[TGE-mail] Rep. Oxford neighborhood association column for late April/early May

[Jeanette Mott Oxford]

Major (and Minor) Issues Remain With Time Running Out On 2007 Session

More than 2,000 bills have been filed in the Missouri House of
Representatives and Senate since the 2007 Legislative Session convened on
January 3. Hundreds are still trying to press through the legislative
meat grinder as we move toward the scheduled May 18 adjournment.
Some of the bills still on our calendar are important to somebody
(perhaps a fourth grade class that proposed them as a government
project), but fairly unimportant in the great scheme of things. Among
these are bills naming the bobwhite quail Missouri’s state game bird, the
crayfish the official state invertebrate, and the three-toed box turtle
our state reptile. 

Other remaining bills are massive in scope, involve millions of dollars,
and/or are very controversial. These include:

Replacing Missouri’s Medicaid System – Senate Bill 577 proposes to do
this, but leaves tens of thousands of senior citizens, persons with
disabilities, and low-wage workers and their children with no health
coverage or inadequate services. I oppose SB 577 in its current form and
will continue to work for universal coverage.

Using MOHELA Assets for Capital Improvements on Campuses – I oppose Gov.
Blunt’s plan to sell all or part of the assets of the Missouri Higher
Education Loan Authority (MOHELA) in order to use them to fund
construction projects at our public universities. Many of the building
projects are much needed, but this is not the mandated mission of MOHELA,
and there are better ways to fund them.

Requiring Photo ID at Polling Sites – The concern remains that this bill
will disenfranchise many senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
Many older voters still have trouble obtaining a photo ID because they do
not have a birth certificate, and getting one can be very difficult. One
must ask if this is a solution looking for a problem in that the U.S.
Justice Department and multiple additional sources have repeatedly
reported little evidence of voter fraud in Missouri or elsewhere in the
U.S.

I’ll offer a summary of major legislation that was passed at the end of
these final tumultuous weeks.

Announcement - The Public Service Commission will hold public hearings on
Laclede Gas Company rates on: May 24, 5:30 p.m., Auditorium, Wohl
Community Center, 1515 N. Kingshighway; and May 29, 5:30 p.m., Century
Room, Millennium Student Center, University of Missouri-St. Louis.
Consumers unable to attend these local public hearings who wish to make
written comments may contact the Office of the Public Counsel, P.O. Box
2230, Jefferson City, Missouri 65102, or call 800-392-4211, or e-mail
opcservice at ded.mo.gov or pscinfo at psc.mo.gov. For more information, see
http://www.psc.mo.gov/
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