2014 Session Highlights

During the 2014 legislative session, which came to a close on May 16, the Missouri General Assembly worked diligently to reduce your tax burden, improve healthcare services, and strengthen our state’s schools. Not every important piece of legislation made it past the finish line this year, but the bills that were passed will move us toward a more prosperous Missouri.

One of the greatest accomplishments this session was overriding Governor Nixon’s veto of a historic tax cut. Senate Bill 509 will spur economic growth in our state by providing Missouri businesses and families with much-needed tax relief. To protect state revenue for vital programs like education, the bill includes growth triggers so each phase of the cut will not take effect until revenues have increased.

The legislature demonstrated its commitment to strengthening Missouri’s healthcare system by improving the medical services available to Missourians in need. We extended prescription assistance for low-income seniors, reinstated basic dental care for adults on Medicaid, and funded comprehensive health homes for children in foster care.

The General Assembly also passed Senate Bill 639, which requires mammography facilities to provide women with information on breast density. Dense breast tissue can obscure mammogram results and is widely-recognized as a risk factor for breast cancer. Women with dense breast tissue may benefit from additional screenings to detect cancerous tissue, but most women are unaware of their breast density. SB 639 will help women make better decisions about future screenings and begin an informed discussion with their doctor about their risks for cancer.

I filed an identical bill, House Bill 1510, which passed the House of Representatives with overwhelmingly bipartisan support. This legislation has the potential to save lives, and I encourage the Governor to sign it into law without delay.

Missourians battling cancer and other life-threatening illnesses deserve as many treatment options as possible, so this year we passed bills to make oral chemotherapy medications more affordable, offer epilepsy patients access to promising hemp oil treatment, and give terminally ill patients the right to try investigational medicines.

This year’s balanced budget included a $278 million increase for the Education Foundation Formula to provide schools with the resources necessary to educate Missouri’s children. To help students in struggling school districts receive the best education possible, the legislature passed Senate Bill 493. This bill contains provisions allowing students in unaccredited schools to transfer while protecting the financial stability of the sending school.

SB 493, which is currently awaiting the Governor’s signature, will also help schools improve by requiring teams to study unaccredited and provisionally accredited districts and assess their strengths and weaknesses. These reports will be used to develop improvement plans to prevent more schools from losing their accreditation.

The question of how best to transfer students from unaccredited schools is a statewide issue that must be addressed quickly. SB 493 is compromise legislation, and even if all parties are not completely happy with the end result, it is a step in the right direction.

While session has come to a close, the work of the legislature will continue throughout the interim.  I look forward to meeting with constituents and community leaders during the coming months to better understand your opinions on issues that will come before the General Assembly in future sessions.

The Appropriations – Health, Mental Health, and Social Services Committee, which I chair, will hold oversight hearings this summer and fall to assess whether or not departments are properly spending the funds allocated by the legislature. By consistently asking for outcomes and performance measures, we can determine which programs are operating most successfully. This information will help us prioritize spending during next year’s budget process.

It has been my pleasure to serve everyone in the 100th district during the 2014 session, and as always, please let me know if my office can ever assist you with anything.