A Moment with Mike for March 23rd, 2011

Last week marked the half-way point in this legislative session and this week of “spring break” will give us a chance to spend some time at home and connect with those in our district. I look forward to that opportunity and plan to spend several days visiting schools and talking to those 4^th grade classes that are starting to study Missouri history and government. I have tried to keep constituents apprised of what is going on in the House and what legislation is being passed that could affect all of us. Several initiatives were passed out of the House and sent on to the Senate last week.

HB 294, approved by the House last week, would strengthen the Second Amendment rights of Missouri citizens. One provision of the bill would lower the age requirement on concealed-carry permits from 23 to 21. Currently, Missouri is the only state to have an age requirement of 23 and this change would put Missouri in line with the majority of other states. The bill would also keep sales taxes on firearms and ammunition from rising above the rate of other sporting good items. While there is not currently a higher rate on ammunition, the bill would prevent this idea, which has been frequently discussed in other states, from happening in Missouri. The bill also changes some antiquated laws that pertain to the purchase of rifles and shotguns and allows Missourians greater freedom when purchasing firearms.

A bill I mentioned in a previous column (HB 213) made its way to the House floor last week. This legislation would make it illegal to abort a fetus deemed capable of living outside the womb. Specifically, it would ban abortions after 20 weeks unless two doctors verify that a fetus is either not viable or constitutes a medical threat to the mother. Doctors would use tests of the fetus’ gestational age, weight and lung function. For a fetus found to be unviable, a doctor would be required to report to the state why the child was unviable after performing the abortion. Doctors who violate the proposed law could be severely fined or imprisoned. We know that there are few abortions performed after 20 weeks but it is in the best interest of all Missourians who value life to make it clear that these abortions cannot be performed unless they represent a threat to the life of the mother.

A proposed amendment to the state constitution passed by the House last week would ensure the right to a secret ballot for anyone voting to form or join a union. HJR 6 was passed because we believe existing law has worked well to allow employees to vote to unionize in private where they are free from intimidation or coercion. We want to protect the rights of Missourians to continue to vote in private even if federal law changes.

The first thing on the agenda when we return on March 28^th will be passage of the House version of our state budget for 2012. We will present a balanced budget that will then go to the Senate for discussion and revision. This is required by law and definitely the most important thing that we do each year.

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

"Right to Work" passes Senate committee

A Senate committee approved legislation to prohibit forcing workers to pay union service fees, which supporters call "right to work."

The Senate General Laws Committee passed the bill on a party-line vote, with six Republicans voting for it and two Democrats against. One of the two "no" votes came from Sen. Robin Wright-Jones, D-St. Louis.

"Union workers have been the backbone of this country to build it -- in the modern industrial age and they also have been the middle class. And all of that is under siege," said Jones, a member of the Communications Workers of America Union. "We don't need anything to change or make it difficult for us to represent the worker."

Sen. Jane Cunningham, R-St. Louis County, supported the bill. She and others say the legislation would make Missouri more attractive to businesses looking to relocate, and that would bring down the state's 9.5 percent unemployment rate. Missouri is in the worst one-third of U.S. states in joblessness.

"If we have 'right to work,' (businesses) look further, if we don't have right to work, they don't even look at us anymore," Cunningham said. "That was very deciding for me."

Supporters of "right to work" say the state's current law puts Missouri at a disadvantage with neighboring states including Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Tennessee that prohibit union service fee requirements.

Opponents, however, argue that without the service fee requirements, non-union workers enjoy the benefits of contracts negotiated by organized labor without helping pay the cost.

"I think we need 'right to work,'" said Sen. Brian Munzlinger, R-Williamstown. "It is something that if you look at other states where it is, the industries look to move to those states."

With Tennessee being the exception, all of Missouri's other bordering states with "right to work" measures have higher employment rates. Tennessee added jobs in 2010, whereas Missouri lost jobs, according to information from the Census Bureau cited by the Senate's "right to work" bill sponsor, Sen. Luann Ridgeway, R-Smithville.

"Every one of those 'right to work' states picked up population and has a lower unemployment rate than the non right to work states," Ridgeway said. "We have got to turn this situation around for the approximately 10 percent of Missourians who want to work but can't find jobs."

Ridgeway cited that 50 percent of manufacturing jobs that seek site locations and expansion specifically request locations in "right to work" states. She said more employment opportunities will come to Missouri if it enacts the measure.

Senate Proposes Bill to Make Missouri "Right to Work" State

Fifty percent of manufacturers refuse to consider Missouri as a place to locate new jobs because Missouri law has no protection against forced unionization of their workers, according to testimony given Tuesday (2-8) in the Senate General Laws Committee. Senate Bill 1, sponsored by Sen. Luann Ridgeway, R-Smithville, would change that by giving employees the freedom to choose whether or not to join a union as a condition of getting or keeping a job.

Ridgeway said recent census data shows that businesses with jobs and the workers who take them are fleeing to states with worker protection laws, also know as “Right-to-Work” laws.

“With an unemployment rate at nearly 10 percent, Missouri must consider every obstacle to put our citizens back to work,” Ridgeway said. “It is clear that job producers and the workers who take those jobs are voting with their feet on the ‘Right-to-Work’ issue because they are moving to states that have this protection.”

As recently reported, Missouri will lose a congressional seat. Ridgeway testified that non- “Right-to-Work” states lost a total of nine congressional seats and, due to population shifts, “Right-to-Work” states gained 11 congressional seats.

“At this important time, losing jobs, our manufacturing base, as well as representation in Congress, and our manufacturing base is a trend that must be reversed,” added Ridgeway.

Senate Leader Robert N. Mayer, R-Dexter, supports the measure and said making Missouri a “Right-to-Work” state would be another reason for businesses to expand or locate here.

“While Missouri has lost more than 100,000 jobs since June of 2008, many ‘Right-to-Work’ states have faired far better,” said Mayer. “Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics show that unemployment is lower in the 22 states that have adopted ‘Right-to-Work’ laws. In the last decade, those states have added 1.5 million private sector jobs, while non ‘Right-to-Work’ states have lost 1.8 million jobs. That should be a wake-up call; now is the time to allow Missouri to compete.”

Six of Missouri’s eight neighboring states are “Right-to-Work” states and all but one has a lower unemployment rate than Missouri. Tennessee, the only “Right-to-Work” state with a comparable unemployment rate to Missouri, gained jobs in 2010 while Missouri lost jobs.

Senator Jane Cunningham, who chairs the committee, said much of the testimony highlighted Missouri’s need to better compete with neighboring states to bring more jobs to Missouri.

“It was alarming to learn from those who consult U.S. and foreign manufacturing companies on new site locations that 50 percent of those companies are not even considering Missouri because we are not a ‘Right-to-Work’ state,” Cunningham said. “By not changing, we are costing Missouri jobs.”

The committee also heard testimony that per household income was higher in “Right-to-Work” states than in forced-union states. Data cited from a study published in 2000 by Dr. James T. Bennett, a professor for George Mason University, demonstrated that the mean two-income household in a “Right-to-Work” state had nearly $2,000 more in after-tax purchasing power than its counterpart in a non- “Right-to-Work” state. A study published in 2005 by Dr. Barry Poulson, a professor at the University of Colorado, determined real disposable income in metropolitan areas in “Right-to-Work” states is higher, with nearly $4,300 more in after-tax purchasing power than its counterpart in a non- “Right-to-Work” state.

Ridgeway noted that if Missouri becomes a “Right-to-Work” state, employees will still be allowed to unionize and employers will still be allowed to enter into collective bargaining agreements and hire union labor.

“‘Right- to-Work’ is not about whether unions can continue to operate in Missouri,” said Ridgeway. “Rather it is about removing a legal barrier that is harming our state’s ability to compete for jobs that impact the 89 percent of Missourians who are not union members.”

The committee also heard a similar bill, Senate Bill 197, also sponsored by Ridgeway, which would send the measure to voters. To learn more about these bills, visit www.senate.mo.gov.