A Moment with Mike -- Retaining Small Businesses

The tradition of “throwing paper in the air” brought an end to the first session of the 96^th General Assembly at 6:00 p.m. Friday evening. It is difficult to describe that mixture of feelings that include relief, fatigue, disappointment, pride, satisfaction and patriotism as you ponder the reality of the many bills, initiatives and ideas that have either passed through the process or failed, but will have an effect on the citizens of Missouri for years to come. The cumbersome process is frustrating at times but also adds some protection from ideas and regulations that may seem progressive and necessary by some and redundant or harmful to others.

A bill only becomes law after it has gone through a number of steps in both the House and the Senate. Getting agreement throughout the process without having things added to the bill that are undesirable is difficult. These steps guarantee that anything that passes and is sent to the Governor for one more step has been vetted appropriately. That does not mean that we all agree but each Representative or Senator tries to represent the constituents in their part of the state and hopefully most things passed represent the over-all good for the state.

We started session with a pledge to live within our means, keep taxes low and balance the state budget. I believe we have accomplished these priorities and have passed measures that will positively affect Missourians in all walks of life. One top priority was to create an atmosphere to attract and retain small business and we successfully passed legislation that will reduce regulations and cut down on frivolous lawsuits for small businesses and family farms.

We continued to represent Missouri taxpayers by requiring drug tests for welfare recipients, if they are suspected of abusing drugs, so we know our tax dollars are used to provide a hand up and not a hand out. We went after the worst of the worst by toughening penalties on those who attempt to facilitate human trafficking and we took a strong stand for the unborn and defined what a viable life in Missouri actually is. We passed a reasonable fix to Prop B that will improve the safety and enforceability of animals and bad actors, but also protect our agriculture industry and we made several changes in the “right to carry” laws including the extension of these rights to 21 year olds which makes us consistent with the other states around us.

Two pieces of legislation approved by the General Assembly will appear on the November 2012 ballot for voter approval. One will be to protect and clarify the rights of Missourians to pray in public places and the other will determine the need for a photo ID to vote.

I was pleased that we were able to extend the MO Rx program that benefits over 200,000 senior citizens and we funded the Area Agencies on Aging to enable them to continue the “Meals on Wheels” program that provides a service to those who cannot provide well for themselves.

One of the more difficult initiatives that took a lot of time and consideration was the passing of a redistricting map that would establish the boundaries for the 8 congressional districts in our state. This was completed with a historical override of the Governor’s veto and this will be in law for at least the next ten years.

These are a few of the initiatives that were passed this session and I will give a more detailed overview of some of these in the coming weeks. Right now I am looking forward to staying in the district and seeing all of you at the parades, carnivals, dinners and other events throughout the area.

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

A Moment with Mike: Legislature Compromises on Budget

Last Friday was the deadline for the budget to be completed and it went down to the wire as the last budget bills were approved on Thursday afternoon. Negotiations between the House and Senate to decide how the key differences in priorities would be settled were intense but the end results are a budget that does the best we can with the limited resources available.

In the final version of the $23.2 billion budget, the House and Senate agreed to increases in key funding areas such as higher education, school transportation and prescription drug coverage for seniors. The bills approved will provide an additional $12 million in funding to our colleges and universities, which reduces the proposed cut by the Governor of 7 percent down to a cut of 5.45 percent. The final budget also appropriates an additional $10 million over the original budget plan to busing assistance for our state’s K-12 public schools.

Another area of the budget that received an intense amount of scrutiny during budget negotiations is the Missouri Rx program. The program helps thousands of seniors and disabled Missourians pay for the costs of the prescription medicines they need. This highly successful program, set to end later this year, was extended in the House proposal but removed in the Senate version of the budget. The final budget contains full funding for the program for another year and also reverses cuts to the state’s reimbursement rates to in-home care providers for low-income disabled residents covered by the state’s Medicaid program. Both changes are good news for some of our most vulnerable citizens who need and deserve our assistance.

The final budget bills also contain budget cuts for many of our government officials. Statewide elected officials will take a cut of 2.5 percent to their budgets and the Governor’s travel budget was reduced to $200,000. The budget we passed this year reflects a commitment to the core needs of the people of our state and spends the tax dollars of Missourians in the most responsible way possible.

Throughout the session I have kept you updated on the efforts to draw boundaries for Missouri’s new congressional districts. While the process had its twists and turns, this week it was resolved in historic fashion. In another report I mentioned how the House and Senate finally came to an agreement on a map and sent it to the governor’s desk. I also discussed the possibility of the Governor vetoing the bill containing the map, which he did shortly after receiving it. Last weeks vote to override the Governor’s veto was successful in both the House and the Senate and the bill becomes law. The override marks the first time since 2003 that a governor’s veto has been undone by the Missouri General Assembly and one of a very few successful attempts (less than ten) since 1820.

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

Benefits of Missouri RX Program

The Federal Government has been touting the prescription drug benefits of the Affordable Healthcare Act. However, the Missouri RX plan covers much of peoples’ prescription drug costs if they are enrolled in Medicare Part D. The following are the benefits of the MoRx program as listed on the Missouri Department of Social Services website:

–MoRx works with all Medicare Part D plans.

–MoRx pays for 50% of your out-of-pocket costs on medications that are covered by your Medicare Part D plan. This means you will save 50% on your deductible, 50% on your co-pays, including during the coverage gap and beyond. MoRx does not pay for the Medicare Part D plan's monthly premium.

–MoRx uses the formulary of the Medicare Part D plan. Any drug covered by a member's Medicare Drug Plan will also be covered by MoRx.

–Dual eligible members will continue to have coverage for Medicare-excluded drugs through MO HealthNet. Medicare-excluded drugs include specific over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, minerals, limited cough and cold drugs, benzodiazepines and barbiturates.

–MoRx covers up to a 31-day supply for each prescription.

–You can use any Missouri pharmacy that works with your Part D plan. (MoRx does not cover mail order services)

For additional information about the MoRx Plan, contact the MoRx Plan Helpdesk toll-free at 1-800-375-1406. For questions about enrolling in Medicare Part D, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or visit the Medicare Web site at www.medicare.gov. For questions about how MO HealthNet and Medicare Part D will work together, contact the Participant Services Unit toll-free at 1-800-392-2161.