Fin

At 6:00 PM the General Assembly adjourned. We got a lot of good things passed, but most notable are the bad things we stopped. No new restrictions on reproductive health, no TABOR, no attacks on the independence of the judiciary, no voter ID.

Let's work hard this summer to get progressive candidates elected, so we can start to reverse the damage of the last four years of a failed administration.

It's 2 AM . . . Do You Know Where Your Senator Is?

We're still up. A filibuster is still underway on the "village law."

Only 14 hours til the Constitution says we have to call it quits for the year. With time running out, things are looking bleak for some of the legislation that I had hoped would get passed. On the other hand, the clock is also ticking on some really bad legislation.

Tick tock.

Victory for Foster Kids

After several delays this morning we are finally moving things forward on the Senate floor. With a little over 24 hours left in session, I successfully added SB 1000, "The Foster Care Education Bill of Rights," to an omnibus education bill that is under debate right now.

SB 1000 addresses the deficiencies that this state has when it comes to educational outcomes for kids in foster care. These kids are our most vulnerable citizens and as the guardian of these kids, we owe it to them to make sure they have every opportunity available -- including a quality education.

The bill will still have to survive a conference committee.

Nothing Good Happens After 2 in the Morning

We're getting close to 2AM and we are still in session. We finished the immigration bill a little after midnight, then we switched to professional licensing and now we are debating tax credits.

I'm not sure my dad ever said it, but someone's dad once said . . . nothing good happens after 2AM.

With only three days left in session, I understand the rush to get things done, but I'm pretty sure the people of Missouri would be better served if we all went home and started again tomorrow.

As a side note, I just heard that it is possible to bounce a superball from the third floor rotunda to the basement and back. My staff and I were on the Senate floor and cannot verify the truth of that particular assertion.

Get Off Your Duff

HJR 48, aka voter ID, was voted out of committee this afternoon 5-4, on a party-line vote.

There were no witnesses to testify in favor of the resolution. The room was packed with people who testified against -- so many in fact that not everyone was able to testify in the hearing that was cut short by the start of today's legislative session.

I had hoped that someone might come forward to explain what the urgency is for passage of this particular resolution. No one could come up with a single example of this type of voter fraud in Missouri. Bottom line -- there is very little evidence to support the proposition that voter fraud is a real issue that needs to be addressed.

I know these things should not surprise me anymore, but I was shocked at the hostile reaction and insensitive comments a few of the Republican senators had in response to the opposition witnesses. Most of the Rs did not stick around for the testimony, but one senator in particular was in the room long enough to express his opinion that people should just "get off their duffs" and get a photo ID. That comment came on the heels of testimony from Kathleen Weinschenk, a Boone county resident in a wheelchair, who gave compelling testimony about the difficulties that disabled Missourians face when trying to track down the stack of documents required to secure a photo ID.

Maybe the proponents of this resolution should just get off their duffs and come up with one good reason why we should continue to waste time and money discussing a solution for a problem that does not exist. Voter fraud is a "problem" manufactured by those who would seek to disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of people from their most fundamental right -- the right to vote.

Another Corporate Bailout

The Senate voted to bail out Aquila today in a 26-5 vote that gives retroactive approval for a power plant the company built in Cass county, despite court orders forbidding it to do so. As you may have guessed, I was one of the 5 no votes.

We argued that the law would be ex post facto and therefore unconstitutional. We argued that the law takes the heat off Aquila to settle with the homeowners who had a big, noisy power plant built in their backyard. We argued that the law is, in effect, a $100 million dollar bailout for a company who has thumbed its nose at local law enforcement and court orders time and again.

I guess the thing the bothers me the most is I don't see any real punishment from the state for Aquila blatently ignoring the law. What's next? What's to stop a CAFO or a Wal-Mart from ignoring local regulation and court order and opening a facility in your backyard?

UPDATE -- Bombardier Takes Off

The bill just passed the Senate -- 24-8. Now it goes back to the House.