Special Edition
Network Advocate
June 2020
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2020 State Legislative Session Recap
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Dear Members of the Missouri Community Action Network:
The 2020 state legislative session was one for the books! Concluding on May 15, the Second Regular Session of the 100th
Missouri General Assembly was like nothing we've ever seen in our state. When all was said and done at 6:00 pm on the last day of session, of the 2,000+ bills filed this session, our General Assembly had "
Truly Agreed and Finally Passed
" 50 bills and sent them to Governor Parson for his signature.
This session, legislators missed nearly six weeks of lawmaking due to the coronavirus pandemic. When lawmakers returned in late April to complete the last three weeks of session, the focus on passage of the state budget and pandemic-related legislation that had been promised became only a backdrop to other daily activities at our state capitol. These activities included the compilation of massive
omnibus bills
, which are often recognized as poor governance given their lack of transparency and confusing nature to navigate -- especially when they become dozens, if not hundreds, of pages long. And in Missouri, a 1994 Supreme Court ruling requires that bills from the Missouri General Assembly focus on one subject. However, time and again, Missouri lawmakers combine several pieces of legislation into omnibus bills.
Where does this leave us, you might ask? Generally speaking, a lot of good bills did NOT get passed and some egregious pieces of legislation moved forward. Most notably, Missouri lawmakers overturned
Clean Missouri
, which our state's voters overwhelmingly passed in bipartisan fashion in November 2018. Now, language will appear on Missouri ballots in November 2020, asking voters to overturn what they approved in 2018.
It's not all gloom and doom, though. Missouri CAN was part of a large coalition of organizations that stopped
Medicaid Work Requirements
from moving forward and also appearing for a vote on the November ballot. Lawmakers passed legislation allowing Missourians to
vote by absentee ballot
during November's election due to COVID-1
9
.
House Bill 1682
,
sponsored by Representative David Wood (R – Versailles), passed with a provision that extends Medicaid health coverage for 12 months postpartum for new moms with postpartum depression or related mental health diagnoses. And Missouri CAN testified on more bills this legislative session than any in recent memory.
A snapshot of some of the bills we followed closely this session is listed further below; Missouri CAN testified on nearly every one of these bills. In addition to the list of bills we followed closely this past session, I have also included the annual legislative report from the association’s lobbyist and legislative analysis from the Missouri Budget Project. If you have any questions after reviewing this information, or cannot find details about a specific bill, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
With thanks for all your advocacy during the past legislative session!
Best,
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Jessica Hoey
Director of Public Affairs and Community Engagement, Missouri CAN
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Annual Legislative Report from
LuAnn Madsen, Missouri CAN Lobbyist
The 2020 Legislative session ended at 6:00 pm on Friday, May 15, as constitutionally required. It was by far the most unusual session on record.
With the General Assembly mostly absent from mid-March to the end of April, there was a flurry of activity to pass the budget and salvage what could be passed. The process was difficult for effective participation, and the online resources provided for hearings and debate were stretched past their limits.
Despite all that, the budget was passed, and several omnibus bills were drafted including all manner of other bills. That process may result in some legal challenges to the single subject rule, but it is too early to know about that.
There is talk of a Special Session (technically named an Extraordinary Session), but it is only talk at this point. Rumors primarily focus on budgetary matters since the budget committees were working with unknown numbers for both revenues and expenses. Special sessions are called by the Governor, and subjects that can be considered are very specifically named in the Call. Since tax filing dates were postponed, presumably it would be called after the revenue picture is clearer.
Veto Session will be Wednesday, September 16 as constitutionally required.
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State Legislation Closely Followed
Second Regular Session
100th
Missouri General Assembly
- House Bill 1315 - Modifies the timeframe to appeal landlord-tenant actions / Opposed
- Sponsored by Rep. Hardy Billington (R - District 152)
- House Bill 1378 – Modifies the timeframe to appeal landlord-tenant actions / Supported
- Sponsored by Rep. Barbara Washington (D – District 023)
- House Bill 1708 - Modifies TANF and SNAP provisions / Opposed
- Sponsored by Rep. J. Eggelston (R - District 002)
- House Bill 1785 - Mandates work requirements for SNAP recipients / Opposed
- Sponsored by Rep. Dirk Deaton (R - District 159)
- House Bill 1960 – Mandates simplification of benefit forms / Supported
- Sponsored by Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman (R – District 097)
- House Bill 2006 – Department of Natural Resources Budget / Followed
- Sponsored by Rep. Cody Smith (R – District 163)
- House Bill 2011 - Department of Social Services Budget / Followed
- Sponsored by Rep. Cody Smith (R - District 163)
- House Joint Resolution 106 - Mandates work requirements for Medicaid recipients / Opposed
- Sponsored by Rep. Cody Smith (R - District 163)
- Senate Bill 549 - Reinstates the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) / Supported
- Sponsored by Sen. Dan Hegeman (R - District 12)
- Senate Bill 584 - Addresses the cliff effect by allowing transitional child care benefits / Supported
- Sponsored by Sen. Lauren Arthur (D - District 17)
- Senate Bill 607 - Prohibits the use of an employee or prospective employee's credit score as a condition of employment / Supported
- Sponsored by Sen. Karla May (D - District 04)
- Senate Joint Resolution 60 - Mandates work requirements for Medicaid recipients / Opposed
- Sponsored by Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer (R - District 34)
The only two bills listed above that were fully passed are HB 2006 and HB 2011 -- the two budget bills. If you are interested in a deep dive of all bills "Truly Agreed and Finally Passed" (TAFP) provided by House Research, check out the TAFP report below.
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Photo courtesy of Missouri House Communications Office
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Key Updates from Missouri Budget Project
No New Tax Reductions:
In the final week of session, lawmakers attempted to leverage supporters of the “Wayfair Fix” to agree to a $150 million cut in state income tax that would have largely benefited wealthy Missourians. The proposal also included reductions in local taxes. Fortunately, this did not pass and also was not voted on. However, advocates around the state are hearing that a special session focused on Wayfair has increasing potential.
Flexibility in the State Budget:
Lawmakers added about $5 billion in potential federal funds to a number of areas of the state budget. This is funding that largely hasn’t been approved by Congress yet. However, by adding it to the budget lines, it gives the State the ability to utilize additional federal fiscal relief if provided. This relief will be critical in protecting services in local communities throughout Missouri as state revenue is expected to steeply decline due to the ongoing economic impact of COVID-19.
Budget Withholds of 20% Looming?
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