Lewis and Clark Plan Headed to Full House

Gov. Matt Blunt’s bold Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative, which is part of a complete higher education package that would nearly triple scholarship funding for college and university students and provide millions in new funding for higher education building projects, is one step closer to becoming law. The House Higher Education Committee on a bipartisan basis sent the legislation to the full House for debate. If the legislation passes the House without changes, it will be sent to the Governor’s desk for final approval. The legislation increases funding for scholarships from $27 million to $72 million and would use $335 million in assets from the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority to provide new facilities for Missouri students across the state. "As the most comprehensive piece of higher education legislation Missouri has seen for some time, this bill's many benefits will extend well into the future, to when today's students become parents and are themselves weighing how to support their children through college," the Governor said. "Education is my highest priority as Missouri's governor. I applaud the House committee for acting quickly to pass this landmark bill and urge the full House to move the legislation to my desk to ensure that Missouri's students, families and higher education institutions have access to the countless, valuable benefits in the bill, including an expanded scholarship program to benefit thousands of Missouri families."

Anti-Abortion Law Upheld by State Supreme Court

In another victory for Missouri’s unborn, the Missouri Supreme Court this week unanimously upheld a measure passed by the Republican-led Legislature and signed by the Governor that prohibits any person from intentionally causing, aiding, or assisting a minor to obtain an abortion without written consent from the minor's parent or guardian or court approval. It further provides that any person subject to jurisdiction in Missouri who violates the law will be liable in civil court for damages, emotional injury, punitive damages, and attorneys' fees. Governor Blunt championed the legislation, calling a special session in 2005 for its passage and signing it into law. "The decision today by the Supreme Court of Missouri is another victory in our efforts to establish a culture that values all human life. Parents must be informed of their children's decision to end an innocent life and today's ruling upholds that belief,” the Governor said.

Social Security Tax Cut Advances

A bill championed by Governor Blunt that will end the state tax on Social Security for elderly Missourians received initial Senate approval this week with strong bipartisan support. The Senate version of the bill, which passed 29-3, would gradually eliminate state income taxes on Social Security over the next five years for most taxpayers. Public employees, like teachers, who don’t participate in Social Security could exempt from taxes up to $32,500 in pension income which is equal to the maximum Social Security benefit. The legislation limits the tax relief at $85,000 in adjusted gross income for individuals and $100,000 for married couples. Their exemptions would be reduced, dollar for dollar, by the amount their income exceeded those thresholds. The House already has passed its version of the bill that was changed by the Senate. Once the measure receives final Senate approval, senators and representatives will meet to determine the final version of the bill.

Governor, First Lady Support Child Safety

Gov. Blunt has long been an advocate of child safety, and this week he was joined by First Lady Melanie Blunt to promote the issue during National Safe Kids Week that ends Sunday. Last year the Governor signed legislation into law that requires children to be secured in a proper child passenger restraint system while riding in vehicles according to their age, weight, and height. Since taking office, the Governor also has taken significant steps to protect Missouri's children from sexual predators, including signing into law tough sex offender legislation ensuring that Missouri has some of the strongest sex offender laws in the nation. Missouri’s “Jessica’s Law” also gives law enforcement the resources to keep neighborhoods safe. "Keeping children safe and protecting them remains a constant concern for Missouri families," the Governor said this week. "Taking steps to avoid accidents and protecting our children's safety is critical to ensuring their welfare.”

Food Pantry Bill Signed into Law by Governor

In a significant effort to allow Missourians to reach out to their neighbors, Governor Matt Blunt this week signed into law a bill that authorizes income tax credits for donations to local food pantries. The law, which goes into effect August 28, would allow taxpayers to claim a tax credit of 50 percent for the value of food or money contributed to food pantries. The total amount of tax credits issued each year will be limited to $2 million. "Missourians are very generous when it comes to helping their neighbors during their times of need," the Governor said. "This legislation rewards that generosity by offering incentives to Missourians who help feed the hungry by donating to their local food pantries. This legislation will help support the excellent services Missouri's food pantries provide."

Media Censoring Missourians’ Letters

There has been a disturbing trend shared with us by dozens of conservative Missourians via telephone and email describing a situation in which their letters to newspapers across this state are NOT getting published. It is becoming increasingly evident that liberal editorial page writers are being given more and more say in news copy, but when the voices of Missouri citizens are silenced because they disagree with Democrat dogma it amounts to little more than blatant media censorship. While letters directly attacking Republican policies have been appearing frequently in newspapers, Missouri conservatives are fed excuses as to why their letters are nowhere to be found. The giant liberal media wastebasket is full of letters from conservative Missourians. We certainly appreciate all the phone calls and emails to our office from conservative letter writers seriously concerned about this censorship. Conservatives deserve to have their voices heard, and we encourage letter writers to demand answers from editorial pages across this state about the current state of affairs. Conservative voices will be heard, and the battle has just begun.

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