Love note from Jeff City

Greetings, My Fellow Missourians

On Monday I presented a framed picture of our Missouri State Capitol to the St. Clair County Commissioner’s. It was in appreciation of the opportunity to represent St. Clair County in the Missouri Legislature The past 8 years. We also discussed two issues that the Missouri State Legislature has yet to resolve. One is adjusting the State Fuel Tax for inflation, which if it was raised would bring more CART funds for our County Roads and Bridges. The other issue is the collection of the Use/Sales Tax from purchases made by St. Clair County Residents when products are mail ordered or ordered On-Line from Out-of-State Sellers. I encouraged them to encourage the other County Commissions thru-out the State to encourage the State Legislators to take action on these two issues in the 2021 Session.

Legislature to return for second special session

Lawmakers in the House and Senate will head back to Jefferson City after the November election for the second special session of 2020. Gov. Mike Parson is calling legislators back to work on a supplemental budget bill that will appropriate additional resources to respond to COVID-19.

In calling for the legislature to convene, Parson said, “COVID-19 has had an overwhelming impact on our state, and while we have made great progress, this additional funding will be critical as we continue to respond and work through the recovery process. We look forward to working with the General Assembly to make sure these funds are distributed across Missouri as soon as possible.”

The General Assembly passed the Fiscal Year 2021 state operating budget during regular session in May. Since that time, additional federal funding has become available to the state, including funding under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The supplemental budget will appropriate these funds for several items, including the School Nutrition Services Program, the Emergency Solutions Grant Program for homelessness prevention, job training grants, and child support payments, among others.

The special session is set to begin Thursday, November 5. Members of the House will hold a technical session that day. Committee work on the bill will take place on Monday, November 9. The House will then meet on Tuesday, November 10 to discuss and vote on the bill.

Broadband internet expansion efforts continue

During the 2020 legislative session, the Missouri House made a commitment to expanding broadband internet to the nearly 1 million Missourians who do not have it. The legislature approved HB 1768 to ensure the state is able to keep and utilize vital funds meant to expand access.

Building on the efforts of the legislature, Gov. Mike Parson recently announced new funding for broadband projects around the state. Parson announced $846,407 in funding from the state’s Emergency Broadband Investment Program for 11 broadband projects. The funds will be utilized to assist with construction costs for new broadband expansion to households with citizens on telework, students or vulnerable populations. These projects will result in 465 Missouri households receiving broadband internet service.

Parson said, “Broadband is critical to the evolving needs of our workforce. With so many Missourians now depending on the internet for health care, education, and work, this initiative is more important than ever.”

Parson also announced more than $870,000 in funding for Missouri libraries to help resident’s access high speed internet for telehealth and distance learning in response to COVID-19. The funds from this program will be used to establish hotspot lending programs, Wi-Fi capable laptops for patron checkout, and expanding bandwidth at libraries to accommodate additional network demands.

Parson said, “Providing our public libraries with the means to meet the need for access to devices and high-speed internet will help close the connectivity gap many students and citizens are experiencing during this time.”

The efforts to expand broadband access are the result of six programs that were created in July with the goal of improving access across the state. The Emergency Broadband Investment Program previously awarded just over $3 million in funding to sixteen projects in round one.

The list of recipients for the Emergency Broadband Investment Program can be found at the following link: https://ded.mo.gov/sites/default/files/FY21%20CARES%20Emergency%20Broadband%20Investment%20Grant%20Recipients_1_1.pdf.

The list of libraries receiving funding can be viewed at this link: https://ded.mo.gov/sites/default/files/Broadband%20Libraries%20Recipient%20List%20Final.pdf.

Interim hours: Now that Session is over for 2020, I will be back in District full time. If you need any assistance my Legislative Assistant Amy Helton will be happy to help you Monday-Thursday.

It is my honor to serve the constituents of District 125. If you ever have questions, concerns, or input, please feel free to contact me any time at (573) 751-4065.

YOUR District 125 Capitol office is 413B, and YOU are always welcome!

If you would like to be added to the e-mail list to receive our Capitol Reports, you may e-mail me at warren.love@house.mo.gov or call the Capitol office at (573) 751-4065 and speak with my Legislative Assistant.