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Senators present list of bills they will not filibuster

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A group of Missouri senators used their time yesterday when the Senate adjourned after less than 10 minutes to produce a list of bills they felt would be uncontroversial if taken up by the chamber.

Sen. Rob Schaaf, who has stood against Senate leadership and Gov. Eric Greitens in the past two weeks, has crafted a list of House bills in the Senate that he and another group of senators say they will not filibuster. Schaaf did not name other senators, though Sens. Doug Libla and Ryan Silvey also were confirmed in those meetings.

The list of bills came with the following message.

“A group of senators has reviewed the calendar, and the group suggests that given the limited time left in the session, House Bills for Third Reading on the May 2 calendar [that] are not on this list might take significantly more time and might be better brought toward the end of our legislative session,” the message reads. “We offer this list only as a way to streamline the legislative process and maximize our productivity.”

Schaaf added during floor debate he and the other senators had met in his office and spent hours going through yesterday’s calendar, asking whether or not they had problems with a given piece of legislation. If any single one of them had objection to the bill, they took it off the list.

“This is nothing more than information that we thought would be helpful,” Schaaf said during an inquiry with Sen. Jamilah Nasheed Wednesday. “I’m not asking for these bills to come up.”

Schaaf, however, apparently remains adamant, though he has relented by adding more bills that he would not stonewall. Most of the bills Schaaf listed passed through the House easily.

The story surrounding Schaaf this session has turned into a saga as he has become a crusader for ethics reform and the fight against “dark money” political organizations. Schaaf threatened to shut down debate on any bills that were not budget bills or pieces legislation that would force dark money groups to disclose their donors.

The Missouri Senate has been mired in politics and parliamentary procedures for the previous two days, as Senate Majority Leader Mike Kehoe was nowhere to be found in the Capitol. The Cole County senator was stuck on his farm, with each outlet road flooded, closing off any way of getting to the Capitol. He made it to the Capitol Wednesday.

Meanwhile, conference budget committees have been rescheduled, the Senate adjourned after just 10 minutes Tuesday without bringing up any bills, and now Schaaf appears to be setting the tone in the Senate for what will and will not be truly deliberated as intended in the Senate, directly taking over Kehoe’s duties as the man who sets the calendar.

Nasheed who herself has previously filibustered bills this session took some offense to the coup, despite protests from Schaaf that he and his group were not trying to obstruct the business of the Senate.

“When did that become your duty?” Nasheed asked Schaaf, later calling their group a “dark meeting.”

Schaaf and his group, however, comprise only one ongoing filibuster in the Senate. Democrats have still largely opposed a controversial budget measure that would take a nearly $50 million tax credit from senior renters, Sen. Will Kraus and several other senators oppose Real ID legislation, and Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal promised Wednesday she would grind the Senate to a halt if the House does not move on a bill that would grant money for buyouts in Spanish Lake near the West Lake Landfill.

“If we can’t save lives, I will be the one who shuts this down,” Chappelle-Nadal said.

The full list of bills Schaaf and his group will not filibuster can be read below.

Benjamin Peters also contributed to this story.

 

House Bills for Third Reading

HB 35-Plocher (Dixon) – Modifies admissibility of chemical test results in intoxication-related proceedings

HCS for HB 54, with SCS (Emery) – Modifies provisions relating to vacancies in certain elected offices

HCS for HB 57-Haefner, with SCS (Libla) – Modifies provisions relating to law enforcement

HB 61-Alferman (Schatz) – Designates a bridge on a portion of State Highway 100 in Franklin County as the “Lyndon Ebker Memorial Bridge”.

HCS for HB 66, with SCS (Sater) – Expands the newborn screening requirements to include spinal muscular atrophy and Hunter syndrome

HB 85-Redmon, with SCS (Hegeman) – Adds utility vehicles to the list of vehicles covered under the “Move Over Law”

HB 93-Lauer, with SCS (Wasson) – Modifies provisions relating to job training

HB 94-Lauer (Romine) – Allows students to take the ACT WorkKeys assessments instead of the ACT Plus Writing assessment

HB 104-Love (Brown) – Repeals provisions relating to prevailing wages on public works

HB 105-Love (Kraus) – Repeals the expiration date for tax refund contributions to the Organ Donor Program Fund

HCS for HB 115, with SCS (Wasson) – Modifies provisions relating to intoxicating liquor

HCS for HB 122, with SCS (Onder) – Modifies provisions relating to out-of-state physicians providing sports medicine services in Missouri

HB 128, HB 678, HB 701 & HB 964-Davis, with SCS (Richard) – Designates a portion of Missouri 249 in Jasper County as the “Edward F Dixon The Third Memorial Highway”.

HCS for HB 138, with SCS (Onder) – Modifies provisions relating to course access in education

HCS for HB 151 (Silvey) – Allows the Department of Revenue to issue REAL ID compliant driver’s licenses and identification cards

HCS for HB 181 (Sater) – Permits agents of the Conservation Commission and water patrol to enforce certain laws relating to littering and abandoning motor vehicles, and requires law enforcement officers to enforce those laws

HCS for HBs 190 & 208 (Eigel) – Allows community college police officers to establish regulations to control vehicular traffic on any thoroughfare owned or maintained by the college

HB 193-Kelley – Permits third class counties to repeal a property tax and impose a sales tax to fund the hospital district

HCS for HB 199, with SCS (Cunningham)  – Repeals a provision stating that certain officials are ineligible for the office of county treasurer and creates bonding requirements for candidates for public administrator

HB 200-Fraker, with SCS (Sater) – Extends an expiration date for provisions allowing counties to amend their budgets

HB 207-Fitzwater (Romine) – Prohibits two-way telecommunications devices and their component parts in correctional centers and jails

HCS for HB 225 (Munzlinger) – Allows camping trailers more than twenty-five years old to be permanently registered and be issued historic trailer license plates

HCS for HB 230, with SCS (Koenig) – Provides that the practice of cosmetology and the occupation of a barber does not include hair braiding

HB 245-Rowland, with SCS (Cunningham) – Provides for sales tax relief for certain purchases

HB 248-Fitzwater, with SCS (Cunningham) – Establishes the STEM Career Awareness Program

HCS for HB 253, with SCS (Romine) – Enacts certain provisions relating to career and technical education

HB 256-Rhoads, with SCS (Munzlinger) – Removes restrictions on when amber or white lights may be used on motor vehicles and equipment performing work for the department of transportation

HCS for HB 258, with SCS (Munzlinger) – Creates new provisions relating to the accountability of public funds

HCS for HB 260, with SCS (Sater) – Modifies provisions relating to the protection of certain vulnerable persons

HB 262-Sommer (Hoskins) – Modifies the definition of a service dog

HB 281-Rowland (Sater) – Adds St. Francois and Taney counties to a list of counties authorized to enact certain nuisance abatement ordinances

HB 288-Fitzpatrick (Kehoe) – Modifies the duration of unemployment compensation, modifies the method to pay federal advances, and raises the fund trigger causing contribution rate reductions

HCS for HBs 302 & 228, with SCS, SS for SCS & SA 5 (pending) (Schatz)  – Creates the “Blue Alert System” for notifying the public when law enforcement officers are seriously injured or killed

HCS for HB 304, with SCS (Koenig) – Modifies provisions relating to the Public School Teacher Retirement System, the Public Education Employees Retirement System, and the St. Louis Public School Retirement System.

HCS for HB 316, with SCS (Wallingford) – Modifies the requirements for initial licensure as a psychologist

HB 327-Morris (Curls) (In Fiscal Oversight) – Establishes the Missouri Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program

HB 336-Shull (Wieland) – Provides that riders, endorsements, and amendments to life insurance policies may contain suicide exclusions or limitations

HCS for HBs 337, 259 & 575 (Schatz) – Establishes procedures relating to financial accreditation standards for insurance companies

HCS for HB 348 (Romine) – Changes the laws regarding the requirements for the operation of a bingo game

HB 355-Bahr (Eigel) – Prohibits a property owners’ association from preventing a property owner from placing political signs on his or her property

HCS for HB 381, with SCS (Hegeman) – Modifies provisions relating to fees and records involving health care records

HCS for HB 427, with SCS (Kehoe) – Modifies provisions relating to trust instruments

HCS for HB 451 (Wasson) – Provides that a change in population shall not remove a city, county, or political subdivision from the operation of a law

HB 469-Gannon, with SCS (In Fiscal Oversight) – Modifies provisions relating to high school graduation requirements

HB 493-Bondon, with SCS (Silvey) – Modifies provisions requiring LLC’s owning rental or unoccupied property in certain cities

HCS for HB 542 (Schatz) – Modifies provisions relating to vehicle length and weight requirements

HB 557-Ross – Removes certain application requirements for enrolling as a land surveyor-in-training and licensure as a professional land surveyor

HB 558-Ross, with SCS (Schatz) – Enacts provisions relating to water safety

HB 568-Tate, with SCS (Schatz) – Modifies provisions relating to actions of county commissions

HB 587-Redmon, with SCS (Hegeman) – Modifies provisions relating to governing bodies of schools districts

HB 598-Cornejo (Hegeman) – Limits contingency fees a private attorney may receive from contingency fee contracts with the state

HCS for HB 631, with SCS (Emery) – Modifies medical endorsement requirements for school bus drivers

HCS for HB 645 (Sater) – Allows retired police officers to return to work when a disaster or emergency has been proclaimed by the governor or there is a national disaster

HCS for HB 647, with SCS (Sater) – Enacts provisions relating to county roads

HB 655-Engler (Dixon) – Extends the expiration date of tax credits for donations to pregnancy centers

HB 664-Korman (Riddle) – Modifies provisions relating to vehicle lighting equipment

HB 680-Fitzwater, with SCS (Wasson) – Modifies provisions relating to financial incentives for job creation

HCS for HB 694 (Cunningham) (In Fiscal Oversight) – Establishes a motor fuel tax on propane fuel used to propel motor vehicles

HB 700-Cookson, with SCS (Libla) – Designates the Narvel Felts Highway, the Lyndon Ebker Memorial Bridge, and the USMA Cadet Thomas M. Surdyke Memorial Highway

HCS for HB 703 (Hegeman) – Changes the laws regarding tax payments so that a collector may use discretion in determining the date of unreadable postmarks on mailed tax payments

HCS for HB 741, with SCS – Exempts certain types of commercial insurance lines from filing requirements with respect to rates, rate plans, modifications, and manuals

HB 758-Cookson, with SCS (Romine) – Modifies provisions relating to higher education

HB 805-Basye (Rowden) – Modifies provisions relating to combat decoration license plate recognition

HB 811-Ruth (Wieland) – Allows a port authority to establish an advanced industrial manufacturing zone in an area within the port authority’s ownership or control, and allows a port authority to expand or contract the area of an AIM zone by resolution

HB 815-Basye, with SCS (Riddle) (In Fiscal Oversight) – Modifies provisions relating to the regulation of certain professions

HCS for HB 831, with SCS (Hummel) – Modifies provisions relating public retirement

HB 843-McGaugh, with SCS (Hegeman) – Repeals an expiration date relating to county budgets and modifies provisions relating to electronic communications between county governments and the State Auditor

HB 849-Pfautsch (Kraus) – Modifies provisions regarding financial transaction reporting so that certain requirements of transportation development districts also apply to political subdivisions

HB 850-Davis (Kraus) – Modifies the complaint process for members of the state military forces

HB 871-Davis, with SCS (Kraus) – Renames the Missouri reserve military force to the Missouri state defense force

HB 909-Fraker (Wasson) – Allows the next-of-kin to delegate the final disposition of human remains

HCS for HB 935, with SCS (In Fiscal Oversight) – Modifies provisions relating to county sales taxes for zoological organizations

HB 956-Kidd, with SCS (Rizzo) – Authorizes the conveyance of certain state properties to certain municipalities

HB 1045-Haahr (Wasson) – Extends the sunset provisions for fees credited to the technology trust fund

HCS for HB 1158, with SCS (Riddle) – Modifies provisions relating to child abuse

HCS for HBs 1194 & 1193 (Hegeman) – Prohibits political subdivisions from requiring a minimum wage that exceeds the requirements of state law

HCB 3-Fitzpatrick, with SA 2 (pending) (Koenig) – Modifies provisions relating to funds for vulnerable senior citizens

HJR 10-Brown (Romine) – Proposes a constitutional amendment to reduce the amount of time a person is required to be a member of an organization in order to participate in the management of a bingo game