(Missourinet) – Newborn screenings could also include the addition of two genetic and potentially deadly diseases. State Rep. Becky Ruth (R-Festus) is proposing next session that babies be screened for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and mucopolysaccharidosis II, a disease known as Hunter syndrome.

Hunter syndrome can affect a person’s appearance, mental and physical health and organ function. Spinal muscular atrophy, which is the leading genetic cause of death for infants, causes loss in physical strength and can make eating, breathing and walking more difficult.

Ruth says the earlier these genetic diseases are detected, the better the outcome.

“It gives families hope and it gives us a chance to save the lives of even more babies here in Missouri,” says Ruth.

About 2,000 people worldwide have Hunter syndrome, with approximately 500 of those in the U.S. There is no cure for Hunter syndrome, but Ruth says earlier discovery could enhance the lives or increase the lifespan of the children with the disease.

“Most often, with this disease it’s not recognized until the ages of two to four years old. By that time, the disease is already progressing, so early detection is actually vital here,” says Ruth. “Gene therapies can be started and it can lessen or completely reduce the regress some of the symptoms.”

A drug called Nusinersen could be approved by the FDA by April. Nusinersen would be the first drug approved by the FDA to help treat SMA.

Under Ruth’s measure, the additional screenings could be subject to annual state funding and would allow the Department of Health and Senior Services to increase its newborn screening fees to cover the additional costs.

The 2017 legislative session begins January 4.

(Missourinet) – Republican Governor-elect Eric Greitens has signaled he wants to move the state to the right of the political spectrum.

The incoming head-of-state’s chief spokesperson, Austin Chambers, outlined a set of four priorities for 2017 Thursday – jobs, ethics reform, public safety and education reform.

In three of them, there were elements embraced by conservative lawmakers. Chambers indicated there could be a move to open public schools to privatized options by specifying a need for choice in children’s education.

“A potential for that is education savings accounts,” Chambers said. “This is something that the governor is looking in to. It’s an idea that he’s brought forward to the legislature and is working with them on.  And it’s something that the governor, as he does more research on it and continues to meet with the legislature, it’s something that he’s seriously looking at.”

Chambers said Greitens would address jobs by focusing on right to work and tort reform legislation, both strongly supported by business interests.

Right to work laws typically weaken the power of unions because they allow workers to opt out of paying union dues. There’s a partisan divide between Republicans and Democrats on whether such legislation would stimulate job growth.

Chambers contends reforming the “tort system,” which allows people to bring lawsuits for wrongful acts, would also generate jobs.

“We shouldn’t make this a trial lawyer’s heaven,” Chambers said. “What we should make this is a place where it’s easy for businesses to grow and easy for jobs to be created.”

To improve public safety, Chambers says Greitens favors measures to protect law enforcement personnel, but he did not mention the well-being of residents.

Echoing recent statements by the governor-elect, Chambers offered two proposals to strengthen public safety. One would stiffen penalties for people who assault police officers. The other would implement a “blue alert” system, which similar to Amber Alerts, would inform the public when someone has injured or killed a police officer.

Chambers struck a bipartisan tone when offering proposals for ethics reform, which has been a signature issue for Greitens. But he mentioned a policy which could run into opposition from lawmakers, who often become lobbyists after serving in the legislature. He called it a “one-for-one revolving door ban.”

“What that means is if you’ve served in the legislature or in the executive branch for one year, then you’re going to wait for one year before you become a lobbyist,” Chambers said. “If you’ve done two years, you’re going to wait two years.  If you’ve done 16 years, you’re going to wait 16 years.”

He also mentioned banning gifts from lobbyists and imposing term limits on all statewide offices as key pillars to ethics reform.

As far as protocol for moving into office, Chambers noted there would be several changes. Greitens first State of the State address, which will take place January 17th, will not include a statement on the budget, which is normal procedure.

There will also not be an inaugural parade as Chambers said there wasn’t enough time. According to Missourinet’s former news director, Bob Priddy, one of the few times the inaugural parade was scrapped occurred in 1977 when a foot of snow fell the night before.

Chambers said a “national music star” with Missouri roots will perform at the January 9th Inaugural Ball. He declined to reveal who it will be, saying the artist will remain a surprise until that night.

When asked about the status of the scheduled state execution of convicted triple murderer Mark Christeson on January 31st, Chambers declined to comment.

Greitens announced a new director of the Department of Corrections, the agency which oversees executions, less than two weeks ago.  The state Senate is required to confirm the appointment.

(Missourinet) – More abortion legislation is being introduced in Jefferson City in the upcoming session.

A proposal pre-filed by Senator Jeannie Riddle (R- Movane) deals with a booklet the state requires to be issued to women seeking the procedure.

Riddle’s measure would compel all family planning agencies to provide the booklet to all women being referred to out of state abortion clinics.

“When you have an entity that is strictly looking at this as a financial monetary gain, if they are not referring them within the state of Missouri, which those printed material by law are to be handed out or at least offered, if they’re going to send them to an out of state provider, then I think those women are entitled to the same basic facts,” Riddle said.

The printed material the state requires to be offered is known as Missouri’s Informed Consent Booklet.  It’s supplied by the state Health and Senior Services Department.

State lawmakers passed legislation in 2010 requiring the booklet be distributed to women seeking abortions in Missouri.  Since then, additional laws have led all but one abortion clinic within the state to close its doors, although pending litigation could possibly overturn those laws.

Riddle sees her proposal is simply closing a loophole. Planned Parenthood, which operates the lone Missouri clinic in St. Louis, sees it much differently.

M’Evie Mead with Planned Parenthood Advocates claims the booklet itself fails to provide accurate information.

“When the woman is considering an abortion, the fact that the kind of information that she gets (in the booklet) is clearly designed to shame and coerce her and make her create a different, or to make her feel shame for the decision that she makes which is best for her, it’s not a medically oriented set of counseling materials,” Mead said.

The first page of the booklet includes the verbiage, “The life of each human being begins at conception. Abortion will terminate the life of a separate, unique, living human being.”

Riddle says the booklet provides useful facts.

“It is just giving women information about what is happening to them.”

Planned Parenthood says the booklet forces doctors to provide medically inaccurate information for political reasons.

“What Missouri’s current misinformed consent process includes are medically inaccurate information that is clearly intended to shame and coerce a woman away from a certain health care decision about a safe, legal medical procedure,” Mead said.

Riddle filed a similar bill in the last legislative session which failed to gain traction.

(Missourinet) – One of the most controversial provisions of gun legislation passed this year by the state legislature takes effect on Sunday.

So-called “constitutional carry” will let Missourians 21 and older who can legally own guns carry them concealed anywhere they can now openly carry, and do so without a permit. Senator Brian Munzlinger (R-Williamstown) sponsored the measure.

According to the National Rifle Association, Missouri will join 10 other states with constitutional carry laws.

Another provision taking effect is one that allows local judges and prosecutors on the job to carry a firearm for self-defense with a concealed carry permit.

Under the law, Fire Department personnel will also be permitted to carry a firearm on the job, with approval from their governing body.

A provision that took effect earlier this year includes a “stand your ground” component, which allows deadly force to be used without retreating by a person who thinks a reasonable threat exists. The NRA says 30 states have laws or court rulings which allows such form of self-defense.

Another portion of the law already underway expands Missouri’s “castle doctrine,” which lets people who are guests in a home use deadly force to defend themselves and others in that home.

Opponents of the law argue that people should be trained to know how to safely handle a gun. Some have also contended that the law will let people legally carry a concealed firearm, even if they have been denied a concealed carry permit by a sheriff because a background check revealed criminal offenses or the sheriff believed the individual poses a danger.

Supporters say the law does not make it legal for convicted felons to obtain or carry a firearm in Missouri.

(Missourinet) – It’s expected this year will have been an especially strong holiday season for retailers, both nationally and in Missouri.

According to the annual Deloitte Holiday Survey, sales from November through January are projected to exceed $1 trillion, which represents an increase of between 3.6 percent and 4 percent over 2015.

Dave Overfelt with the Missouri Retailers Association said he thinks the robust spending is connected to prices at the pump.

“With gasoline coming down and stabilizing, not seeing these giant swings up and down with gasoline pricing, that’s got to help,” Overfelt said.  “If anybody doesn’t think that the gallon of gas price doesn’t impact discretionary spending, it really does.”

Overfelt said he thinks the holiday shopping season will continue into the first week of 2017 due to item returns, bargain hunting and gift card spending.

The National Retail Federation reports the first half of holiday season sales were up five percent year-to-year.  Overfelt said he was expecting a banner year, based on certain indicators.

“We felt that the consumers had more money in their pocket, but when we started seeing the travel statistics and travel going up tremendously early on, we knew that our predictions were going to come through.”

AAA Missouri projects a record 103 million people will travel through the holiday season it tracks, which ends January 2nd, 2017.

The Deloitte Holiday Survey shows 75 percent of respondents believe their household finances are the same or better this year than last. The survey also shows that for the first time ever, shoppers indicated they would spend as much money online as in stores.  Overfelt said there’s an upside to this trend.

“We’re seeing a lot of people order an item online from a brick and mortar retailer who I tend to represent,” Oberfelt said. “When they go to pick it up, they, more often than not, buy items in the store.”

According to the International Council of Shopping Centers, 64 percent of people who were planning to purchase items online were also planning to pick up the item in-store and make additional purchases there. E-commerce sales are expected to increase by almost 20 percent, reaching nearly $100 million this season.

Other results from various surveys closely watched by retail organizations point to robust results for the 2016 holiday shopping season.

U.S. adults had planned to spend $419 on holiday-related items while the average shopper was planning to buy 14 items. An American Express survey shows Americans expected to increase their holiday spending by 8 percent.

(Missourinet) – An expert on labor says unions can survive Missouri’s all but certain move to become a right-to-work state in 2017.

The Republican dominated legislature is poised to pass a measure establishing the status, while incoming GOP Governor Eric Greitens has indicated he’d quickly sign it into law.

Professor Jake Rosenfeld of Washington University in St. Louis points to Nevada as an example of a right to work state with robust union participation.

“Nevada workers who are covered by union contracts join the union,” Rosenfeld said.  “They don’t have to. It’s a right to work state, but upwards of 90 percent choose to do.”

Rosenfeld thinks organized labor in Missouri should look to Nevada as a model to follow. He says Nevada has active and effective union leadership which keeps workers involved and motivated.

Right to work legislation lets workers opt out of paying union dues and still receive benefits and protections offered by the unions.  Those benefits typically include better wages and health coverage.

One of the right to work measures filed for the upcoming legislative session is sponsored by State Representative Holly Rehder (R-Sikeston).  She says both union and non-union jobs would increase if her legislation passes.

“Indiana alone increased jobs, over 50,000 union jobs, good-paying union jobs they increased within two years of passing this bill. And so, what we have found is that the states that pass right-to-work, you have an influx of jobs,” Rehder said.

Rosenfeld of Washington University dismisses this argument, noting Indiana was helped by good timing.

“Lots of states have experienced robust job growth in recent years as the economy has finally recovered from the great recession.  Indiana just happens to be one of those states that passed a right to work law along that time.”

Rosenfeld points out there are also plenty of example where right to work laws haven’t created job growth.

“You don’t hear much from proponents of right to work talking about the Alabama model or the Mississippi, also right to work states, with some of the highest unemployment rates in the land.”

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce is a vocal advocate of making Missouri a right to work state. Chamber President Dan Mehan claims states that have “turned to right to work” have experienced job growth.  Rosenfeld says the contention is not backed up by the facts.

“The research investigating any linkages between right to work and job growth or wage growth or unemployment shows that these are a phenomenon that largely aren’t linked.”

Rosenfeld believes right to work laws are designed to weaken unions. He says organized labor could prepare for the reality of right to work being implemented in Missouri by taking proactive steps.

“What’s happening in Nevada is the model for unions to grab onto going forward.”

Meanwhile, Representative Rehder, who’s sponsoring right to work legislation, notes organized labor is already on the decline in Missouri.  She says union membership was about 30 percent in 1978, and says it’s less than eight percent today.

(Missourinet) – A federal appeals court has found that requiring college students to take a drug test as a condition of enrollment violates the U.S. Constitution.

In a 9-2 ruling, the 8th U.S. District Court of Appeals reversed an earlier court decision by a panel of judges in a St. Louis court.

The ACLU of Missouri and the national ACLU’s Criminal Law Reform Project filed a class-action lawsuit against Linn State Technical College (now known as State Technical College of Missouri) on behalf of several students who were required to take a drug test in order to remain enrolled.

“We shouldn’t treat students seeking to better their lives through education with immediate suspicion,” said ACLU of Missouri Legal Director Tony Rothert. “Under the Fourth Amendment, every person has the right to be free from an unreasonable search and seizure—including college students.”

The court upheld an injunction issued by the trial court prohibiting State Technical College of Missouri from implementing the policy.

“Students should not be required to sacrifice their constitutional rights in order to further their education, and we’re thrilled that the court has permanently struck down the policy,” said Jason Williamson, senior staff attorney at the ACLU’s Criminal Law Reform Project, and co-counsel on the case. “Our victory should serve as a warning to colleges and universities across the country: mandatory, suspicionless drug testing of the entire student body is inefficient, ineffective, and grossly unconstitutional.”

Supporters of the policy argue that the college’s motivation was for safety reasons. The school’s curriculum includes a focus on technical and vocational training.

The ruling upholds allowing the school to drug test students in five programs involving safety-sensitive training — electrical distribution systems, aviation maintenance, industrial electricity, servicing of Caterpillar heavy equipment and power sports.

The ruling could be appealed.

(Missourinet) – Travel by planes, trains and automobiles is expected to include a record 103 million Americans journeying 50 miles or more during the holidays.

According to AAA, that figure is an increase of about 1.5% from the same period last year. Mike Right with AAA Missouri expects the company to have an increase in roadside assistance calls nationwide during the Christmas and New Year’s time.

“We will probably do almost 980,000 roadside assistance calls during this period of time. That’s going to be up similar to what the travel is going to be up,” says Right. “In Missouri, we’ll probably have something on the order of 1,000 calls a day. So that would get us to well above to 20,000 during that period.”

Right tells Missourinet about six million people are expected to fly and 3.5 million will use other forms of transportation during the holidays.

“As usual, the vast majority of those travelers, about 91%, will be traveling by motor vehicle. That’s a record setter as well,” says Right.

He says a record one million Missourians will travel 50 miles or more this holiday season.

Right credits an improving economy for the increases.

“We’re almost completely out of the recession that started back in 2007 or 2008. We’ve seen unemployment decrease substantially. We’ve seen consumer confidence rise, as well as disposable income, and wages are up,” says Right.

The average price of unleaded gasoline in Missouri is 2.06 a gallon, up from 1.76 this time last year. The national average is $2.26 a gallon. Right doesn’t expect a spike in gas prices during the holidays.