Love note from Jeff City

Greetings, My Fellow Missourians

Last Friday, my in-district day began at the Osceola High School. Each year during National FFA Week, the Osceola Chapter FFA students host a luncheon for the community. I enjoyed a cheeseburger and fried fish. Before leaving, I even purchased another one of their round hay bale rings. The Vo-Ag Shop Class welds these hay bale rings to develop lifelong welding knowledge and skills. I learned and practiced the same skills from 1964 through 1968 when I was a Vo-Ag/FFA student at Osceola High. The bale rings are very well constructed, some of them I’ve had for nearly 25 years.

After the FFA Lunch, I attended the Osceola Chamber Luncheon and gave a brief report. I updated the group on my HB 1967 and what its sales and use tax could mean for the community. Also I let them know the latest on the Dr. Charles Bourland Memorial Bridge. This is the bridge on 13 Highway, north of Osceola, on the Osage arm of Truman Lake.

On Wednesday, I had the honor of presenting a Resolution to Downtown Drake Harbor Recreation Area Trails in Warsaw. They were recognized as a worthy recipient of the American Planning Association Missouri Chapter 2020 Great Places in Missouri Award. They were noticed for their exceptional quality and planning to enrich the community for both residents and visitors alike.

I presented my HB 1798 in Agriculture Policy Committee on Wednesday. Currently, any person who knowingly or recklessly releases any swine to live in the wild or possesses or transports certain live wild boar without a permit from the Department of Agriculture is guilty of a class A misdemeanor. HB 1798 changes the penalties to a class E felony. The bill also changes the term “feral hog” to “feral swine” and specifies that any person who kills a feral swine outside without the consent of the landowner or not in compliance with certain requirements is guilty of a class A misdemeanor. Among the supporters that spoke in favor of the bill were: Department of Conservation, Missouri Farm Bureau, MO Pork Association, Department of Agriculture, Missouri Cattleman’s Association and the Conservation Federation of Missouri.

A Missouri House panel this week heard from three doctors, including the director of the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), about how ready the state is for the coronavirus. The members of the Special Committee on Disease Prevention and Control heard Missouri is very prepared and that the best thing Missourians can do to prevent the disease from spreading is wash their hands. The doctors also recommended that those who haven’t gotten a flu shot go ahead and do so, as cases of the flu continue to rise.

DHSS Director Randall Williams said the state health lab in Jefferson City now has the capability to test for coronavirus and have a result in six hours. Williams told lawmakers, “I believe we are very well prepared. Our motto is, ‘Hope for the best, prepare for the worst,’ and we think we are prepared for both.”

Bills sent to the Senate

HB 1800 allows for the issuance of two sets of Purple Heart specialty license plates. The first set of plates shall be issued without a fee and only the regular registration fee shall apply to any additional set of plates. Supporters say the bill will allow veterans to use an additional license plate for another vehicle. The bill also requires the director of the Department of Revenue to award fee office contracts through a competitive bidding process and to give preference to certain factors, such as Missouri not-for-profit corporations, persons and entities that reinvest at least 75% of net proceeds to charitable organizations in the state, and persons or entities that are based in a location near the fee office location.