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Senate Committee Hears Fresh Start Bill
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 Giving ex-offenders a second chance -- that's what Fresh Start legislation is all about. SB 647, sponsored by Senator Andrew Koenig (R-St. Charles) states that a licensing authority cannot deny an ex-offender a professional license unless the crime he or she is convicted of is directly related to the duties and responsibilities of that license. The bill had a hearing this week before the Senate General Laws Committee. Senator Koenig told the committee that one in four jobs require a license and that ex-offenders are often denied a license because of vague terms like "moral turpitude".
Numerous witnesses testified in favor of the bill, including the MCC. Testimony centered around how a good job can anchor a person in the community, while preventing recidivism and government dependence. No one spoke in opposition to the bill. The committee took no action on the bill. |
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Work Requirements for Food Stamps has Contentious Hearing
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 This week, the House General Laws Committee heard HB 1785, a bill that would require people eligible for food stamps to meet work requirements in order to stay in the program. Sponsored by Rep. Dirk Deaton (R-Noel), the bill would penalize the whole family if the head of household didn't comply with work requirements. The sponsor encountered numerous questions from the committee; inquiries arose about the intent of the bill, the morals of punishing children for parental noncompliance, and funding requirements from the state. Several of the committee members shared that they had been on food stamps growing up and noted the importance of the program to children.
Most of the witnesses, including the MCC, testified against the bill. Dr. Kenneth Haller, a pediatrician from St. Louis, informed the committee of the importance of good nutrition for children, saying that it affects the mental, physical, and emotional needs of children. He informed the committee that going without food can be an emotional stressor for children as well as a physical one. An estimated 45,250 children could lose their food stamps if the bill is passed. The committee took no action on the bill. |
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Senate Committee Hears Gun Rights Bill
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 This week, the Missouri Senate Transportation, Infrastructure, and Public Safety Committee heard testimony on SB 663, sponsored by Sen. Eric Burlison (R-Springfield). This bill extends the areas where firearms can be lawfully carried by removing current language prohibiting gun owners from carrying weapons into churches and private elementary and secondary schools. Proponents of the bill argued that private property owners, like churches and private schools, would still be permitted to ban guns on their property by posting signage stating guns are not permitted. MCC testified against the bill, however, arguing that current law properly recognizes churches and private schools as places guns should not be permitted. Changing the law to require churches and schools to post signage is an improper infringement upon religious freedom. |
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Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act Heard in U.S. Senate Committee
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 This week, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which would require doctors to provide medical care to infants that survive an abortion. U.S. Senator Ben Sasse is the lead sponsor of the measure. He explained that the bill was about "making sure that every newborn baby has a fighting chance - whether she's born in a labor and delivery ward or whether she's born in an abortion clinic."
The bill would create criminal penalties for doctors who allow a newborn to die because they failed to provide medical care after a failed abortion procedure and mandates that a child born alive in an abortion clinic be transported to a hospital for care. It also provides a cause of action for a woman against the abortionist if her child does not receive care after birth.
While the U.S. Senate was hearing testimony on the federal bill, a state version of the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act was being passed out of a Missouri Senate Committee. On Wednesday, the Senate Health and Pensions Committee voted SB 665, sponsored by Senator Eric Burlison (R-Battlefield), "do pass", by a vote of 5-2. SB 665 now heads to the full Missouri Senate for debate. |
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U.S. House Votes to Remove Deadline to Approve Equal Rights Amendment
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 Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives moved to revive the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution by voting to remove the original 1982 deadline for state ratification. Congress sent the proposed amendment to the states in 1972 and gave them seven years to ratify it (although the deadline was later extended to 1982). The amendment was not ratified by the required number of states before the deadline, although supporters have continued to seek ratification since then. Last month, Virginia voted to ratify the amendment, making it the 38th and final state needed.
The House vote to remove the 1982 deadline comes after Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg recently spoke out against trying to ratify the amendment after the deadline. Ginsburg said that it would be better for Congress to start over in trying to pass it rather than continuing the original failed attempt.
Though the amendment seeks to guarantee equal rights under the law regardless of one's sex, pro-life advocates have raised concerns that the amendment would also enshrine abortion protection in the Constitution and nullify state pro-life laws. |
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Subcommittee Looks into Jail Debt
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 This week, the Subcommittee for County Prison Per Diem Reimbursement examined why Missouri counties have so much jail debt. County jails can request reimbursements from the Department of Corrections (DOC) for transporting prisoners from local jail to state prisons, transporting extradited offenders back to Missouri, and housing prisoners who are eventually sentenced to state prison. Today the state owes the county jails about $35 million. Nearly 93% of that debt is from outstanding bills due to counties for holding state prisoners in local jails.
Lewis County Sheriff David Parrish told the subcommittee that it costs about $60 a day to house a prisoner, but the DOC reimburses counties only $22.58 for inmates who will eventually be sentenced to state incarceration. State statute allows for up to $37.50 for daily reimbursements, but there is not a required minimum. Governor Parson has recommended $22 million in funding for county reimbursements in his 2021 budget.
The subcommittee will now make recommendations to the Budget Committee on how to remedy the debt and streamline the payment process. |
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Querida Amazonia
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 Pope Francis recently released The Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Querida Amazonia, a document that highlights the role of the Catholic church in the Amazonian region. President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Archbishop José H. Gomez, released a statement this week reflecting on the document.
"Today our Holy Father Pope Francis offers us a hopeful and challenging vision of the future of the Amazon region, one of the earth's most sensitive and crucial ecosystems, and home to a rich diversity of cultures and peoples. The Pope reminds us that the Church serves humanity by proclaiming Jesus Christ and his Gospel of love, and he calls for an evangelization that respects the identities and histories of the Amazonian peoples and that is open to the 'novelty of the Spirit, who is always able to create something new with the inexhaustible riches of Jesus Christ.'"
To read the full statement, visit the USCCB website. |
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When Valentines Become a Symbol of Religious Freedom
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 In years past, we've written about the history of Valentine's Day, and its origins with Saint Valentine, a saint who helped persecuted Christians and married couples when marriage was outlawed. He stood up for religious liberty long before it was written into law. This Valentine's Day, we jump to a modern advocate for religious freedom, this time a young woman from Wisconsin. A Crux article tells the story of a college student who used Valentines to spread Jesus' love, and stood up for her first amendment rights when campus officials told her she couldn't distribute her cards any more. Read more about how Polly Olsen won her religious liberty case in this article from Crux. |
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