Rep. Patricia Pike Capital Report

JEFFERSON CITY, MO—Friday, May 15 at 6:00 p.m. will mark the conclusion of the 2015 legislative session.

Following are some of the recent legislative topics:

Missouri’s Economy Continues to Grow

The state received good news this week as the latest economic numbers show Missouri’s revenues continue to increase at a rate faster than anticipated. To date, revenues have grown by 7.7 percent compared to last year. The number represents a considerable increase over what the governor had predicted, and based his budget on, with a 4.6 percent growth estimate.

The additional dollars prompted the governor to release some of the withheld funds he had kept back as he claimed revenues were insufficient to fund all of the items in the budget. Already the state has paid back $400 million it had borrowed from the state’s reserve fund. In addition, this week the governor released another $67 million in withheld funding. These dollars will go to building projects on college campuses around the state, college scholarship programs, transportation funding for K-12 schools, and several other vital programs.

Even with the significant status of state revenues, the governor continues to withhold approximately $269 million in funding for the Fiscal Year 2015 budget, which ends June 30.

General Assembly Overrides Governor’s Veto of Welfare Reform Bill (SB 24)

The members of the Missouri House and Senate worked together to override the governor’s veto of legislation meant to reform Missouri’s system of welfare so that it does a better job of moving folks out of poverty and toward self-sufficiency. The override motion cleared the House by a vote of 113-42 and the Senate by a vote of 25-9.

The legislation will lower the lifetime benefits for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families recipients to 45 months from the current limit of 60 months. In addition, it will add Missouri to the list of 37 other states that require welfare recipients to take immediate steps to seek employment in order to receive benefits. The legislation then takes the savings generated by the reforms and invests them in child care, education, transportation and job training assistance for participants in the TANF program.

Following the override of the bill in the House, Speaker John Diehl issued the following statement, “The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program is meant to be a short-term bridge back to self-sufficiency rather than a system that condemns Missouri families to a lifetime of poverty and dependence on government assistance. This legislature has put much-needed, common sense reforms in place that will move the program back toward its intended purpose to help Missourians in need to get back on their feet and back into the workforce.”

With the successful veto override, the bill is now set to become law on August 28. However, most of the provisions in the bill will not take effect until January 1, 2016.

Missouri House Gives Final Approval to Municipal Court Reform Bill (SB 5)

Another bill on its way to the governor’s desk would protect Missourians from some municipalities that have exhibited predatory practices to raise revenue through excessive traffic tickets. The bill approved by the House and Senate is designed to shut down “speed traps” by limiting the amount of revenue municipalities can generate from traffic violations.

The plan that is now just a signature from the governor away from becoming law would limit the amount of revenue municipalities can generate from traffic tickets to 20 percent, which is down from the current limit of 30 percent. The bill further limits municipalities in St. Louis County, which has been plagued by excessive traffic violations, so that only 12.5 percent of their total revenue can be derived from traffic tickets.

The bill also creates additional protections for Missourians by ending the process of courts issuing failure to appear charges against defendants for missing court dates on minor traffic violations. The bill also would prevent courts from ordering jail time for individuals who fail to pay traffic fines. In addition, the bill includes provisions to ensure accountability from municipalities in St. Louis County by requiring they meet minimum standards – police services, balanced budget, insurance, etc. – or possibly be dissolved.

Missouri House Approves Bill to Help Elderly and Disabled Missourians (SB 322)

The House approved legislation Wednesday that would allow elderly and disabled Missourians to possess more assets and still qualify for Medicaid.

Current law allows an individual to have only $1,000 in assets to qualify for Medicaid assistance. A married couple has an asset limit of $2,000. The bill approved by the House would steadily increase these limits to $5,000 for an individual and $10,000 for a couple by 2020. After that, the limits would continue to increase with the rate of inflation.

The bill received strong bipartisan support on the floor where the sponsor noted that Missouri’s assets limits haven’t changed since 1968. Supporters said the current limits prevent some of Missouri’s most vulnerable citizens from having enough in savings to adequately provide for themselves, or pay for things like emergency car or home repairs.

The bill now appears headed for a conference committee where selected members from the House and Senate will negotiate a final version of the bill.

I look forward to talking with citizens, around the district, in the months ahead about your opinions and ideas. Contact me at 573-751-5388 or Patricia.Pike@house.mo.gov.

Rep. Patricia Pike Capital Report