District 151 Capitol Report
June 12, 2015
Dear 151st
District Constituents,
Summer is most definitely here! Many
families are going on summer vacations or at the very least spending a lot of
time outdoors. Remember summer safety tips such as drinking plenty of
water and using sun screen. If you have elderly family members or friends,
please keep an extra eye on them during this hot weather, the elderly can
become dehydrated easily which sometimes leads to confusion and in severe cases
death.
I have been enjoying being in district this past week. I spent the first part of the week in Jefferson City for some meetings including my first official meeting of the Joint Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect. We heard from the Juvenile Office. It was very interesting to speak with these individuals and to learn more about what they do and how legislation has impacted their duties either for the good or bad. Currently the Juvenile Office is working to rewrite their standards of practice. I am very interested in the outcome of this as the presenters shared with us that currently there is no set standard of practice for many of their duties. I am going to try to attend one of the Standards Review meetings as soon as I possibly can to learn more about these standards and how the General Assembly can support the adoption of a set of standards that are based on best practices.
While I was in Jefferson City for the committee meeting, I also met and spoke with several other representatives concerning legislative responsibility for oversight regarding the various departments. Many of us do not have a full understanding of what exactly each department does and how they function as well as how the money appropriated to that department is spent. Speaker Richardson has given permission for a task force, the State Department Accountability and Review Task Force, to be formed to answer these questions. I am a member on this task force and will begin work with the other representatives on this task force. We will be going into every department spending time with each learning more about their work and finding the answers to the many questions that we have. Our goal is to be able to answer you, our constituents, in regards to any questions that you may have in how your tax money is being spent. We want to work with each department to identify ways to use taxpayer’s dollars more effectively and efficiently. I am looking forward to what we will be able to accomplish from this process!
I am continuing to speak with constituents regarding various issues ranging from disability, healthcare and insurances to Waters of the US federal legislation and its impact on us in Southeast Missouri to property rights and many other issues in between. I may not always have the answer but I know that we will work together to find the answers to any issue facing you. I and my office are still working on the Unclaimed Property List. If you think you may have some unclaimed property, please go to www.ShowMeMoney.com. This website as all the information there. Just in our district, the total of Unclaimed Property is $1,059,893.27. That is a lot of property! It is taking us awhile to get through this list but we will work on it until we have contacted as many people as we can. Please feel free to check out the website to make sure you are not on this list!!
I am going to Washington DC this next week for a conference on Medicaid Health Policy. I am hoping to bring back information that will allow us to make changes to our current system that will be beneficial for all Missourians. I am looking forward to learning more about the overall Medicaid Program and how it functions currently compared to how it functioned at the beginning, how state budgets impact the functioning of it as well as discussing the current challenges facing Medicaid including reform of the system and federal subsidy programs.
If you call my cell and cannot reach me, please feel free to send me a text message or call the Jefferson City office and leave a voice message, I will be checking these throughout the week.
Until next week,
Tila
I have been enjoying being in district this past week. I spent the first part of the week in Jefferson City for some meetings including my first official meeting of the Joint Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect. We heard from the Juvenile Office. It was very interesting to speak with these individuals and to learn more about what they do and how legislation has impacted their duties either for the good or bad. Currently the Juvenile Office is working to rewrite their standards of practice. I am very interested in the outcome of this as the presenters shared with us that currently there is no set standard of practice for many of their duties. I am going to try to attend one of the Standards Review meetings as soon as I possibly can to learn more about these standards and how the General Assembly can support the adoption of a set of standards that are based on best practices.
While I was in Jefferson City for the committee meeting, I also met and spoke with several other representatives concerning legislative responsibility for oversight regarding the various departments. Many of us do not have a full understanding of what exactly each department does and how they function as well as how the money appropriated to that department is spent. Speaker Richardson has given permission for a task force, the State Department Accountability and Review Task Force, to be formed to answer these questions. I am a member on this task force and will begin work with the other representatives on this task force. We will be going into every department spending time with each learning more about their work and finding the answers to the many questions that we have. Our goal is to be able to answer you, our constituents, in regards to any questions that you may have in how your tax money is being spent. We want to work with each department to identify ways to use taxpayer’s dollars more effectively and efficiently. I am looking forward to what we will be able to accomplish from this process!
I am continuing to speak with constituents regarding various issues ranging from disability, healthcare and insurances to Waters of the US federal legislation and its impact on us in Southeast Missouri to property rights and many other issues in between. I may not always have the answer but I know that we will work together to find the answers to any issue facing you. I and my office are still working on the Unclaimed Property List. If you think you may have some unclaimed property, please go to www.ShowMeMoney.com. This website as all the information there. Just in our district, the total of Unclaimed Property is $1,059,893.27. That is a lot of property! It is taking us awhile to get through this list but we will work on it until we have contacted as many people as we can. Please feel free to check out the website to make sure you are not on this list!!
I am going to Washington DC this next week for a conference on Medicaid Health Policy. I am hoping to bring back information that will allow us to make changes to our current system that will be beneficial for all Missourians. I am looking forward to learning more about the overall Medicaid Program and how it functions currently compared to how it functioned at the beginning, how state budgets impact the functioning of it as well as discussing the current challenges facing Medicaid including reform of the system and federal subsidy programs.
If you call my cell and cannot reach me, please feel free to send me a text message or call the Jefferson City office and leave a voice message, I will be checking these throughout the week.
Until next week,
Tila
Sunday is Flag Day, I wanted to share a little information about the history of this day…
The History Of Flag Day
Information source: http://www.usflag.org/flag.day.html
The Fourth of July was traditionally celebrated as America's birthday, but the idea of an annual day specifically celebrating the Flag is believed to have first originated in 1885. BJ Cigrand, a schoolteacher, arranged for the pupils in the Fredonia, Wisconsin Public School, District 6, to observe June 14 (the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of The Stars and Stripes) as 'Flag Birthday'. In numerous magazines and newspaper articles and public addresses over the following years, Cigrand continued to enthusiastically advocate the observance of June 14 as 'Flag Birthday', or 'Flag Day'.
On June 14, 1889, George Balch, a kindergarten teacher in New York City, planned appropriate ceremonies for the children of his school, and his idea of observing Flag Day was later adopted by the State Board of Education of New York. On June 14, 1891, the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia held a Flag Day celebration, and on June 14 of the following year, the New York Society of the Sons of the Revolution, celebrated Flag Day.
Following the suggestion of Colonel J Granville Leach (at the time historian of the Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of the Revolution), the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames of America on April 25, 1893 adopted a resolution requesting the mayor of Philadelphia and all others in authority and all private citizens to display the Flag on June 14th. Leach went on to recommend that thereafter the day be known as 'Flag Day', and on that day, school children be assembled for appropriate exercises, with each child being given a small Flag.
Two weeks later on May 8th, the Board of Managers of the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution unanimously endorsed the action of the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames. As a result of the resolution, Dr. Edward Brooks, then Superintendent of Public Schools of Philadelphia, directed that Flag Day exercises be held on June 14, 1893 in Independence Square. School children were assembled, each carrying a small Flag, and patriotic songs were sung and addresses delivered.
In 1894, the governor of New York directed that on June 14 the Flag be displayed on all public buildings. With BJ Cigrand and Leroy Van Horn as the moving spirits, the Illinois organization, known as the American Flag Day Association, was organized for the purpose of promoting the holding of Flag Day exercises. On June 14th, 1894, under the auspices of this association, the first general public school children's celebration of Flag Day in Chicago was held in Douglas, Garfield, Humboldt, Lincoln, and Washington Parks, with more than 300,000 children participating.
Capitol News:
On
June 5th, Governor Nixon signed the reappropriation and capital improvement
bills, House Bills 17, 18, and 19. These bills will provide funds to complete
maintenance and repair at higher education institutions and state facilities
across Missouri. Additionally, they reauthorize funds previously withheld and
recently released by the governor for 50/50 projects at several campuses, as
well as funds for maintaining the Capitol building and state parks.
State Economy Continues to Grow
The latest economic indicators are in and the good news is that Missouri’s economy continues to grow at a healthy rate. For the month of May, general revenue collections increased to $649.6 million, which is up 5.7 percent compared to May of last year. In total, revenues for the current fiscal year are up by 7.5 percent when compared to 2014 – from $7.32 billion last year to $7.87 billion currently.
What this all means is that Missouri’s economy is trending in a positive direction as more folks are working and purchasing goods and services, and more Missouri businesses are benefiting from this activity. However, even with the current good news, economists are predicting slower growth at the end of the third quarter of 2015 for states in the Midwest. An economist from Creighton University has said states that rely heavily on energy or agriculture will see a pullback in economic activity. As a state largely dependent on its robust agriculture industry, Missouri will continue to see economic growth in the months to come, but likely at a slower rate than it has seen so far this year.
Legislation of Interest Awaiting the Governor’s Signature
Money Follows the Person Program (HB 343)
A bill that received final legislative approval this year will establish a committee to assess the continuation of the Money Follows the Person Demonstration Program. The program works to support both aging and disabled Missourians to transition from nursing facilities or habilitation centers to quality community settings. The committee will study sustainability of the program beyond the current demonstration time frame for all transitions to occur by September 30, 2018.
Achieving a Better Life Experience Program (SB 174)
The legislature moved this session to create the "Missouri Achieving a Better Life Experience Program” to help Missourians save for the long-term needs of a child with disabilities. Under the bill, a participant may make tax-deductible contributions to an account established for the purpose of financing the qualified disability expenses of a designated beneficiary. The bill is meant to help people with disabilities achieve economic independence and greater financial security, and help them become less reliant on other public programs, while still being able to access necessary supports and services to live independently in their own homes and communities.
Senior Savings Protection Act (SB 244)
The Senior Savings Protection Act is designed to protect older Missourians from financial exploitation. The legislation will allow financial agents to take action to prevent suspected fraudulent activity that could victimize Missouri seniors.
The bill will let a financial agent refuse to disburse funds in the event they suspect a senior or disabled adult client is being defrauded. The agent would then have time to notify the family of the client and the proper authorities. Current law does not allow a financial agent to raise concerns to anyone not named on the account.
Upcoming In-District Schedule
I will be in district Monday and Tuesday, if you want to meet with me one of these days, please give me a call and I will be glad to do so! I will be out of district from Wednesday through Saturday this week due to being in Washington DC for the Medicaid Health Policy Conference.
Announcements:
My office is continuing to review the Unclaimed Property List that we have received and are working to contact each person that is on this list! If you think you might be on the list, please call my Capitol Office at 573/751-1494.
State Economy Continues to Grow
The latest economic indicators are in and the good news is that Missouri’s economy continues to grow at a healthy rate. For the month of May, general revenue collections increased to $649.6 million, which is up 5.7 percent compared to May of last year. In total, revenues for the current fiscal year are up by 7.5 percent when compared to 2014 – from $7.32 billion last year to $7.87 billion currently.
What this all means is that Missouri’s economy is trending in a positive direction as more folks are working and purchasing goods and services, and more Missouri businesses are benefiting from this activity. However, even with the current good news, economists are predicting slower growth at the end of the third quarter of 2015 for states in the Midwest. An economist from Creighton University has said states that rely heavily on energy or agriculture will see a pullback in economic activity. As a state largely dependent on its robust agriculture industry, Missouri will continue to see economic growth in the months to come, but likely at a slower rate than it has seen so far this year.
Legislation of Interest Awaiting the Governor’s Signature
Money Follows the Person Program (HB 343)
A bill that received final legislative approval this year will establish a committee to assess the continuation of the Money Follows the Person Demonstration Program. The program works to support both aging and disabled Missourians to transition from nursing facilities or habilitation centers to quality community settings. The committee will study sustainability of the program beyond the current demonstration time frame for all transitions to occur by September 30, 2018.
Achieving a Better Life Experience Program (SB 174)
The legislature moved this session to create the "Missouri Achieving a Better Life Experience Program” to help Missourians save for the long-term needs of a child with disabilities. Under the bill, a participant may make tax-deductible contributions to an account established for the purpose of financing the qualified disability expenses of a designated beneficiary. The bill is meant to help people with disabilities achieve economic independence and greater financial security, and help them become less reliant on other public programs, while still being able to access necessary supports and services to live independently in their own homes and communities.
Senior Savings Protection Act (SB 244)
The Senior Savings Protection Act is designed to protect older Missourians from financial exploitation. The legislation will allow financial agents to take action to prevent suspected fraudulent activity that could victimize Missouri seniors.
The bill will let a financial agent refuse to disburse funds in the event they suspect a senior or disabled adult client is being defrauded. The agent would then have time to notify the family of the client and the proper authorities. Current law does not allow a financial agent to raise concerns to anyone not named on the account.
Upcoming In-District Schedule
I will be in district Monday and Tuesday, if you want to meet with me one of these days, please give me a call and I will be glad to do so! I will be out of district from Wednesday through Saturday this week due to being in Washington DC for the Medicaid Health Policy Conference.
Announcements:
My office is continuing to review the Unclaimed Property List that we have received and are working to contact each person that is on this list! If you think you might be on the list, please call my Capitol Office at 573/751-1494.
If you have an event that
you would like to be listed in the Capitol Report, please email me at tila.hubrecht@house.mo.gov
or louie.bench@house.mo.gov.
