Saturday, February 9, 2013

A Moment with Mike -- Bills Moving Through Committees



      As we enter the second month of session the natural progression of the governmental process will bring more and more issues to light as the hundreds of bills filed begin to move through the committee process and on to the House Chamber  for discussion.
      Last week the Missouri House gave approval to a bill I mentioned in a previous report that is designed to reinstate several tax credit programs that encourage donations to charitable organizations.  Commonly referred to as benevolent tax credits, these programs offer a tax break to individuals who donate money to organizations like food pantries and pregnancy resource centers.  Unfortunately, some of the credits expired last year and the result has been a potential funding crisis for these non-profits.  Putting the benevolent credits back in place will rectify this and allow them to continue to serve where there is a need.  The total cost to our state will be approximately $2.9 million each year in forgone tax revenue, but the benefits this investment will produce for countless Missourians will be priceless.
      The House Elections Committee met last week to approve two pieces of legislation meant to ensure voter fraud doesn’t occur in Missouri.  One piece of legislation is a constitutional amendment that would allow Missourians to decide whether voters should have to show a form of photo identification at the polling place.  The second bill would put a voter ID system in place in the event voters approve the change to our state constitution.
      This is an issue the legislature has considered numerous times in recent years.  The legislature and the governor actually put a voter identification requirement into law in 2006, but it was ultimately struck down by the Missouri Supreme Court.  In 2011, the General Assembly approved a constitutional amendment to let voters decide on the issue, but it was kept off the ballot by a court decision last year.  This year, we hope to allow Missourians to decide once and for all if they should have to prove that they are who they say they are when they vote.  The goal of this legislation is not in any way to disenfranchise voters, but instead to make sure every vote counts and that every vote is cast by the person who is registered to cast it.  If passed, this legislation will bring about a change which will protect the integrity of the voting process.
      Also last week, the Joint Committee on Education unveiled the plan for a new funding model that determines the amount of state support for all of our public higher education institutions.  Last year the General Assembly passed a bill that would require the Joint Committee on Education to develop a model for funding public higher education institutions by December 31, 2013.  The way our funding process currently operates is by allocating money to schools based largely on what they’ve received in the past and what the state has available.  There is a continual argument about equity funding for our schools and the percentage raises or cuts that we have seen for years simply increases the disparity.
      The goal of the Joint Committee on Education was to develop a plan that was fair and equitable for all schools.  We can now move forward as we consider legislation that will possibly put this plan in place.
     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 401B State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.

No comments: