Jefferson City - The 2008 legislative session ended with the passage of key legislation that not only improved the lives of all Missourians and balanced the budget without increasing taxes thanks to the hard work of Gov. Matt Blunt and the Republican-led Legislature. Here are some of the major highlights of the session that ended May 16:

EDUCATION AND JOBS

The total funding increase for education over the last four years now exceeds $1.2 billion with significant increases provided with this year’s budget. This year’s budget provides a$121.2 million increase for elementary and secondary schools, a $43 million increase for colleges and universities, and an additional $23.8 million increase for needs-based scholarships which nearly quadruples the funding available for scholarships since Gov. Blunt took office. Funding was also increased for A+ Schools Program by $3.5 million and $2.5 million for the Early Childhood Special Education Program. The General Assembly also passed legislation allowing alternative teacher certification to help professionals enter the classroom as teachers.

PROTECTING LIFE

Protecting the sanctity of human life has remained a priority for Governor Blunt and the Republican –led General Assembly. This year’s budget delivers $620,000 to support the state’s Alternatives to Abortion program. Legislation was also passed that strengthened Missouri’s informed consent requirements for obtaining an abortion. Under the legislation, physicians must provide expectant mothers with detailed information about the procedure and their vulnerable child, and provide them with the opportunity to view an ultrasound or hear the heartbeat of their child at no charge.

VETERANS

One of the main concerns of the General Assembly during the 2008 legislative session was honoring those who serve our country in the armed services. The budget included $2.2 million for family support and housing assistance for homeless veterans. By the end of the session, three pieces of legislation that renewed Missouri’s commitment to the sacrifices made by these men and women. Throughout the state, the U.S. Flag and the state flag of Missouri will be flown at half-staff for one full day whenever a Missouri service member is killed in the line of duty.  With the passage of the "Missouri Returning Heroes’ Education Act" the tuition cost for a combat veteran serving after September 11, 2001 to attend one of Missouri’s public universities or colleges has been limited to $50 per credit. Missouri joined nearly 20 others by entering into the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunities for Military Children. This program allows military children to transfer between school districts and states in the scenario of military transfers.

IMMIGRATION

With the guidance of Governor Blunt, the Republican-led General Assembly passed landmark immigration legislation. Although Washington, DC refuses to act both the Governor and the General Assembly are committed to protecting our borders and ensuring the integrity of our immigration laws. The legislation prohibits the creation of sanctuary cities in the state; prohibits illegal immigrants from obtaining a driver’s license; requires verification of legal employment status of every public employee; allows for cancellation of state contracts for contractors if they hire illegal immigrants; requires public agencies to verify the legal status of applicants before providing welfare benefits; criminalizes the transportation of illegal immigrants for exploitive purposes; and enacts provisions to punish bad acting employers who hire illegal immigrants. The bill also requires citizenship checks on every individual presented for incarceration.

TAXES

This session the General Assembly approved mandatory levy rollbacks and developed property tax reform that includes truth in taxation, putting an end to unfair, back-door tax increases.

ENVIRONMENT

To encourage Missourians to protect our environment and to find greener energy sources that improve energy efficiency, legislation was passed that created a “Show-Me Green” tax holiday to eliminate sales taxes on Energy-Star certified efficient appliances. The budget included $12.5 million for incentive payments for ethanol production, $34.3 million for biodiesel production incentives, $1.8 million to protect and preserve historic Missouri properties and $1.2 million to provide access to clean and safe water for drinking and recreation.

PUBLIC SAFETY AND CRIME

To better ensure the safety of Missourians during times of emergency and disaster the General Assembly passed legislation at the request of the Department of Public Safety to appropriate $20 million for the implementation of an interoperable communications system that will allow local, county, state and federal authorities to communicate between agencies on new, state-of-the-art equipment. The General Assembly responded to calls for more stringent rules to improve the state’s sex offender registry, now e-mail addresses and other online identifiers must be added to the offenders’ profiles. Legislation was passed to force repeat drunk-driving offenders to modify their vehicles with ignition interlock devices to ensure they cannot endanger other Missourians by drinking and driving. Critical funding for the Missouri Sheriffs Methamphetamine Relief Team to create a real-time tracking system for the purchase of key meth ingredients was provided during this legislative session. The safety of Missouri’s children is paramount, so this legislative session the General Assembly passed legislation resulting from Gov. Blunt’s Internet Harassment Task Force. The bill updates state laws against harassment to keep pace with technology by removing the requirement that the communication be written or over the telephone. Supporters said the bill would now cover harassment from computers, text messages and other electronic devices.

MORTGAGE FRAUD

The governor’s call to stiffen the penalties for those who commit mortgage fraud against Missouri homebuyers, including prison and steep monetary fines led to protections further enhancing consumer knowledge, protecting against unscrupulous businesses that prey upon at-risk homeowners, and creating new punishments for mortgage fraud.

HEALTH CARE

Over 850,000 Missourians are being served by Missouri’s Medicaid system. The funding comes from $3.5 billion in federal dollars, and $6.7 billion in state funds. For the 4 th year the Republican – led General Assembly has refused to move money from one pot to the other and call it a Medicaid restoration; instead, they have increased funding without increasing taxes and continuously increased the number of Missourians who have affordable healthcare. This year’s budget included $5.8 million to meet the increased in demand for Mo HealthNet Home and Community-Based Services Program and a $420.4 million increase in funding to Mo HealthNet, which brings total funding for the program to $5.8 billion. Included in that funding is $4.8 million to expand health care coverage for children through the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and $13 million to provide access to health care coverage for low-income women. As a champion of Missouri families, Governor Blunt worked to ensure that funds were made available for early diagnosis and treatment for families who face the challenges of Autism. The General Assembly approved more than $17 million in new funding to support autism services to help ensure a higher quality of life and enhance opportunities for children with autism.