A Moment with Mike for April 16th

As we enter the last stretch of the 94th legislative session many long hours of committee hearings, studying legislation, floor debate and meeting with fellow representatives and constituents are under way. Hopefully these efforts will bring forward some important legislation in a number of areas that will make Missouri a better place to call home.
You may remember that last year we passed the Senior Tax Justice Act to remove the state tax on Missouri Senior’s social security benefits. This year we want to continue creating fair tax policy in Missouri so we are working to provide a 100 percent state income tax deduction for those receiving military pension benefits. HB 1788 would help encourage more veterans to make Missouri their home after retirement, in turn benefiting our economy and communities.
Because of the federal governments lack of action, combating illegal immigration is another of our top priorities. One important component of reform is to make sure our law enforcement personnel have the tools and authority to uphold the law. We have given initial approval to HB 1549, which would require the Highway Patrol and other law enforcement personnel to verify the immigration status of any person arrested and inform federal authorities if the person is found to be illegal. This same bill would also prohibit sanctuary cities and crack down on those who commit drivers’ license fraud – two ways we can strongly discourage illegal immigrants from staying in Missouri.
Another way to discourage illegal immigration is to make sure illegal immigrants stop receiving public benefits, an issue addressed in HB 1626. We must stop this drain on the system so that Missourians can be certain they are first in line to receive the services they need. Another public benefit we want to make sure is only utilized by U.S. citizens and legal immigrants is our public system of higher education. To ensure this, we have passed HB 1463 which would prohibit Missouri public institutions of higher education from knowingly enrolling unlawfully present aliens.
Finally, we are working on several bills to improve education, some of which I have mentioned before. HB 1722 has been approved in the House and sent to the Senate. This bill would improve the classroom experience for Missouri students by giving our teachers the ability to enforce classroom discipline without fear of being sued. This legislation prevents lawsuits against teachers who discipline students, as long as they are following board policy.
I am excited about the work we are doing and I am confident that the final weeks will bring about positive changes for our state.
If you have questions, you may reach me at my Capitol number 573-751-9465, at the local district number, 660-582-4014, by email at mike.thomson@house.mo.gov or by mail at Room 406A State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.