Under the Dome & Across the State: Briefing for Justice Advocates September 27, 2018

Transcription

1 Under the Dome & Across the State: Briefing for Justice Advocates September 27, 2018

2 How Empower Missouri can empower YOU: We keep advocates informed regarding the social justice implications of legislation filed in the Missouri General Assembly and in the U.S. Congress and Senate in these six issue areas: Affordable Housing and Homelessness Criminal Justice Economic Justice Health & Mental Health Human Rights Hunger 2

3 Overview of Special Session/Veto Session On September 4, Gov. Michael L. Parson issued a proclamation to convene a Special Legislative Session on September 10 see the declaration at: convene-special-legislative-session The focus of the Special Session was to be two bills that he had vetoed in July over constitutional concerns By convening a Special Session to run during the same week as the already scheduled September 12 Veto Session, Gov. Parson was able to hold down the cost of calling the General Assembly together 3

4 Special Session/Veto Session, cont d House Bill 2 passed. It expands treatment courts to all Missouri counties and refines standards for their operation. Empower Missouri testified in support of this bill as did judges from Greene and Stone counties, the Missouri Bar Association, Missouri Right to Life and others. House Bill 3 promoting STEM education also passed. Despite a lopsided vote in favor, some lawmakers expressed concern about a provision of the bill that allows high school students to substitute computer science courses in place of mathematics courses. This could leave them unable to meet minimum math requirements at many colleges. On September 12, the House overrode some of the Governor s line item vetoes in the budget bills, but the Senate did not take these up so all Gov. Parson s vetoes stand. 4

5 November 6 ballot measures Amendment 1 is the CLEAN Initiative which amends the state constitution to: change process and criteria for redrawing state legislative districts during reapportionment; change limits on campaign contributions that candidates for state legislature can accept from individuals or entities; establish a limit on gifts that state legislators, and their employees, can accept from paid lobbyists; prohibit state legislators, and their employees, from serving as paid lobbyists for a period of time; prohibit political fundraising by candidates for or members of the state legislature on State property; and require legislative records and proceedings to be open to the public? The Empower Missouri Board of Directors has endorsed a yes vote on Amendment 1. 5

6 Nov 6 ballot measures, cont d Amendment 2 amends the state constitution to: allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes, and create regulations and licensing/certification procedures for marijuana and marijuana facilities; impose a 4 percent tax on the retail sale of marijuana; and use funds from these taxes for health and care services for military veterans by the Missouri Veterans Commission and to administer the program to license/certify and regulate marijuana and marijuana facilities In 2014, the Empower Missouri Board of Directors passed a statement in support of marijuana legalization and other policy changes related to marijuana. They may take a position on this and other marijuana-related measures on the Nov. 6 ballot, but have not yet done so. 6

7 Nov 6 ballot measures, cont d Amendment 3 amends the state constitution to: allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes, and create regulations and licensing procedures for marijuana and marijuana facilities; impose a 15 percent tax on the retail sale of marijuana, and a tax on the wholesale sale of marijuana flowers and leaves per dry-weight ounce to licensed facilities; and use funds from these taxes to establish and fund a state research institute to conduct research with the purpose of developing cures and treatments for cancer and other incurable diseases or medical conditions Amendment 3 gives a considerable amount of power to Brad Bradshaw, a personal injury lawyer from Springfield who drafted it. Dan Viets from our human rights team recommends a no. 7

8 Nov 6 ballot measures, cont d Amendment 4 amends the state constitution to: remove language limiting bingo game advertising that a court ruled unenforceable; and allow a member of a licensed organization conducting bingo games to participate in the management of bingo games after being a member of the organization for six months instead of the current two years Bingo is clearly big business in Missouri. Our Board of Directors is unlikely to take a position on this amendment. 8

9 Nov 6 ballot measures, cont d Proposition B would amend Missouri law to: increase the state minimum wage to $8.60 per hour with 85 cents per hour increase each year until 2023, when the state minimum wage would be $12.00 per hour; exempt government employers from the above increase; and increase the penalty for paying employees less than the minimum wage Our Board of Director has endorsed a Yes on Proposition B position. This issue was featured on our August Under the Dome and Across the State briefing call, and slides are available on our website. 9

10 Nov 6 ballot measures, cont d Proposition C would amend Missouri law to: remove state prohibitions on personal use and possession of medical cannabis (marijuana) with a written certification by a physician who treats a patient diagnosed with a qualifying medical condition; remove state prohibitions on growth, possession, production, and sale of medical marijuana by licensed and regulated facilities, and a facility's licensed owners and employees; impose a 2% tax on the retail sale of medical marijuana; and use funds from this tax for veterans' services, drug treatment, early childhood education, and for public safety in cities with a medical marijuana facility Dan Viets also recommends a no on Prop C. See his article in Empowering You newsletter that comes out next week. 10

11 Nov 6 ballot measures, cont d Proposition D would amend Missouri law to fund Missouri state law enforcement by increasing the motor fuel tax by two and one half cents per gallon annually for four years beginning July 1, 2019, exempt Special Olympic, Paralympic, and Olympic prizes from state taxes, and to establish the Emergency State Freight Bottleneck Fund. If passed, this measure will generate at least $288 million annually to the State Road Fund to provide for the funding of Missouri state law enforcement and $123 million annually to local governments for road construction and maintenance. Empower Missouri supports adequate funding of infrastructure and modernization of revenue systems. We oppose regressive taxes so if Prop D is adopted, a refundable EITC is also in order to enable those with low incomes to capture some of the extra taxes they will be paying. 11

12 2018 Farm Bill Update On Monday night, Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) acknowledged that Congress will not be able to reach an agreement to reauthorize the Farm Bill before the current legislation expires on September 30. Although SNAP benefits will not be affected by the expiration of the farm bill, other smaller programs in the bill are likely to be in limbo. Some may be included in minibus spending bills. Sen. Roberts (R-KS) and Senate Agriculture Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) have said they are now looking toward December 31 as the deadline by which to get the farm bill done. Negotiations among the big four Sens. Roberts and Stabenow, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway (R-TX), and House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-MN) are still going on. The negotiations will probably slow down over October and then pick up again when Congress returns for the lame duck session in mid- November (after the elections, but before new legislators are sworn in). 12

13 Contact Missouri s Federal Delegation: Senator McCaskill: Senator Blunt: And your U.S. Representative Ask: Support the Senate Farm Bill (S. 3042). It protects and strengthens nutrition programs. Reject the partisan provisions of the House version (H.R. 2). It would be an unfunded mandate, requiring Missouri to invest millions to meet federal regulations. 13

14 While elected officials are campaigning throughout the state in October: Write letters to the editor (we can provide templates) or guest columns to your local newspapers. Retweet our posts about the Farm Bill. MO legislators have these Twitter @RepBlainePress When attending candidates forums, ask those running for U.S. House or Senate about their position on the Farm Bill. Urge them to support the strong, bipartisan Senate version. 14

15 Call to Action see: 15

16 Empower Missouri is dedicating the 2018 Annual Conference to Missouri s challenges around affordable housing. Check our website for updates on program, registration, and sponsors. Now accepting registrations at: Keynote Speaker Tara Raghuveer Breakout Sessions Include: Building Relationships and Creating Community The Affordable Housing Crisis: Effective Advocacy in the Struggle for Solutions Housing and Homelessness: Why Racial Equity Matters Homes for All: Building Power Through Struggle Race & Real Estate: Displacement in the Urban Core Creating True Housing Choice in the Housing Choice Voucher Program Housing is Health 16

17 October Forum: The Affordable Care Act: Know Your Options and Get the Facts Panelists: Carrie Rogers: Community Catalyst Tom Bastian: Protect Our Care Jen Bersdale: Missouri Healthcare for All 17

18 Creating Inclusive Spaces WHEN Friday, October 5th, :30 AM Networking 12:00 PM Program 1:00 PM Presentation by CLEAN and RUM WHERE Kansas City Central Library 14 W 10th, Kansas City, MO Vault Room When someone prefers a name not on their state ID, or a gender not listed on their birth certificate, how does your agency respond? How does our city prioritize LGBT safety in public and at home? What does it mean to be truly inclusive? Join us as we discuss how to create a welcoming culture for LGBT clients and citizens in our agencies and our city. Starzette Palmer from Our Spot KC and Melissa Brown from Kansas City Anti Violence Project will join Marqueia Watson and Ashley Williamson, Empower Missouri KC Chapter steering team members, for this important conversation. BONUS: After our usual hour long forum, Alejo Gonzalez, KC organizer for CLEAN Missouri and Wilson Vance, organizer for Raise Up Missouri will join us to talk about voter engagement around these two critical ballot issues this November. You ll learn about these issues, get your questions answered, and learn how you can help to get these issues passed. 18

19 Formation of the Smart Sentencing Coalition Empower Missouri convened a meeting of sentencing reform advocates on August 30, and the Smart Sentencing Coalition has been formed. Is your organization a potential member? Talk with JMO or Christine. Find our contact info at Find reforms that we are studying in today s document cache. 19

20 Thank You! Jeanette Mott Oxford, M. Div. Empower Missouri Connect with 20