Love note from Jeff City

My Fellow Missourians:

What a great privilege it was to attend the memorial service for Charles William Thompson this past Saturday.  Navy Fireman 1st Class Thompson served in the Navy and lost his life in the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.  With full military honors, he was buried next to his mother in the Fairview Butcher Cemetery in Quincy.   His remains had recently been identified this year through DNA and were returned last Friday to Hickory County with Patriot Guard escorts.

House strengthens Pro-life Legislation (SB5):

My colleagues and I were called back for Special Session on Tuesday, June 20, to work together on a piece of legislation sent over from the Senate that is intended to better ensure the health and safety of women by putting common sense safety requirements in place for abortion clinics. House members strengthened the version of the bill that was sent over from the Senate by adding several provisions that were originally called for by Governor Greitens but stripped out by the Senate during floor debate.

Some of the main provisions of the bill would:

• Allow the Department of Health and Senior Services to adopt rules governing complication plans to ensure patients undergoing abortions induced by drugs or chemicals have access to safe and reliable care;

• Require an abortion facility to provide affirmative evidence that each person authorized to perform abortions is a physician currently licensed to practice in Missouri;

• Allow the health department to adopt separate rules to apply to ambulatory surgical centers and to apply to abortion facilities, and ensure any abortion facility requirement is equal to any physical requirement of an ambulatory surgical center;

• Permit the health department to make an unannounced on-site inspection of any abortion facility at least annually; and

• Require that all tissue removed at the time of abortion be sent to a pathologist within 72 hours for examination.

The legislation now moves back to the Senate where the other chamber will have the opportunity to pass the bill and send it to the governor’s desk. If the Senate refuses to take the House changes, the two bodies will likely send the bill to a conference committee where selected negotiators from both sides will come together to work toward a compromise.

Finding owners of unclaimed property:

As an elected official, it is my responsibility to let you know when there are some benefits available you may not be aware of.  Later this month, MO State Treasurer Eric Schmitt will be publishing names of District 125 constituents who have unclaimed property.  Currently, there are over 15,000 account listings holding $1,540,393.69 in unclaimed property in District 125.

Treasurer Schmitt, as required by state statute, will be publishing names of unclaimed property owners in local newspapers.  Constituents may also see information regarding Unclaimed Property on Facebook and Twitter at @MoTreasurer.

Statewide, there is close to $1 billion in unclaimed property with more than 5 million accounts.

Unclaimed property is held in perpetuity until the owner or their proper heirs are located.  Account owners may file a claim online by visiting www.ShowMeMoney.com, or send a letter requesting a form to:  Treasurer’s Unclaimed Property Division, P.O. Box 1004, Jefferson City, MO  65102-1004.