(Public News Service) – JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Officials said President Donald Trump’s call to increase military spending by $54 billion likely means cuts will be made to some politically-sensitive programs, from education and the environment, to science and fighting poverty.

Trump announced his plans Monday to the National Governors Association, and shared more details in a speech to Congress Tuesday night.

Stephen Webber, chair of the Missouri Democratic Party said it’s not completely clear yet where all the funding would come from and that federal cuts would have a trickle-down effect on states, cities and counties.

“For us, there’s some pretty extreme cuts to education that are happening in the state of Missouri, pretty extreme educational programs being proposed by Donald Trump,” he said. “So, I think that is sort of an area we’re particularly focused on and particularly concerned with.”

President Trump has said the money will come from, in his words, a “revved-up economy.” He has also said it’s time for America to “start winning wars again.” But the budget proposal has a long way to go, and some pushback from Congress is almost certain.

The U.S. spends 21 times more on the military than it does on foreign-aid programs.

Lindsay Koshgarian, the research director of the National Priorities Project said foreign aid for causes like fighting hunger and disease does more to increase stability around the world.

“We actually get a lot in return for that money, in the form of added security for our country,” she said. “And if we don’t spend that money, we will need to spend money on the other side fighting wars – and I don’t think that’s a choice that anyone would want to make.”

Koshgarian thinks any new military funding should come first from ending wasteful spending within the Pentagon itself. She said programs that make people’s lives better shouldn’t be raided when some believes the Pentagon isn’t doing its fair share to combat waste.

Koshgarian said now’s the time for Missourians to speak up.

“There are a lot of reasons for members of Congress to care about this,” she said. “The good news is that Congress actually has quite a large say in what the final budget looks like. So, the right thing to do is to contact your member of Congress and let them know what your concerns are.”

(Missourinet) – Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway (D) has launched an initiative to try and learn why Missouri is dealing with money problems.

Galloway says she wants to identify weaknesses in policymaking and the causes of the state’s budget crisis, which has swelled to an estimated $500 million shortfall for the fiscal year that begins in July.

“Let’s start now, so maybe a decade from now we won’t be wondering why we created tax-free country club memberships but couldn’t find the money to send our kids to school on a bus,” says Galloway.

Missouri has a $27 billion state operating budget.

The audits will focus on: the annual review of state use of federal dollars, known as the Statewide Single Audit; the annual review of state revenue, known as the Hancock Amendment Report; Missouri economic rankings compared to other states; an audit of tax credit programs; an audit of sales, corporate, and income tax exemptions and impacts; and an audit of the state’s timeliness of issuing tax returns. The audits will also examine potential future challenges and vulnerabilities.

Galloway cites a bill passed in 2015 by the Missouri legislature that changed the way corporations doing business in multiple states pay taxes between those states.

“It was supposed to cost the state about $15 million per year,” says Galloway. “Less than two years later, it has already cost us more than $200 million. The legislature made a decision based on an estimate that was more than $100 million off. How is that acceptable?”

In addition to revenue, the audits will examine the state’s significant spending obligations, such as the rising cost of healthcare, prescription drugs, and social services.

Galloway says Missouri’s balanced budget requirement might be set up to fail. She says the legislature finishes each session with a budget that appears to balance, but no one is held accountable when the state cannot make ends meet down the road.

“We need an independent review of the fiscal impact of the legislature’s policy choices, and how those decisions are measured dollar for dollar against what’s being pulled out of our communities in school funding dollars or repairs to roads and bridges,” says Galloway.

The audits will be released individually as they are completed throughout the year.

(Missourinet) – Missouri lawmakers are looking at a measure to establish a pilot program to address rising crime in St. Louis and Kansas City.

The proposal would seek to reduce and prevent violent crime and improve safety by creating a number of policies and procedures.

House Democrat Brandon Ellington of Kansas City is the measure’s sponsor.  He says it addresses a number of practices related to fighting criminal behavior.

“That goes back to the evidenced based procedures to reducing violent crime, such as community connectors, working on the infrastructure in local municipalities, things of that nature that we know greatly reduces crime.”

The bill creates a fund consisting of existing money and voluntary donations which would be overseen by the State Treasurer.

It would not require mass funding for new activities, but would call for a single full time position to manage what would be called the “Intervention and Compliance Unit Pilot Program” or the “ICU 6 Pilot Program”.

The proposal offers five pillars to fight inner city crime.  One would bring police departments and local leaders together to collaborate on solutions.  Another would focus on development of evidence-based procedures to reduce violent crime.

The third pillar calls for the creation of policies and procedures to address crime recidivism, while the forth establishes policies and procedures for crime data collection and methods for monitoring crime data.  The fifth pillar addresses the need to improve mental and social service programs.

Ellington says a large number of existing programs intended to assist offenders leaving prison are ineffective.

“In Kansas City, in the area that I stay in, there are several different programs that are supposed to help former inmates with housing,” said Ellington. “I know for a fact, after going through these programs, talking to various people that have been through these programs, there is no housing attached to these programs.”

The measure calls for the pilot program to have members, including the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department or the Kansas City Police Department, depending upon the city in which the program is established.  City prosecutors as well as local courts, government leaders and schools would also be involved in the process.

Ellington says the measure would hold established practices and programs accountable for results.

“In a committee, we had a tax credit that would have actually put the bar at 70% success rate of that organization to be able to qualify for the credit.  That’s what we want to do.  We want to start tightening down where we’re wasting money and make sure we’re putting dollars into the best policies, or the best organizations that we can.”

Ellington contends the causes of high crime rates in inner cities have been identified.

“We look at the pillars that actually constitute long term criminality, we see that low income areas, lack of education, lack of community connectors, make areas extremely viable for violent crime.”

Ellington says the proposal focuses energy on using procedures and practices that have proven to be effective in curbing violent crime.  It was introduced in the House Special Committee on Urban Issues Monday evening.

(Missourinet) – Missouri lawmakers are looking at a measure to allow housing renters to terminate their leases and change locks because of domestic violence.

It would further prohibit a landlord from terminating a lease or refusing to rent to someone who is the victim of such violence.

Senate Democrat Jamilah Nasheed of St. Louis is the proposal’s sponsor.  She introduced the legislation Tuesday before the Senate Small Business and Industry Committee.

Nasheed says those on the receiving end of the abuse are often deemed a nuisance if they continually call the police.

“When you have a woman that’s going through a domestic violence situation where her spouse, or whoever that may be, and then to turn around and say you have to now get out of my property because you are a nuisance, that can be devastating to a woman who’s dealing with domestic violence, as well as her children,” Nasheed said.

The measure would apply to a tenant or any household member who’s been harassed, stalked, abused or assaulted.  It would also prohibit rental screening services from disclosing a tenant’s status as a domestic violence victim, or reveal whether such a person has terminated a lease.

Victims wishing to end their rental agreements would be required to provide written notice and evidence of the abuse.  Such proof could be a copy of an order of protection issued to the tenant or dependent, or a written record of a report signed by a qualified third party, such as a law enforcement officer, medical provider, judge or employee of a rape crisis center.

To change locks, the tenant would need to provide the landlord with written notice and a copy of any order of protection issued by a qualified third party.

Heather Silverman with the National Council of Jewish Women in St. Louis was one of three people to testify in favor of the measure.  She said she thinks it’s necessary because of money constraints, claiming victims are often forced to choose between staying with the abuser, or being delinquent on their lease.

“If a woman’s going to leave, she can’t make two lease payments,” said Silverman.  “For most people, if you have a healthy budget, you’re still paying 33% of your earnings on rent, or however you’re living. For most of the victims that we see, and most people, they’re living far above that, so they’re spending much more than that on their housing. So the idea that they’re going to be able to make two payments, that’s not doable.”

Silverman also says domestic violence leads to homelessness.

“If you can’t feel safe in your home, you can’t go back there,” Silverman said. “So if you can’t change the locks, which is the other part of this bill, then you can’t go home. Or if you can’t break your lease, then you can get into an economic situation where you can’t afford a home anymore.”

Colleen Coble with the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence also spoke in favor of the proposal.  She said the stipulation allowing victims to change door locks will have a profound impact on the state’s 33,000 sexual violence victims and 6,400 sexual assault victims.

“The very simple provision of being able to change your locks, pay for it yourself, and notify your landlord can make a huge difference.”

No one testified against Nasheed’s proposal. She said the measure offers an avenue for women to deal with an acute problem.

“We have a lot of issues that we need to deal with in terms of what’s happening to women throughout the state of Missouri when it comes to domestic violence,” Nasheed said. “This is a tool in a tool box to begin to help those women who are trying to escape their predators.”

Eighteen states currently allow domestic violence victims to change locks, while 27 permit early lease terminations.

(Missourinet) – After two lengthy days of a Democratic filibuster, the state Senate has given initial approval to a bill that would make it harder to sue businesses for discrimination.

The measure would require those suing to prove that race, religion, sex or another protected class was the sole purpose for discrimination or being fired, not just a contributing factor.

The bill is one of many liability lawsuit proposals moving through the GOP-controlled legislature this session in an effort to reign in on what Republicans say is a mounting number of frivolous lawsuits.

Republicans say the measure would improve Missouri’s business and legal landscapes. Bill sponsor Gary Romine (R) of eastern Missouri’s Farmington also says he wants to align Missouri law with federal standards.

“Our entire intent has never been to support, or promote or allow discrimination to take place in this great state of Missouri,” Romine said. “Our intent in this bill is to make sure we have a standard established that is fair and balanced for the employee and employer alike to have an opportunity to have a good, solid work environment in our state.”

Sen. Kiki Curls (D-Kansas City) passionately contends that the legislation is offensive.

“We’re going back to discrimination laws we had in 1961 when this country was a very different place. Where does that put us in 2017 to go all the way back? Where does that put us? This is like beyond me that we would even be having this discussion today, to go back to discrimination laws of 1961,” Curls said. “Are you serious? Are you really, really serious? This is where we are. This is embarrassing.”

Romine’s proposal also would stop employees from suing their co-workers and limit punitive damages in such lawsuits.

During a press conference Tuesday, Missouri NAACP leader Nimrod Chapel called such workplace discrimination lawsuit proposals “hyped up Jim Crow.” Jim Crow laws involved racial segregation until the mid-1960s.

What we’ve seen going on in the Missouri legislature has been a denial of citizenship to people,” said Chapel. “At the point where you say that all people are not created equal. That some people can be mistreated. That some people can be silenced. I think that the Democratic process itself is in question.”

During a Missouri House hearing two weeks ago, Chapel testified that a similar measure “is nothing but Jim Crow.” During that hearing, the chairman of the committee, Rep. Bill Lant (R-Pineville), turned Chapel’s mic off and prevented him from continuing to testify.

House Speaker Todd Richardson (R-Poplar Bluff) has asked Lant to reschedule that hearing to allow testimony to continue. During a recent NAACP event at the Missouri Capitol, Richardson said Chapel is always welcome to testify. The committee hearing has not been rescheduled at this time.

The bill needs one more favorable vote to move to the House.

(Missourinet) – At least one person is dead after a tornado ripped through Perryville in southeast Missouri Tuesday night.

The twister touched down on I-55 just north of the city, leaving the highway closed for hours.

Reports of tornadic activity including power flashes, tree damage and overturned cars on the interstate came in right after 8 p.m.

Perry County Emergency Management Director Hank Voelker says the twister was devastating upon touchdown.

“The tornado actually touched down on top of a vehicle salvage yard,” said Voelker.  “It has flung 20, maybe as many as 30 salvaged vehicles from basically a junkyark across the interstate.”

As of 4 a.m., U.S. Highway 61 was closed north of Perryville.  Voelker says unstable power lines figured into the decision to reroute traffic there.

A number of families have been displaced by the tornado.

“We’ve got 10 homes which sustained severe, catastrophic damage,” said Voekler.

Those people have moved to shelter with other family members. Voelker says all community members have been accounted for.

He says crews will be able to assess further damage Wednesday morning after navigating around dangling power lines damaged by the high winds.  National Weather Service survey teams will rate the storm once they examine the damage Wednesday morning.

Fourteen fire and search and rescue departments from as far away as the St. Louis area have assisted with emergency relief.  Voelker says St. Louis fire fighters were able to help determine the massive size of the tornado.

“They brought some technology that we were able to measure from satellite imaging, an area of 13 miles long where there was clearly damage.”

Governor Eric Greitens released a statement at around 10:30 Tuesday night about the disaster.  He said “Tough and tragic news tonight out of Perryville where there are confirmed reports of a tornado touching down. Our thoughts and prayers are with the community and those affected. State Emergency Management was monitoring severe weather in the region and was prepared to respond to any situation. We have already deployed strike teams and resources, and this community should know that the full weight and support of the state of Missouri is behind you.”

(Missourinet) – State lawmakers are looking at a proposal to allow the expanded use of a Hemp extract known as cannabidiol, or CBD for medical purposes.

Current law only permits people suffering from intractable epilepsy to consume the product, and they can only do so with approval from a neurologist.

The measure would open up the treatment to people classified with serious conditions such as cancer, AIDS, HIV and multiple sclerosis.  Republican Senator Rob Schaaf of St. Joseph introduced the measure in front of a panel he chairs, the Health and Pensions Committee.

During the hearing, he noted he’d sponsored similar legislation previously as a medical marijuana measure before toning down it’s language in its current form.  Schaaf contends the proposal opens up options for people who have not been helped by prescribed medications.

“We’re giving them hope,” said Schaaf.  “What we’re trying to do is increase freedom. Right now, people who have these problems and very little hope, have no freedom to try this under state law. And so what we’re trying to do is increase their freedom to try something.”

Republican Senator Bob Onder of Lake St. Louis notes CBD is a supplement which, by law, can’t be linked to medical claims that it treats a condition. He says Food and Drug Administration tests have exposed manufacturers to be dishonest.

“I believe in 2015, of the 25 or so manufacturers, eight of them, their oil contained zero CBD,” said Onder.  “Another 12 or 15 contained trivial amounts of CBD. So I think that’s an issue too.”

The FDA has not approved CBD products as a treatment or cure for any disease.

Supporters of its use claim it’s especially effective in curbing seizures. Mara Myers heads the BeLeaf Company in Earth City, which is licensed to manufacture and sell the product. She says the current state requirement that three anti-seizure medications have to fail before patients are allowed to use CBD is unreasonable.

“We’ve gotten phone calls from families that are very frustrated by that, because once they get on a seizure med and it doesn’t help, they don’t want to try more,” said Myers. “They see the degradation. They don’t want to spend that three, six, eight month period of time if they believe CBD oil can help them.”

Although the supplement is legal for those with intractable epilepsy, some neurologists don’t recommend it because of liability concerns, or because the health provider they work for won’t allow it. Schaaf said only 20 to 30 people in Missouri have been prescribed CBD.

The proposal would allow doctors as well as neurologists to prescribe the oil to people who suffer from a serious condition and may benefit from its use.

The maximum level of THC permitted under the measure would be increased from 0.3% by weight to 0.9%.  The minimum percent of CBD allowed in the oil containing it is 5% by weight. The proposal would lower that figure to 1.5% so that smaller patients wouldn’t have to take such a concentrated amount.

The product is regulated by the Missouri Department of Agriculture which oversees its two manufacturers within the state.

During the committee hearing, which was disrupted by a move to another room, about a dozen people were present to testify in favor of the proposal, while there was one against.

Kansas City resident Rebecca Means has stage four non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, while her daughter suffers from intractable epilepsy.  She says current law would put her in danger of losing her children.

“I’m concerned that if the state finds out that I’ve been treating myself with cannabis oil, or if I start treating my daughter without a recommendation, I’m terrified the state can come in and yank the kids out of my house. Kansas does it all the time.”

Means said the provider her family uses won’t allow for CBD to be recommended.

(Missourinet) – The Missouri House Budget Committee learned Monday in Jefferson City that some public defenders have been asked to sit in court for hours, before their cases come up.

Missouri State Public Defender Director Michael Barrett presented his office’s budget to the committee at the Capitol. State Rep. Michael Butler (D-St. Louis) tells the committee that some judges have been requiring public defenders to wait in court for hours for their cases to come up, creating a backlog.

Barrett says Butler, the House Minority Caucus Chair, is correct.

“Now for that public defender, they’re not doing any work … written work, legal work … for their clients at all that day,” Barrett said. “And when you have 150, 175 clients, you can’t afford to spend one whole day for two or three clients.”

Missouri Supreme Court clerk Betsy AuBuchon requested more information from Butler during Monday’s hearing, saying this is the first she’s heard of this.

While Barrett’s office requested $70 million, Governor Eric Greitens’ (R) proposed budget includes $43.6 million for the State Public Defender.

“The governor’s rec (budget recommendation) this year is a core cut of a million dollars, which would essentially put us back to the funding level that was appropriated in 2014,” Barrett said.

Barrett says the number of cases handled by the State Public Defender’s office has increased 12 percent during that time, from 74,000 to about 82,000.

The office has about 580 employees, including approximately 350 attorneys.

House Budget Committee Chairman Scott Fitzpatrick (R-Shell Knob) tells Missourinet Barrett “makes a good case” for why he’s underfunded. Fitzpatrick doesn’t think the General Assembly will provide $70 million.

“Yeah, I mean we can’t do that,” Fitzpatrick said. “But we will be looking at his (Barrett’s) budget and seeing if there’s any way we can help him out, because I think he does a good job and he makes a good case for why he’s underfunded and how doing better for him could probably save the state a lot of money.”

Barrett tells lawmakers that while his agency received a $4.5 million budget increase last year, $3.5 million of that funding was withheld. Barrett filed a lawsuit against then-Governor Jay Nixon (D) in July, arguing Nixon didn’t have the authority to withhold the funding. In August, Barrett assigned Nixon to serve as a public defender, as a protest to Nixon’s budget freeze. Cole County Circuit Judge Pat Joyce ruled in favor of Nixon, saying only courts can appoint public defenders.

Barrett also testifies that his office received a $3.5 million increase in 2014, after an audit. However, he says that money was withheld and “core cut” from the budget the next fiscal year.

Rep. Butler’s comments were also the first time any of the committee members had heard about some judges requiring public defenders to sit in court for hours before their cases are called up.

Fitzpatrick tells Missourinet he hopes to see cooperation between the Judiciary and the Public Defender’s office to make public defenders more efficient, without placing an “undue burden” on judges.

(Missourinet) – A measure in the Missouri legislature calls for a controversial exhibit to be installed in the state museum at the Capitol in Jefferson City.

Republican House member Mike Moon of Ash Grove has filed a proposal to create a display representing the history of abortion.

It specifies the exhibit feature tools used to perform abortions and be placed near the history of slavery exhibit.  Moon says the connection between slavery and abortion is the condition of being a human being.

“The constitution stated that they would only be three-fifths of a person,” said Moon. “Many people say an unborn developing human baby is not a person until he or she takes her first breath. So there is a comparison there that we’re actually stating that they’re not humans.”

The title of Moon’s proposal is the “Never Again Act.” The phrase “Never Again” refers to the holocaust, an occurrence in which 6 million Jews were killed. Moon says the holocaust and abortion are connected by the fact that both acts should be illegal.

“If you’d go back to Germany, the German people probably would have thought, or at least Third Reich would have thought that gas chambers were a legal procedure. That doesn’t make it right.”

Response from abortion rights advocates after Moon filed his proposal and released an email announcement was quick and strong.

Democratic House member Stacey Newman of Richmond Heights, a reform Jew, said she finds the measure’s connection to both slavery and the holocaust highly objectionable.

“I just find this whole connecting any of this to slavery or holocaust, which nothing compares to what happened in the holocaust,” said Newman. “I have holocaust survivors in my family. To do that, I just feel is just inflammatory. It is disgusting beyond belief.”

Senate Democrat Jill Schupp of Creve Coeur said she finds Moon’s attempt to associate the holocaust with abortion indefensible.

“We can disagree about a woman’s right to choose, or on access to an abortion,” Schupp said. “We cannot disagree about what went on in the holocaust.”

According to the release from Moon, many of the tools that would be loaned to the museum for the abortion exhibit can be seen on abortioninstruments.com.

Another one of his measures, referred to as a “personhood bill,” calls for a constitutional amendment declaring that life begins at conception.

It has passed out of committee and is headed to the House floor. If the measure goes to an election, voters could make Missouri the first state with a personhood law. Similar proposals were rejected by voters in two other states in recent years.

Moon’s measures are two of about 30 abortion proposals in the Missouri legislature this session. With lawmakers focused on labor laws aimed at weakening unions and tort measures seeking to curb liability lawsuits, it is not known when or if they’ll choose to bring abortion proposals into the spotlight.

(Missourinet) – State Rep. Holly Rehder’s (R-Sikeston) pursuit to require a statewide prescription drug monitoring program comes from drug abuse deep within her family tree.

Rehder’s mother abused prescription drugs. Her stepfather was a drug dealer. Rehder’s sister was also an addict. Her cousin died of an opioid overdose and two of Rehder’s children have battled opioid drug addiction.

A prescription drug monitoring program would allow doctors and pharmacists to monitor how many prescriptions people are having filled, to look for cases of abuse. Rehder has been working on this legislation all five years that she’s been in the House. Missouri is the only state in the nation without this program.

Rehder wants to help prevent other families from going through the heartache that has wreaked havoc on her family’s life. Her daughter, Raychel, had everything going for her in high school. She was an honor roll student and had been accepted to Saint Louis University’s physical therapy program.

When Raychel was 17 years old, she went to the emergency room after slicing her thumb open while working. A doctor stitched her up and gave her a prescription for an opioid. That drug took hold of her and her life soon spiraled out of control.

Raychel’s drug addiction was so bad that she eventually resorted to bath salts and meth. She served 120 days in prison in what is often referred to as “shock time.”

“With Raychel, prison was a welcome moment for us. I can’t tell you how many nights I laid in bed and I didn’t know if she was alive or dead,” Rehder said. “When your child is on this, there is zero control. You see that they have got to have help but you cannot help them. One night she called me in the middle of the night crying and screaming and said her boyfriend was after her and she was hiding in somebody’s shed and then the line went dead. Those are the things, that as a mother, it’s a terrifying rollercoaster with an addict for a child.”

Raychel was also addicted to opioids while pregnant with her son. Rehder’s grandson, who is now seven years old, has had no adverse health effects from his mother’s drug use.

“You are not thinking about how upset your mother is. You are not thinking about what this has done to your brothers. You are not thinking about what this has done to your child,” Rehder said. “There’s a lot of using to cover up the pain that you know you have caused others because you can’t get past that guilt and I know that was a lot of Raychel’s.”

It’s been thirteen years of ups and downs for Rehder’s family and several trips to rehab worth thousands of dollars.

“The money that we have spent dealing with her addiction and the pain and heartache watching my grandson go through and watching my daughter go through, I would spend that again in a minute,” Rehder said.

Raychel, now 31, has her life back on track. She’s laughing again and is back to being the bubbly woman she was before drugs took her down. She has been clean for two years and Rehder’s son has been clean of opioids and heroin for one year.

Rehder has stayed the course as a no-nonsense mother throughout her family’s struggles.

“I’m the mom who makes my kids come in and kiss me when they get in at night so I can smell their breath. You’re not getting crap by on me. I do drug testing,” Rehder said. “My middle son told me ‘mom I can tell you that it helps me that you do random drug testing because when my friends are passing a joint, I’m like y’all know my mama’s crazy. She would drug test you too.’”

Rehder’s legislation is expected to come up soon in the House. If it makes it to the Senate, it faces an uphill battle. Senator Rob Schaaf (R-St. Joseph) could attempt to block it because he says it doesn’t protect people’s privacy.

Rehder’s district includes part of southeast Missouri.