Love note from Jeff City

Greetings, My Fellow Missourians

FFA State Officers were at the Capitol on Tuesday, and after introducing them to the House members, we were addressed by Student President, Paxton Dahmer, of Nevada, MO.  He presented a full update to the members on FFA and the future of agriculture.  On Wednesday, it was an honor to spend my day with FCCLA job shadow, Maddie Jefferis, from Osceola High School.  It is wonderful to listen to and spend time with young adults and experience their poise and professionalism!  It is such a positive reinforcement of the future leadership we have to look forward to.

House approves Good Government Bill (HB 445):

The Missouri House of Representatives gave approval this week to legislation that is meant to make elected officials at the local government level more transparent and accountable. The bill would require local government officials to abide by many of the same ethical standards that apply to lawmakers and statewide officials.

The bill approved by the House would apply the same standards that apply to state officials to elected officials. It would limit political donations to local candidates to $2,000. It would also implement a gift limit of $5 per lobbyist per day, and it would prohibit local officials from becoming lobbyists for two years after leaving office.

During discussion on the floor, lawmakers approved an amendment to the bill that is meant to protect the private information of constituents. The sponsor noted that constituents often share personal, private information in emails or other correspondence, and it’s important to protect the confidentiality of this information to ensure constituents are comfortable with reaching out to their legislators for assistance. The amendment added to the bill would protect information provided by constituents such as Social Security numbers, phone numbers, home addresses, and other private information that pertains to a constituent’s request for information or assistance.

The bill now heads to the Senate for discussion.

House gives 1st-round approval to Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (HB 188):

The Missouri House has given initial approval to legislation meant to provide a tool to help the state address the prescription drug abuse epidemic. Known as the Narcotics Control Act, the bill would create a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program to allow medical providers to spot any concerning trends in their patients’ narcotics history.

The Narcotics Control Act would require the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to establish and maintain a program to monitor the prescribing and dispensing of all Schedule II through Schedule IV controlled substances. The bill would require information on these drugs being prescribed and dispensed to be reported within 24 hours. By the year 2022 the information would be updated in real time.