our own citizens.” “While there are several Missouri bills filed by Republican Senators that will have a direct impact on the citizens of Missouri Congressional District One, I would like to briefly highlight four Missouri Senate Bills that will address the needs and concerns of our most vulnerable citizens, those individual citizens without a professional lobby in Jefferson City.”
“Senate Bill 451, a criminal record expungement bill filed by Missouri Republican Senator Bob Dixon (R-Greene), will give Missourians who have run afoul of the law related to a nonviolent offense an opportunity to have their criminal record expunged from the public by not receiving another criminal conviction for an appropriate amount of time,” states Berry. “Senate Bill 451 is vitally important in giving the “bread winners” of Missouri’s families the opportunity at job employment opportunities after receiving a nonviolent Felony conviction, which also has the added benefit of reducing government assistance rolls in Missouri.”
Berry contends, “no Missouri citizen convicted of any nonviolent criminal offense should have the same employment disqualification “scarlet letter” as a child molester, rapist or murder, nor should any child of such parent be regulated to government assistance because their mom or dad are unnecessarily denied employment opportunities.” “Missouri employers depend upon the criminal justice system to determine appropriate designation of convicted Felon status and a system that appropriately abates such status with a process that has accountability and clarity.” “Senate Bill 451 sponsored by my fellow Republican Senator Dixon has the potential to be the single most important legislative bill uplifting the workforce of Missouri Congressional District One in decades.”
Berry states, “Another great bill is Senate Bill 924, the Missouri Restoration of Voting Rights Act, filed by Missouri Republican Senator Schaaf (R- Buchanan County).” “This bill begins to address a core deficiency in current Missouri law regarding a conflict between the Constitution and voting rights of Felons not incarcerated and sentenced to the Missouri Department of Corrections.” “As a Constitutionalist, I believe that any right afforded the citizens against our government may not be infringed upon by any law written by our government.” “While the purpose of government laws is to cover the grey areas not directly addressed by our Constitution, there is no gray area when a law absolutely prohibits an act that is also a clear right established by our Constitution.” “The constitutional right in question is the citizen’s right to suffrage.”
“When a person is released to the community, although under the indirect custody of the Missouri Department of Corrections, there is absolutely no state interest that can be contemplated to deny such person the right to suffrage, nor does the United State or Missouri Constitution support such governmental infringement.” “To liken such logic to the First Amendment or the Third Amendment, could you imagine any constitutional scenario where someone who has been previously convicted of a crime and permitted to walk free amungus us would be denied the ability to create a news blog, or lose the constitutional right to not be required to quarter soldiers during peacetime.” “To preserve the governing power of our Constitution, we as a State must utilize strict scrutiny when seeking to restrain any constitutional right afforded our citizens.” “While Senate Bill 924 will only affect approximately 60,000 Missouri voters, it is a very courageous deed to see Missouri Republican Senator Rob Schaaf push to align our State’s laws with respect to our Constitution.” “Additionally, Senate Bill 924 further dispels false rhetoric that the Missouri Republican Party seeks to disenfranchise African American voters by requiring all Missourians to utilize a picture I.D. to vote,” reiterates Berry.”
“Eliminating local earnings taxes in the City of St. Louis is something I’ve publicly supported for some time,” states Berry. “Senate Bill 575 sponsored by Senator Kurt Schaefer (R- Boone County) eliminates all local earnings income tax schemes upon any citizen’s paycheck throughout Missouri.” “Local earnings tax schemes are directly responsible for the lack of non service industry business growth in the City of St. Louis.” “The City of St. Louis loses business relocation and development projects to Jefferson County, St. Charles County and the surrounding Missouri counties due to local overregulation supported by City of St. Louis Mayor Slay, such as the City of St. Louis local earnings taxes.”
“There is no tax structure other than Missouri’s local earnings tax that actually taxes poor people upon their income or paychecks,” declares Berry. “The Federal government and the State of Missouri each gives poor people their tax money back in the form of a tax refund.” “It is very disingenuous for City of St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay to make statements regarding the citizens needing more take-home pay when Mayor Slay supported a minimum wage increase waiving his right fist, while simultaneously digging in the pockets of poor City of St. Louis residents with his left hand with his blind support for a City of St. Louis local earnings tax.”
“Further, the earnings tax scheme supported by Mayor Slay was found to be unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court in a similar earnings tax situation,” states Berry. “The bottom line is you can not take wages from any person’s income, in the form of a tax, and not provide such person the ability to vote related to the authorization of such tax.” “Paycheck withholdings are nonvoluntary and are much different than taxes paid voluntarily, such as sales tax or other use taxes.” “After City of St. Louis Mayor Slay’s recent court losses related to employment litigation in the City of St. Louis Circuit Court, I am untrusting that Mayor Slay has even considered the United States Supreme Court’s recent opinion on this matter.”
“While I support Senate Bill 575, I do support a less aggressive phase-out of local earnings taxes in the City of St. Louis, which would begin in 2017 and end in 2019,” outlines Berry. “I would begin with eliminating all earnings taxes upon the first $52,000 of any person’s income beginning in 2017, eliminating all taxes upon employers related to any person’s $52,000 of income beginning in 2018, and phase out all earning taxes and employer taxes in their entirety throughout Missouri by January 2019.”
“Senator Eric Schmitt (R- St. Louis County) has filed Senate Bill 572, the “sister bill” to last year’s Senate Bill 5,” states Berry. “Senate Bill 572 seeks to cap the amount of revenue any municipality may collect and keep from non traffic fines, such as housing violations, grass tickets and other code enforcements.” “Senate Bill 572 does not seek to eliminate code enforcement, such Senate Bill seeks to discourage municipalities from remaining dependant upon code enforcement revenue to meet the operating budget needs of such municipality.” “Both Senator Schmitt and myself are bothered by the depth our citizens have been fined and arrested throughout Missouri Congressional One, with a clear motivation to utilize fine revenue to satisfy municipal budgets.” “I am a supporter of local rule and local government, however just like any form of government we must remain vigilant in protecting the rights of the individual man, woman and child.”
Berry says, “while I support Senate Bill 572, I will remain an opponent of any specific part of Missouri legislation that creates a different standard for St. Louis County municipalities in comparison to the rest of the State.” “I have been a long-time advocate against any standard that creates any different right or standard for the St. Louis region and the rest of Missouri, related to several different aspects of Missouri and local law.” “In regards to SB 5, the original bill initially passed by the Missouri Senate and supported by Senator Schmitt did not have language creating different standards of revenue for St. Louis County and other municipalities.” “I believe Missouri legislators will pass Senate Bill 572 with revenue restrictions universal to all Missouri municipalities equally.”
“Additionally, I do not support any wholesale attacks of the entire municipal government system in St. Louis County echoed in the media by City/County merger supporters,” says Berry. “No more than any wholesale attack against all police, all protesters or all of any body of people.” “There are great municipalities within Missouri Congressional District One that are serving the people well.” “However, it must be understood the protection of any fundamental right from systemic violation committed by local government is the responsibility of the State, as the State grants municipalities the authority and power to exist.” “The survival of the municipal system in North St. Louis County is depended upon municipal leaders aggressively streamlining government services with technology processes, reducing municipal operational costs by shared services and refrain from tax increment financing competitive bidding against other St. Louis County municipalities.”
“There are five boilerplate principles that any local government must adhere to in order to continue serving the people of St. Louis County,” Berry outlines. “The people must want the local government, the local government must provide government services effectively, the local government must maintain transparent and fiscally responsible operations, the local government must operate with respect to the Constitution and Missouri law, and the local government must served the best interests of the people.” “As long as any municipality in St. Louis County operate with the previously-stated principles, they will have my full support against any calls for discorporation of such municipality.” “Any municipality in St. Louis County that can not effectively serve the people should seek to restructure their municipality in a manner that will achieve their designed purpose, or disincorporate entirely.”
“The Republican Senators and State Representatives serving in Missouri’s Legislative Branch are building a better Missouri for the entire state, one brick at a time,” says Berry. “I see the Republican leadership of Senator Pro Tem Ron Richards and House Speaker Todd Richardson having an immediate and profound effect upon the residents of the City of St. Louis and North St. Louis County.” “There are several more initiatives I seek to support during the 2016 Missouri Legislative Session, including public defender system reform, municipal corrections reform, creating a boot camp system for nonviolent first-time offenders, addressing professional licensing due process and overregulation, revamping the failed criminal justice system operating in the City of St. Louis and legislation that supports economic growth in the St. Louis region and throughout Missouri.” “There is much more to do in 2016, but I will say my Missouri Republicans are off to one heck of a start going into the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday!”
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