Jim Kalberloh Capitol report

Citizens of the 125th District,

As you are reading this, the weather forecast is saying that it should now maybe be in the 50’s, but as I’m writing this and look out the window on this Thursday morning and see the snow at 5-7 inches deep and the deep freeze that we have been in, I hope that you all persevered this winter spell and know that Spring is just around the corner!!

Last week I presented my bill (HB443) in the Local Government Committee. Hickory County Commissioner Keith Mertz came to the committee meeting to speak in favor of the bill. This week the bill passed unanimously out of committee and is headed to Rules. I appreciate Mr. Mertz coming up to testify on the bill.

House Approves License Reciprocity for Skilled Veterans (HB 476)

This week the members of the Missouri House continued their efforts to make Missouri an attractive location for military members and their families to live and work. The House advanced a piece of legislation that will allow veterans to use the skills they obtained in the military to more easily find jobs in the private sector.

The legislation builds on the efforts made by the legislature in 2020 to allow professionals to move to Missouri and to continue working in their professions without delay. HB 2046 set up a universal license recognition system that allows professionals licensed in other states to come to Missouri and enter the workforce. HBs 1511 & 1452 removed the barriers that impede military spouse licensure and allows them to practice their occupation as long as they hold a valid current license issued by another state or territory of the United States.

House Approves Bill to Improve Local Government Transparency (HB 271)

Legislation that is now on its way to the Senate would create a database that allows taxpayers to search expenditures and payments received and made by counties and municipalities. The bill would create the Missouri Local Government Expenditure Database, which would be an easy to use, downloadable database housed on the Missouri Accountability Portal. A municipality or county may voluntarily participate in the database, or may be required to participate through a petition process used by its residents. The database would provide expenditure data for each fiscal year beginning on or after December 31, 2022.

Legislation Approved to Protect Information of Private Citizens (HB 362)

A bill approved by the House this week would allow public governmental bodies to protect certain information shared by private citizens. The bill is meant to prevent individuals and organizations from obtaining contact information of members of the public to use for their own purposes such as political campaigning.

Utility Assistance for Low-Income Missourians Expanded

Missourians struggling with their heating bill because of the extreme cold will now have additional help. Gov. Mike Parson recently announced the state’s Energy Crisis Intervention Program will offer improved assistance to eligible low-income Missourians. It is very important for low-income Missourians who have received a disconnect notice or know a disconnect notice is coming to get help now to prevent service disconnection at a later date. To learn more about the LIHEAP program, visit https://mydss.mo.gov/energy-assistance.