(Missourinet) – The state auditor’s office has established a page on its website which tracks daily financial activity of Missouri’s $9.4 billion general revenue fund.

Lawmakers and Governor Greitens allocate money in the fund to pay for operations of state agencies and departments.

Auditor Nicole Galloway says the page lets the public keep tabs of state finances, online or on a cell phone, just like they do with their personal bank accounts.

“Just as you would able to check your online bank account personally, we thought that you should be able to do the same thing with your money that’s public dollars, which are tax payer dollars,” Galloway said.

Currently, only total daily transactions are posted on the page, but there are plans to expand the amount of information offered to include detailed information about where money is being collected from, and what it’s being spent on. Galloway says it’ll bring the daily financial activity of the state out into the open.

“The point is to add transparency to how your taxpayer dollars are being spent. You pay your taxes. Millions of dollars go to the state. Here you can see that it’s deposited, and then what bills are being paid,” Galloway said. “So we’re going to add some additional transparency, because it’s important for people to understand that.”

Galloway adds the page is intended to serve lawmakers as well as citizens.

“These are public dollars.  And lawmakers should realize what’s coming in and what going out, just as citizens are, as they make these policy decisions and have these policy discussions.”

The balance of the general fund can change drastically if elements such as tax collections are delayed, or are less or more than projected.  Lawmakers who head budget committees in the legislature have access to detailed information about the transactions.

After taking office in January, Governor Greitens made roughly $146 million in withholds to shore up a budget crater in fiscal year 2017. His budget for the next fiscal year starting July 1st calls for $572 million in cuts to balance an additional shortfall.

Galloway, who is a Democrat, recently announced an investigation to find the root cause of the deficit.

To see the auditor’s web page showing daily totals of the state’s financial activity click here.

(Missourinet) – Missouri lawmakers are looking at a resolution to establish a transportation task force.

The group would be charged with evaluating the condition of the state highway system and determining what its funding needs are.

A document under examination, known as House Concurrent Resolution 47, claims Missouri roads are aging and under financed.

Republican Kevin Corlew of Kansas City is sponsoring the measure. He said he thinks it’s important to engage the entire state to find out what needs to be done, and to figure out the cost.

“The goal of this task force will be, on the one hand, finding out what the need is,” said Corlew.  “And then secondly, being able to get citizen involvement, stakeholder involvement and official involvement in crafting a plan to achieve that objective so that we move our highway system forward.”

The task force would include nine residents as well as four lawmakers, the governor and agency heads over transportation, economic development and the highway patrol.

In its current form, the resolution calls for the Republican leaders in the House and Senate to appoint two members each to the task force.

While introducing his resolution during a hearing of the House Transportation Committee, Corlew said he would seek to have a third appointee from each chamber that would be a Democrat, in the interest of advancing the task force as a bipartisan group.

The task force would hold public hearings across the state to gather information. It would then draw conclusions and send a report to the legislature at the beginning of next year.

Committee Chairman Bill Reiboldt (R-Neosho) praised Corlew for his work on the resolution, noting transportation funding is on the minds of all the panel’s members.

“We’re needing to, in my mind, get our ducks in a row this year, and study the problem, and then come forward next legislative session with something concrete that we can all agree on and move ahead,” said Reiboldt.

Among those testifying in favor of the resolution was Department of Transportation Director Patrick McKenna, who fielded a number of questions from lawmakers.

Like he has on numerous occasions, McKenna stated the need to increase spending to keep pace with other states. He contends funding needs to be boosted by $500 million per-year just to maintain roads and make safety improvements.

McKenna links the shortage to user fees which, outside of federal dollars, are the main source for financing Missouri’s highways. He said those fees – which are fuel taxes, registration and licensing fees, and motor vehicle sales taxes – have fallen behind over the years.

“The gas tax hasn’t been increased, as a rate, in twenty years,” said McKenna.  “And some of the other fees that are primary sources for funding haven’t been updated since the 1960s.  Just the purchasing power degradation does not enable us to procure the same amount of construction and upgrades that we could 20 years ago.”

With the current arrangement, improving the state’s highway system could be difficult.  Missouri has the seventh biggest road and bridge system in the country, but ranks 47th in revenue per mile.

At $50,000, Missouri’s revenue per mile is about a third of what neighboring Iowa generates, and less than 25 percent of the national average of $216,000 per mile.  New Jersey generates $1.7 million per mile.

Missouri voters have rejected a number of large spending packages to upgrade roads in recent years. Corlew said he hopes a new concerted effort can change public perception of the need to find money to address highways.

He said a Blue Ribbon Commission in 2012 made headway in identifying some problems and offering some choices to fix them. He now wants the state to take the next step with a transportation task force.

“I think what’s needed now, for this legislature, is some actual proposals,” said Corlew.  “Here’s what we can do, and here’s what we recommend doing, based upon the involvement and input from Missourians.”

(Public News Service) – COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri has been making progress in the fight against climate change and advocates are worried that plans by the Trump administration to derail the Clean Power Plan could cause a loss of momentum for the state and the country.

Comments made earlier this month by new EPA chief Scott Pruitt that climate change isn’t happening caused an uproar around the U.S. and around the globe.

Andy Knott, senior campaign representative for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign, said denying science doesn’t make the reality of climate change go away. He said that to have Pruitt claim otherwise is embarrassing.

Knott said Missouri has made a lot of progress in the clean-energy sector, and cited Springfield as an example.

“They retired a coal plant, and they also built one of the largest solar farms in Missouri and they signed a 200-megawatt contract for wind power,” he said.

Knott added that Missouri’s economy would take a hit as well without the Clean Power Plan. About 53,000 people are employed in the Show-Me State’s clean-energy sector, and a report last year said Missouri had the fastest-growing employment rate for jobs in wind and solar in the U.S.

University of Missouri associate professor Johann Bruhn studies the effects of climate change and has traveled most of the world. He said scientists have known since the 1850s about the abilities of carbon dioxide and methane to collect heat, and said we can’t let false debate delay us from taking action.

“We’ve known that these gasses produce a warming effect, essentially another blanket on the bed surrounding Earth to change the energy balance to warm the atmosphere, the earth, the oceans,” he said.

Knott said in the meantime, climate change has reared its head in Missouri.

“We’re seeing changes in crops that can be grown in Missouri,” Knott added. “We’re seeing increases in invasive species that impact crops, more floods and more droughts, more severe storms and tornadoes.”

Bruhn said it perplexes him that anyone with children or grandchildren would deny climate change because he believes they would want to make sure their future is secure by making the earth as good as it can be for them.

(Missourinet) – Republican leaders in the Missouri General Assembly say they are pleased with the first half of the legislative session and now turn their sights to the budget, REAL ID and other issues that were temporarily shelved.

In the past two months, both chambers passed legislation aiming to change labor laws, education and the legal system– key issues for Republicans in the legislature and Gov. Eric Greitens (R), who say it will improve the state’s economic environment.

Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard (R-Joplin) told reporters Thursday he never thought a lot of the legislation they have moved this year would even pass in his lifetime, calling the session “outstanding.”

Lawmakers have the next next week off for the spring break, but plenty of work still lies ahead for House and Senate Republicans in the coming months. The budget is first on the list when they reconvene on March 27.

Currently, the House budget has departed from some of the governor’s recommendations. The current proposal would restore around $22 million to higher education, after the governor recommended $90 million be cut from the state’s university system. It would also restore funding for K-12 transportation, to which the governor proposed a $36 million in cuts.

House Budget Chair Scott Fitzpatrick (R-Shell Knob) says it is too early to speculate on whether Gov. Greitens will line-item veto parts of the budget. “We’ll see what happens,” he said, explaining more details of the budget still need to be finalized.

Fitzpatrick says they’ll have the budget bills sent to the Senate by the first week of April, and that he expects little trouble meeting the May 5 deadline.

House Majority Leader Mike Cierpiot (R-Lee’s Summit) said that once the budget is sent through, they’ll look to bring several issues to the floor they had previously shelved. “Once we see the lay of the land, Real ID will be coming forward,” he told reporters at a joint press conference with Republican Senate leadership Thursday. “Then prevailing wage is going to take some time out there too.”

After waiting for the Senate to establish a position on a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, long-awaited House debate on a PDMP bill introduced by Rep. Holly Rehder (R- Sikeston) is also expected to happen soon.

House Republicans have been moving their key bills at a furious pace, but Democrats in the body say the GOP is forgetting about more urgent issues. Minority Floor Leader Gail McCann Beatty (D-Kansas City) criticizes Republicans Thursday for putting off discussion of REAL ID. “That’s what our constituents want,” Beatty says, adding that many businesses and the Chamber of Commerce in Kansas City consider bringing Missouri into compliance with federal ID standards a priority.

If Missouri does not become compliant with federal ID requirements by Jan. 18, 2018, IDs issued by the state will no longer be valid for air travel or entering military bases like Ft. Leonard Wood.

Meanwhile in the Senate, Republican leaders stressed cooperation between chambers in the State Assembly. If REAL ID gets through the House, Richard said he thinks there are enough votes to pass in the Senate.

In the coming weeks they also plan to move other key Republican-backed pieces of legislation passed by the House, such as a minimum wage cap and the elimination of the circuit-breaker tax property tax credit for elderly and disabled renters.

(Missourinet) – A proposal to support inmates returning to the citizen workforce is being considered by state lawmakers.

The measure guarantees that prisoners are bonded by the federal government upon release.

The U.S. Department of Labor provides Fidelity Bonds that guarantee honesty for hard-to-place job seekers who are deemed to be at risk. The bonds cover the first six months of employment at no cost to the applicant or the employer.

The proposal further guarantees that working inmates are certified in a given field.  A review process would determine which jobs would be eligible for certification, and ensure that any inmate who completes the necessary requirements receives certification.

Inmates who work jobs that aren’t eligible for certification would be given a certificate that would list training received, hours worked and skills acquired on the job.

The House Subcommittee on Corrections Workforce Environment and Conduct held a Thursday hearing on the proposal which is sponsored by Representative Brandon Ellington (D-Kansas City).

Convicted felon and St. Louis resident Rachel Grieder spoke before the committee, saying she’s been rejected by so many employers that she’s thought about returning to life as a drug dealer.

“It triggers my mind to go back to what I’m familiar with, to sell the drugs, to do the illegal things,” said Greider.  “As a mother, if you don’t have the money to feed your kids, you don’t know what to do.  You’re going to go to what you’re familiar with.”

Hedy Hardin of Missouri Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants (CURE) said the measure is necessary because freed inmates face so many obstacles.

“Returning citizens need all the help we can provide them to become productive and honest wage earners and tax payers rather than a drain on society’s resources.”

Jeanette Mott Oxford of Empower Missouri said the measure would give incarcerated people resources and hope when they’re freed.

“A lot of people that are in prison have been so used to failing, that they just think ‘Well I’m just going to wind back up in here,’ and it affects what choices they make once they get out,” said Mott Oxford.  “If you are surrounded with a more positive climate that says ‘Here’s some things that you can do to become more employable,’ if someone meets you with an attitude that says you are bright and you have gifts that can be nurtured, it’s all how people are treated.  I think this would change the focus inside, and would give people a different attitude as they leave.”

No one spoke in opposition to the measure.  It’s aimed at reducing the recidivism rate of offenders incarcerated in Missouri.  Figures complied in 2015 show 46 percent of former inmates return to crime.

The committee could vote on the proposal upon returning from a week long recess in the legislative session.

(Missourinet) – More than 1,000 events took place Wednesday worldwide, including in Missouri, to rally against tobacco use, especially among youth.

According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, 11% of Missouri’s high school students smoke. According to the organization, from 2011 to 2015, e-cigarette use among high school students jumped from 1.5% to 16% nationwide, and more kids use e-cigarettes than regular cigarettes.

Ginny Chadwick was with a group at the state capitol Wednesday and said tobacco companies are spending big money to market things like electronic cigarettes to kids.

“When we look specifically at what youth are using, it’s not traditional cigarettes. That is still declining,” Chadwick said. “It is through e-cigarettes that our youth use rates are increasing overall because youth are entering the marketing through e-cigarettes. Once they pick up one product, they’re much more likely to be dual users.”

E-cigarettes and cigars are sold in a wide assortment of candy and fruit flavors, such as gummy bear, cotton candy and fruit punch.

“Youth, once they pick up one product, they’re much more likely to transition. They’re still getting hooked on nicotine,” Chadwick said. “That’s the thing the e-cigarette industry will often tell you is that they’re water vapor. They’re not harmful.”

Are e-cigarettes as harmful as traditional tobacco products?

“They don’t cause as much harm (as traditional tobacco products),” Chadwick said. “But if a poisonous snake is deadly, is a less poisonous snake that’s still deadly actually harmful? Yes.”

Missouri has the lowest tobacco tax in the nation at 17 cents per pack of cigarettes.

“We have one of the highest youth use rates. So, 14.9% of our youth are taking up tobacco products. Where if you compare us to surrounding states, we are much higher,” Chadwick said.

Chadwick says the national youth use rate is about 13.9%.

(Missourinet) – A Missouri state senator says St. Louis could lose the Missouri Valley Conference basketball tournament and other major events, unless lawmakers approve legislation allowing the state to help fund Scottrade Center renovations.

The Scottrade Center is where the NHL’s Blues play.

State Sen. Dave Schatz (R-Sullivan) has filed legislation to allow state funding for land clearance projects “related to tourism infrastructure facilities.”

The measure comes at a time when Missouri faces a tight state budget, with departments facing possible budget cuts.

The Schatz bill would allow up to $6 million in state funding annually to pay for renovations at the Scottrade Center, which was built in 1994. Schatz testifies St. Louis will lose bids on several upcoming events, if upgrades aren’t made.

“The NCAA men’s Final Four Frozen Four, the NCAA division I wrestling, NCAA women’s volleyball championships, the 2022 World Junior Hockey,” Schatz says.

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay and other supporters of Scottrade Center improvements say the 23-year-old facility’s plumbing and mechanical systems are failing.

Slay tells Missourinet supporters are asking the state for about $65 million to help fund improvements.

Schatz testifies that the Scottrade Center generates significant revenues for the state.

“Nearly $170 million in direct spending annually by 1.2 million visitors,” says Schatz. “Average of $11 million in direct tax revenue to the state. Over 2,000 employees with a payroll in excess of $26 million. That excludes players and entertainers.”

Schatz also says Scottrade Center/Peabody Opera House is responsible for filling 55,000 hotel rooms in the region annually.

State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed (D-St. Louis) says visitors to Scottrade Center and Peabody Opera House put more than 85,000 people to work in bars, hotels, restaurants and other region venues.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the St. Louis Board of Aldermen has approved issuing $64 million in bonds, and that the Blues ownership group plans to chip in $50 million over the next 20 to 30 years.

Blues CEO Chris Zimmerman testifies the building’s plumbing and electrical are failing, and that piping throughout the entire facility “is deteriorating.”

Zimmerman, who supports the Schatz bill, testified Tuesday before the Senate Economic Development Committee.

“And throughout whether it’s our plumbing systems, mechanical systems, electrical, we are a building that is now 23 coming up on 24 years old,” Zimmerman testifies. “We’ve hosted over 32 million guests.”

Zimmerman provided senators with a packet, which says hot water pumps at Scottrade “are at the end of their useful life,” and that the water heaters throughout the building are original 1994 “and do not have enough capacity during large events.”

Also, according to the packet, the Scottrade Center building lighting controls are “operating from Windows 95,” and that the building still has its original 1994 emergency power generator.

Zimmerman testifies this project is about creating jobs and keeping St. Louis “vibrant.”

He tells senators Scottrade renovations will produce about 2,200 on-site construction jobs.

Missouri state senators also learned Tuesday that St. Louis hopes to land the NHL All-Star Game. Longtime St. Louis Sports Commission board member Jack Stapleton made the announcement while testifying before the committee.

“Other events we are currently bidding for or planning to bid for, in addition to NCAA wrestling, include the NHL All-Star game,” Stapleton says. “After the (January) Winter Classic, we got a great, favorable review from the NHL and the commissioner (Gary Bettman). We’re very hopeful about that.”

But Stapleton testifies that the Scottrade Center needs major renovation work. He also supports the Schatz bill.

The committee did not vote on Tuesday, and a vote is not expected until senators return from the legislative spring break.