To the Constituents of the 126th District,
It’s been a great week to be a Missourian! Kansas City Chiefs winning another Super Bowl was a great way to start the week!! Wednesday was a light day here at the Capitol as many of the KC area representatives went home to join the parade.
The Missouri Retired Teachers Association (MRTA) was at the Capitol this week for their annual visit to us. It was great to have Anita Hartley and Janice Putnam of St. Clair County stop by my office to visit and talk about education legislation.
We also passed the Supplemental Budget which included an 8.7% wage increase for state workers and also follows 2 bills passed in the House this week.
House members approve bill to improve compensation for Kansas City police officers (HBs 640 and 729)
This week the Missouri House gave preliminary approval to a legislative proposal that would help the Kansas City Police Department attract and retain the best law enforcement personnel. In a first-round voice vote, House members passed legislation that would allow the department to offer better pay to officers and the police chief.
HB 640 and 729 it would eliminate the current authorized salary cap for the Kansas City Police Chief and allow the Board of Police Commissioners to establish a salary cap by resolution. The bill would also eliminate existing salary caps for police officers, calculated by rank, and authorize the board of directors to use minimum salaries as the basis in pay ranges for officers in creating their comprehensive pay schedule. .
The bill’s sponsor said it was important to place the power to set a pay schedule in the hands of the Board of Police Commissioners rather than in the hands of the state. The sponsor noted that the Kansas City Police Department is currently down 254 police officers and is losing officers in surrounding areas where they can receive better pay.
Another provision in the bill would remove the current requirement that the Kansas City police chief be under the age of 60. During the floor discussion, members also approved an emergency clause that would allow the bill to go into effect immediately if approved by both houses and signed into law.
Protecting Businesses from Expensive Mandates (HB 184)
Lawmakers passed legislation this week aimed at protecting businesses, schools and churches from burdensome government mandates. By a vote of 105 to 36, the House approved HB 184 ban local ordinances that require businesses to pay for new EV charging stations.
The bill’s sponsor said its legislation comes in response to a trend that has seen municipalities requiring small businesses, malls and churches to install and pay for electric charging stations whenever they make improvements to their facilities. . He said an ordinance in St. Louis County requires businesses to add and pay for electric charging stations even as they expand their parking space. One supporter said he has seen the impact of mandates in his area where companies have deferred improvements to avoid the extra costs associated with installing charging stations.
He said, “They don’t even want to repave their parking lot because they have to put in $10,000 to $15,000 worth of EV stations. They don’t have the money to do it. It’s a useless mandate.” She added, “I think that helps our small businesses a lot.”
HB 184 it also prohibits any political subdivision from requiring any school or religious organization to install an electric vehicle charging station. The bill’s sponsor told his colleagues, “I don’t think it’s the government’s responsibility to be the marketing department of General Motors and Chrysler, or BMW.” He added: “Companies develop their business, they develop their parking lots, for their customers, not as petrol stations. Let the free market fend for itself. If there’s a question, there will be.”
Supplemental Funding Act Sent to Senate (HB 14)
In a vote of 151 to 2, members of the Missouri House approved a supplementary spending bill and sent it to the Senate for consideration. The legislation (Hbs 14) Provide more than $627 million in funding to the state’s current operating budget.
Some of the highlights of the matching spending plan include:
– 8.7% salary increase for state employees
– Does not include the General Assembly and statewide elected officials.
– Additional $2 per hour differential for night shift direct care personnel (prisons, hospitals, other care facilities).
– $286.5 million in spending authority for the State Emergency Management Agency.
– A $628,750 award to the Department of Agriculture to help address the growing black vulture problem affecting livestock owners across the state.
– $20 million to establish school safety programs, including physical safety upgrades and associated technology, bleeding control kits, and automated external defibrillators.
I am honored to serve as your representative in the Missouri House. If at any time you have questions, concerns, or ideas regarding state government, please do not hesitate to contact me at 573-751-5388 or [email protected].
Jim Kaberloh
State Representative
126th district
