(Missourinet) – State lawmakers are looking at a proposal which aims to impose term limits on members of the U.S. Congress.

In the current session, two identical bills, one each in the House and Senate are being considered.

They are resolutions, which don’t ordinarily effect the law, but might endorse a certain action be taken. In this case, the measures call for a “convention of states” to propose the required constitutional amendment for term limits.

To create one, 34 states would have to jointly propose an amendment.  Then, the approval of 38 states would be required for term limits to become law.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 14 was recently passed by the chamber’s Rules Committee.  Sponsor Denny Hoskins (R-Warrensburg) noted lawmakers had heard the resolution in the past, before he yielded to people testifying in support of it during it’s hearing.

Mark Harris with the group U.S. Term Limits told the committee federal term limits would improve the governing process by creating open seats.

“The more open seats we have, the more competition have, both between the Democratic and Republican parties, as well as intra-party.  So increased political competition helps to lead to better outcomes.”

Harris noted one state, Florida, had passed a similar resolution put forth by his group, but said it’s hoping to get approval from four-to-five additional states this year.

Another organization, Convention of States, has received the approval of seven states for the very same proposal.  But its platform has three components, which could make its quest to get the backing of the required 34 states more difficult.

Harris said Missourians favored his organizations simple platform, calling only for term limits, by a wide margin.

“In a survey that we commissioned, 86% of Missourians support term limits on the U.S. Congress.”

He added that Republicans and Democrats of all ages and backgrounds support the restrictions, which is a rare show of unanimity.

Bev Ehlen of Concerned Women for America was one of two people testifying against the measure, arguing that term limits are not needed because there’s already a sizable turnover in Congress.

“In the last 12 years, we’ve had a total of 381 new Representatives there, of a 435 body (House of Representatives) said Ehlen.  “So we really don’t have the problem in D.C.  We have a problem in D.C., but it’s not because we don’t have new fresh people there all the time.”

The Senate bill will next be considered on the chamber’s floor.

Chuck Basye (R-Rocheport) is sponsoring identical House proposal seeking federal term limits.

(Missourinet) – Senior care and advocacy groups are speaking out against a Missouri House proposal to cut a property tax rebate for elderly and disabled renters.

They say redirecting funds used for the tax credit to shore up cuts to health care could affect 100,000 people in the state who depend on the payment to afford basic necessities.

The AARP and Missouri’s Area Agencies on Aging testified Monday evening in Jefferson City against redirecting funding used for the tax credit. The credit is known as the circuit-breaker, which reimburses low-income seniors and disabled residents for property taxes.

About 200,000 people in Missouri currently receive the circuit-breaker tax credit, roughly half of whom are renters. The payments for renters range from $460-750 a year. The proposal to stop payments to renters was introduced last week as an option to help cover cuts to home and community based health services. Gov. Eric Greitens (R) has called for a $52 million cut for those services in his budget recommendations, though subsequently recommended $42 million from the master tobacco settlement be used to pay for the program this year. Funds redirected from the circuit-breaker would serve as a permanent source of funding for home and community services.

House Budget Chairman Scott Fitzpatrick (R-Shell Knob) introduced the proposal, though it officially comes from the committee itself. Fitzpatrick says cutting off payments to renters and putting it into a senior services protection fund could bring the state $55-60 million to restore money Greitens has asked lawmakers to cut.

Then Gov. Jay Nixon (D) proposed a similar plan in 2013, but ended up vetoing the measure when it reached his desk.

Fitzpatrick and several of his Republican colleagues on the Budget Committee argue that renters don’t pay property taxes, and the money paid out to them should instead be used to cover healthcare costs.

“I think that more important than this property tax credit for people who aren’t paying property taxes is preserving services for people who are vulnerable,” Fitzpatrick says.

State Rep. David Wood (R-Versailles) says seniors would value continued health care services over a small yearly payment.

“Between getting $500 and having in-home health services or the potential of going to a nursing home, to me that is a pretty easy choice,” Wood said.

AARP Associate State Director for Advocacy Jay Hardenbrook calls that a “false choice,” and said renters deserve a payment just as much as homeowners do.

“I would challenge any fiscal conservative to say that customers don’t pay taxes,” he said. “And in this case, they certainly are.”

Hardenbrook says the circuit-breaker tax credit is a “bright flashing light” for people in the General Assembly who don’t like tax credits to begin with, adding that the proposal was a last-minute effort to fund home and community based services. He pointed to other tax credits that wouldn’t impact vulnerable Missourians as a better place to start making cuts, such as the historic preservation credit.

Catherine Edwards, director of Area Agencies on Aging, told the House Budget Committee that targeting renters who receive the tax credit hits the state’s most vulnerable recipients.

“It may pay for eyeglasses or dentures if you cannot have those paid by Medicare.” Edwards testified to the committee, emphasizing the tax credit’s uses for low and fixed income seniors. “It can pay for pajamas. It can pay for toiletries in the nursing home. It can pay for slippers. It can pay for a luxury like a frozen waffle you can put in your toaster.”

Edwards echoed what Hardenbrook said, that comparing healthcare to funding for housing was a “false choice,” and that the state should not “rob one side to pay for the other.”

Married seniors or disabled renters who make less than $29,500 a year are eligible for the circuit-breaker tax credit. Single renters must make under $27,500. Payments range from a maximum for $750 for renters and as little as $460 a year, with payments issued in the form of a tax refund.

Fitzpatrick’s circuit-breaker proposal has not been filed as a traditional bill because it was introduced after the deadline to submit new legislation on March 1.

Instead it has been unofficially filed as a “committee filed bill”, something Fitzpatrick said is new to the assembly.

The Budget Committee will hold another hearing on the bill Wednesday morning.

(Missourinet) – Propane fueled vehicles could be taxed under a bill being considered by a House committee.

Bill sponsor Craig Redmon (R-Canton) says alternative fueled vehicles should pay their fair share.

“They’re basically getting a free pass on paying anything towards our roads,” says Redmon.

He tells Missouri the revenue generated would help fund work on Missouri’s roads and bridges.

“It makes sense because the price of propane is typically cheaper than gasoline. It burns a lot cleaner and I just think there’s some cost savings for not only state vehicles but everybody out there that would choose to switch over to propane,” says Redmon. “If we don’t do something like this where people can fill up in other places or make it more convenient, that number will never get any larger. This is just kind of trying to level the playing field with propane.”

State lawmakers have been butting heads for years about how to increase funding for Missouri’s transportation system. The state’s motor fuel tax has not been increased since 1996.

Redmon is considering whether the tax level should match the motor fuel tax, which is currently 17 cents per gallon, and graduate to a different level if the gasoline tax changes.

How much could be generated from the tax is unknown. Redmon also says there is no cost associated with implementation of a propane motor fuel tax.

Under his bill, propane fueled vehicles could continue to apply for and use annual alternative fuel decals in lieu of paying the tax. No decal is required for vehicles that fuel at stations collecting the new propane tax, however, there is no refund policy for vehicles with decals that choose to obtain fuel at unattended stations where tax is automatically collected at the point of sale.

The committee has not voted yet on the measure.

(Missourinet) – The National Weather Service office in Pleasant Hill says assessment teams will survey tornado damage near western Missouri’s Oak Grove, Smithville and Carrollton on Tuesday.

There were numerous tornado warnings across Missouri on Monday evening, including reports of damage and hail. There are no reports of fatalities, at this time.

The National Weather Service says at one point, about 100,000 customers were without power in the Kansas City area.

The Weather Service tweeted Monday night that a tornado was on the ground near Oak Grove, a small town east of Kansas City that sits on I-70. The Weather Service tweeted that there were confirmed tornadoes in Oak Grove and Bates City.

The Kansas City Star reports Oak Grove School officials have canceled Tuesday classes because of power outages and damage.

State Rep. Joe Don McGaugh (R-Carrollton) told Missourinet Monday evening that several buildings sustained damage in Richmond, which is in western Missouri’s Ray County.

“Lots of power lines down. Many folks saying it was a tornado. Nothing confirmed on that,” McGaugh told Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth.

Missourinet Marshall affiliate KMMO reports power lines were down Monday night in Carrollton, which is just north of the Missouri River in northwest Missouri.

The National Weather Service also tweeted Monday night that there was “significant damage” from a tornado that touched down in northern Missouri’s Mercer County, with damage to houses and mobile homes.

Tornado sirens in mid-Missouri’s Boone County halted Monday night’s Columbia City Council meeting, according to television station KMIZ Channel 17. Everyone in the room went to the basement to wait out the storm.

KMIZ reports the Columbia City Council decided to move discussions of a unified development code to Saturday afternoon at 1.

(Missourinet) – An audit of top administrators and the Board of Curators in the University of Missouri system shows more than $2 million in hidden “bonus” pay.

According to state Auditor Nicole Galloway, during a three year period, 18 executives were awarded $1.2 million in incentives that weren’t tied to any achievements.

Eighteen top ranking executives also received $407,000 in vehicle allowances during 2015 and 2016.  Also, more than $800,000 in unreported retention bonuses, relocation payments and housing allowances were doled out.

Galloway says the bonus payments appear to break the state constitution because they weren’t tied to any incentives.

“Incentive payments are tied to measurable specific criteria designed to incentivize high performance,” said Galloway. “And what we found is the system did not have that criteria in place. They didn’t have those types of measurable criteria where it says ‘If you meet certain goals, you’re going to earn this payment’.”

The audit shows many administrators receive more than $1,200 per month in vehicle allowance pay to cover the cost of a leased luxury vehicle, insurance and fuel.  Galloway considers this allocation excessive because reimbursement for mileage would total only a third of the cost.

The examination also revealed former Chancellor R. Bowen Lofton was paid 75 percent of his salary as well as $200,000 in additional money after he resigned his position.  Galloway implied a new contract and compensation for Lofton paid him nearly half-a-million dollars to take to a year off.

“The system in the university could not provide any documentation or provide any source of work product, any deliverables that he did, could not provide how this new contract was negotiated, the terms surrounding that contract.”

Lofton resigned under pressure after a series of racially charged incidents at the Columbia campus made national headlines in 2015.

The university says his contract required he be given a tenured position after vacating his job as chancellor. He’s currently working to bolster the school’s research programs in programs involving defense, intelligence and homeland security.

In a statement, the university said Lofton “will be evaluated this spring to assess his effectiveness and success in locating funding opportunities and partnerships for MU investigators.”

In 2015, Standard & Poor’s credit rating service downgraded the university system’s status from stable to negative following the racial unrest and Lofton’s resignation.  Its standing was restored to stable by the service March 1st.

Republican Governor Eric Greitenss budget calls for a roughly $150 million cut to higher education in the next fiscal year which starts July 1st.  He downsized the allocation for the University of Missouri by nearly $23 million, in addition to $20 million which is being withheld from its budget in the current fiscal year.

Greitens released a statement Monday evening which was highly critical of higher education administrators.

“Top University of Missouri leaders (anyone with dean, president, chancellor, provost, director, chief, and chair in their job titles) already get more than $62 million in combined annual salary,” said Greitens.  “Salaries of those upper-level leaders jumped $4 million between 2015 and 2016. So when they say that students should have to pay more, I don’t buy it.”

New MU System President Mun Choi say the executive compensation arrangement is necessary to attract and retain top leaders in a competitive national market.

Galloway says her audit uncovers an alarming misuse of taxpayer money.

“Two million dollars in bonuses and an administrator receiving half a million in pay with no work product is disturbing and does not demonstrate accountability to taxpayers or to students.”

(Missourinet) – State Auditor Nicole Galloway says her office’s audits have discovered more than $130 million in government waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement.

“We have uncovered actions that have led to 30 criminal charges against public officials and, at times, the resignation or removal of corrupt officials from office,” says Galloway.

Last year, former Dunklin County public administrator Shawnee Trowbridge resigned following the results of a state audit that found she used other people’s money to purchase personal items including pet supplies and fuel.

In 2016, a state audit also uncovered more than $316,000 in fees that were incorrectly charged to Missourians by several of the state’s municipal courts. They miscalculated for things like warrants, bonds and booking fees. Several municipalities and courts also did not pay the state the correct amount for traffic ticket revenue.

A state audit last year also found that the Department of Higher Education’s lack of oversight has contributed to $5 million in unpaid student loans. The department did not correctly track or monitor records for its Advantage Missouri program, which allowed forgivable loans to students who agreed to work in high-demand Missouri jobs. Galloway says approximately 2,000 students received this type of loan. The audit determined that about 65% of them had outstanding loans.

Galloway, a Democrat, was appointed in 2015 by former Governor Nixon to replace Tom Schweich, a Republican.

(Missourinet) – A major wireless provider in Missouri is trying to curb smartphone usage by people behind the wheel.

AT&T has collected over 14 million pledges on its “It Can Wait” website to fight against distracted driving.

It also had one of its “texting while driving” simulators circulating across the state recently to let people observe the dangers of the practice firsthand.

AT&T Missouri President John Sondag said the company’s goal is to stamp out distracted driving through education.

“I’m old enough where I can remember, as a kid, most people didn’t wear seat belts,” Sontag said.  “But through education on why it saves lives, you know, today the majority of people get in their car and they click their seat belt on. It’s a habit. And that’s where we want texting and driving to be in 20 years, or sooner.”

AT&T and other companies offer free “drive mode” apps which silence incoming text alerts when drivers reach a certain speed, usually 10-to-15 miles an hour.

Lawmakers in Jefferson City were among the first in the country to outlaw texting behind the wheel for people 21 and under.  That law was passed in 2009.  But Sondag said he is frustrated Missouri is still one of only four states without a complete ban on all ages.

“There’s bills filed every year down there to basically put this ban for all drivers. And we tell lawmakers where we are. We usually testify in support of making this a complete ban and for various reasons, those bills never really go anywhere.”

AT&T performed research and found that in the four states without a total ban, texting behind the wheel is 17 percent more likely to take place.

“To me if you could make your roads 17 percent safer by extending the ban to everybody, I don’t know why you wouldn’t do it,” Sondag said.

Missouri did pass a law last year banning all cell phone usage by those operating commercial vehicles.

Sondag says AT&T expanded its “It Can Wait” campaign a couple of years ago to focus on all uses of smart phones as research started showing people were using the devices to perform tasks such as updating their Facebook page or tweet out messages.

“One in ten people actually do Snapchat,” Sondag said. “They’re kind of on their phone looking at a video and who talking with while their driving.”

As President of AT&T Missouri, Sondag has 10,000 employees. He said the company encourages them to help educate the public about the dangers of smart phone usage behind the wheel.

“If they can bring this issue up, and we encourage them to do that, we have 10,000 voices in the state. There’s more than just my voice. We need to have everyone talking about this.”

AT&T’s largest employee presence is in the St. Louis area where 5,500 people are based, many with the company’s IT department. Another 2,500 work in the Kansas City area, while 700-800 people are employed at an AT&T call center in Joplin.

(Missourinet) – A medical cannabis bill is once again being considered by the Missouri House of Representatives.

It received a hearing before a packed room on Wednesday in Jefferson City in the Health and Mental Health Policy committee. The legislation calls for a program to be established that would allow patients with painful, incurable illnesses to be treated for pain with marijuana.

Healthcare professionals and patients testified Wednesday on behalf of the the bill, arguing that medical cannabis is a safe and effective form of treatment for pain, but some state representatives and law enforcement officials say it would be under-regulated and would present a conflict between state and federal law.

Expansion of medical cannabis in Missouri has been a perennial issue in the Legislature, but has never made much headway. Currently, Missouri law permits the use of non-psychoactive, low-THC cannabis oil, called CBD for medical treatments. Last year, a bill that would expand legal treatments beyond CBD oil died on the floor of the house, after becoming bogged down with various amendments and limitations.

State Rep. Jim Neely (R-Cameron) sponsors this year’s version of the bill. While it covers a limited scope of instances where a patient can get access to medical marijuana, it would still mark a major step forward for expanding treatment options. If passed, a medical marijuana registration system would be created in Missouri by the Department of Health and Senior Services. Having a “debilitating and incurable condition” would qualify a patient for treatment.

Neely stresses the safety of medical cannabis.

“I have probably over 20,000 hours working in the emergency room,” he said, citing his experience as a healthcare professional. “I have never had a marijuana overdose.”

Dr. Adrianne Poe, a neuroscientist at the Washington University medical school pain center, said the National Academy of Sciences published research in January that showed cannabis to be a safe and effective pain treatment. She said the review, which looked at more than 10,000 studies on human patients since 1999, addresses a big problem for pain management professionals.

“The very first thing that physicians need to do is find an alternative therapy to opioids for the treatment of chronic pain,” she said, explaining CDC guidelines on pain care. “The national academy has given us an answer on that, and the answer is cannabis.”

Poe said the use of cannabis for pain treatment is an effective way to reduce the prescription of opioids — citing a 25 percent drop in opioid overdose deaths in states where medicinal cannabis is legalized. She said CBD oil can treat inflammation, but it does not have the same pain-relieving effects as other forms of cannabis that contain higher levels of THC that are currently illegal in Missouri.

Cannabis-based treatments are also used to treat severe epilepsy in children. Several family members of children with epilepsy testified in favor of the bill at the Wednesday hearing, as well as Jim Taber, a parent who says his son benefitted from cannabis based pain relief while receiving cancer treatment.

Taber said his son used Marinol, an FDA-approved, synthetic version of THC to relieve pain and keep his appetite up, but having more drug options would help.

“The whole plant doesn’t have the same side-effects as the synthetic product,” Taber said. “And that’s why they wouldn’t continue him on it.”

State Rep. Keith Frederick (R-Rolla) and Jason Grellner, head of the Missouri Narcotics Officers association, raised concerns about the safety of a drug which is not fully regulated by the FDA.

“There really is no assurance in any state that has medical marijuana, that if I go back on another day or in another medical marijuana shop, that I am getting the same drug,” Grellner said. “There is no standardization of dose.”

Grellner also testifies that even if Missouri does allow medical marijuana, it won’t change the fact that the federal government still considers it a schedule I substance. He warns that doctors who prescribe marijuana may lose their ability to write prescriptions of any controlled substance, even if it is legal in the state.

Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd echoes Grellner’s worries about a contradiction between state and federal law.

“Decriminalizing marijuana would have no impact on the fact that it would remain a federal crime,” He said. “It would put officer Grellner and every other officer in the state of Missouri in an intractable dilemma… what law would they enforce?”

Zahnd said loosening state laws on cannabis would not stop the federal government from prosecuting people. US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has historically opposed drug legalization, may be more harsh on drug violators than Obama administration appointees.

The committee on legislative research estimates that establishing a medical cannabis program would cost just under $1 million the first year, but would bring in a similar amount in following years once the program begins accepting applications.

Frederick, who voted against similar legislation last year, would not say exactly what the Health and Mental Health Policy Committee plans to do with medical cannabis legislation, but says he was generally against the idea of a treatment getting approved without the usual vetting process other drugs go through.

A similar version of the bill was introduced by State Sen. Rob Schaaf (R-St. Joseph), but has not seen action in the Senate for almost two months.