Last week we were kept busy with committee hearings. There have been literally hundreds of bills referred to committees, and the chairs will try to allow hearings for as many as possible. Having said that, it is an extremely long and time-consuming process. I had as many as four two-hour hearings plus a two-hour session and still had to make time for office visits and phone calls. This hectic pace only lasts for a few weeks and then things start to settle down a little.
I heard a bill in Workforce that provided that a labor union would be required once per year to provide their members with an independent audit of their pension plan. The bill sponsor generated this piece of legislation after hearing from many of his constituents that the Central States Teamster Pension was being cut by nearly 50 percent beginning in July. This comes as a terrible shock to retirees that are depending on the full amount to live on. I've heard from 30-year members who are now in their 70s and have no other source of income. By requiring yearly audits of their plans, a member would at least have advance warning to invest in some other retirement options.
The Workforce Select Committee met and advanced the Paycheck Protection Bill as well as my bill to allow schools and municipalities to opt out of prevailing wage rates on projects less than $750,000. These bills are now available for floor debate at the time designated by leadership.
We heard a bill in Emerging Issues dealing with the ban of powdered alcohol. I guess I'm leading a sheltered life as I've never heard of the stuff. It's manufactured as a sugar encapsulated alcohol. It is water soluble and is designed to be mixed with water much like powdered soft drink mixes. It didn't take long for us to learn of all the myriad of ways that it could be abused. People have eaten it dry, sniffed it, and found a way to inject it, all to their chagrin. Children are very prone to experimenting with it and some hard core drinkers even mix it with other alcoholic drinks. We haven't voted on the bill to pass it to the floor yet, but I'm sure in favor of banning this substance.
Have you ever heard of Interchangeable Biological Products? We heard a bill on Tuesday in committee that explained what they were and what they hope to be able to do with them. I'm far from being an expert on the method, but, in a nutshell, scientists grow a live cell culture and add the patients' own DNA to it. When it is surgically implanted into the patient, the culture seeks out and destroys all the alien cancer cells without harming anything that matches your DNA. It sounds like science fiction, but they are having astounding results from tests and if it continues on the path it's going, we could have a surgery- and radiation-free cancer cure in a few years.
I'm getting numerous calls and emails concerning the Real ID card. Missouri is NOT one of only four states not in compliance. Only a few states have even partially complied with the plan. Twenty-seven states have been given extensions, but five states -- including Missouri -- have been singled out. No one will be excluded from air travel until 2018, but the Administration has decided that our drivers' license isn't enough ID to enter military bases or federal buildings. Regardless of actions taken by the legislature, we cannot comply with their rules overnight. If we did everything humanly possible it will still be a matter of months or years to get all the photographic and fingerprint equipment in place and everyone trained in the use. Meanwhile, don't panic. If you need to visit a military installation, simply call them and ask what additional ID they require. Usually one additional form of identification is sufficient and they will work with you.
I met with the chief engineer for Missouri Department of Transportation and impressed upon her the urgency of repairing Missouri Highway 59. She told me that a several-hundred-foot-long section of pavement had dropped over a foot due to being undercut by the flood. Workers will have to remove the pavement (and some of it is over two feet thick), drive pilings 30 feet deep or more and then rebuild the base before paving again. They assured me that they would work as quickly as possible and try to beat their estimated time by a substantial amount. I'll keep you updated as I hear more.
More next week. Until then, I am and remain in your service.
State Rep. Bill Lant may be reached by calling 417-437-8223 or 573-751-9801, or emailing [email protected]. Opinions are those of the author.
Community on 02/04/2016