Love note from Jeff City

Greetings, My Fellow Missourians

I travelled through the district on Tuesday, July 18, with Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft.  We made stops at Warsaw, Osceola and El Dorado Springs.  About 35 citizens interested in our state’s new Voter ID attended the meetings.

Plain and simple, if you are a registered voter, you can vote!. Voters must provide a government issued photo ID:  driver’s license, non-driver license*, passport or military ID.  OR sign a provided statement and show one of the following:  voter registration card; ID from a MO university, college, vocational or technical school; utility bill; bank statement; government check; paycheck; or other government document showing your name and address.  OR vote a provisional ballot, and if your signature matches the signature in the voter registry, your vote counts; or if you come back to your polling place after voting and present a photo ID, your vote counts.

*To obtain a non-driver license from the MO Department of Revenue, you must provide:

· Proof of name, date of birth, place of birth

· Social Security Number (verbally or present card)

· Proof of Missouri residency.

Please call the SHOW IT TO VOTE hotline at 1-866-868-3245 or email showit2vote@sos.mo.gov for assistance to obtain a non-driver license.

For more information, please visit www.ShowIt2Vote.com.

Governor issues  executive order to create system to fight opioid abuse:

Calling it a big step toward addressing the opioid crisis in Missouri, Governor Greitens recently issued an executive order to create a prescription drug monitoring program in Missouri. While the system put in place by the governor is different from the plan proposed by the legislature, it has the same intent of preventing the over-prescribing and misuse of opioids such as Vicodin, OxyContin and Percocet.

The governor’s plan calls for the Department of Health and Senior Services to create a database that will specifically target “pill mills” that pump out prescription drugs at “dangerous and unlawful levels.” The department will work with private sector partners to obtain de-identified data that can be used to target abusers. The system is meant to enable the department to better inform doctors, nurses, pharmacists, other healthcare providers, and patients and their families about best practices in pain management to decrease the excessive use of opioids.

The governor’s program will now be put in place by the Department of Health and Senior Services at a startup cost of approximately $250,000.  The department will enter into a contract with Express Scripts to establish the program and will need to add staff to administer it.  The money for the program will come from the Department of Social Services under Medicaid.

Southern legislative conference:

I am making plans to attend the upcoming Southern Legislative Conference annual meeting.  This meeting is the largest regional gathering of state legislators in the country.  The SLC is comprised of 15 member states:  Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.  There are six different standing committees that provide a setting which allows policymakers to share information, concerns and knowledge with colleagues.  I am currently serving two-year terms on the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee and the Energy and Environment Committee.  This organization provides a dynamic opportunity for addressing issues that affect our states and the entire region.