News Clips

							MISSOURI SENATE COMMUNICATIONS
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               Collected/Archived for Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011 - Page 1 of 44



'WE CAN WORK IT OUT' MAY BE THEME OF UPCOMING LEGISLATIVE
SESSION
By Jason Rosenbaum, special to the Beacon
Posted 6:51 am Thu., 12.29.11
State legislators are promising more than just a busy agenda this coming legislative session, which opens Jan. 4.
After the failure of this year's regular and special sessions to pass a major economic development bill, legislators
are now talking about more cooperation across the two GOP-controlled chambers as well as reform of the
legislature itself.
As is common in election years, lawmakers say they want to police themselves better -- as well as change the
structure of state government.
State Rep. Jason Kander, a Democrat from Kansas City running for secretary of state, introduced wide-ranging
"ethics" legislation. Among other things, the bill would bar lobbyists' gifts, reinstitute limits on campaign
donations, ban lawmakers from serving as political consultants, apply the state's Sunshine Law to individual
lawmakers and establish a two-year ban on lobbying after leaving office.
"Public service loses its true meaning when a system allows elected officials to serve themselves at the expense
of the general public," Kander said in a statement. "Every time an elected official receives a six-figure campaign
contribution or accepts a gift from lobbyists, special interests gain influence and everyday citizens lose some.
Hard-working Missouri families need lawmakers to be looking out for their well-being now more than ever."
In response to the controversy over state legislative redistricting, state Sen. Jason Crowell (left), R-Cape
Girardeau, introduced legislation requiring all meetings of Senate or House redistricting commissions or judicial
commissions to be public. The bill would also require the commissions to obey Missouri's laws concerning open
meetings and open records.
"Changing the makeup of a legislative district can have a dramatic effect on how Missourians voice is represented
in the Missouri Senate and House," Crowell said in a statement. "Judges should not be able to hide from citizens
when making such important decisions."
State Sen. Lamping John Lamping, R-Ladue, would like to shorten the legislative session from 18 to 12 weeks and
require the governor and lieutenant governor to run as a ticket. Lamping, who works as branch manager at a
securities firm, said such a move resembles private sector restructuring.
"In the private sector, if you don't like the outcome and you don't like what's happening, you look at your process
and change the process," Lamping said.
He said the current length of the legislative session provides ample opportunity for wasted time. Another aspect
of that bill -- moving special sessions to June -- would prevent the legislature from making decisions after the
fiscal year begins.
"The pace activity on the committee level, the pace of the activity from the floor level -- it's all built around this
idea that we're going to be there for 19 weeks, including break," Lamping said. "That culture allows legislators to
wait until they get to the Capitol in January to take their ideas to legislative forums, take their ideas to their
caucus and try to drum up support."
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"My vision on how this thing should work is we work harder between ... April and December," he added. "We'll
work on legislation, we'll have public hearings, we'll coalesce behind ideas. And when we actually do pre-filing in
December, the bills will almost be done. So when you get into session, you execute on the idea that you have and
it's just a much faster pace."
He said the governor-lieutenant governor bill, which Crowell also sponsored, would resemble presidential
elections in which a presidential nominee selects his vice presidential running mate.
"This is just simple," Lamping said. "I'm a voter. I vote for a Democratic governor. That's who I vote for. The guy
dies. Why is a Republican governor in charge?"
He also said a ticket would give voters a better chance to ask candidates about their platform and ideas. He also
said there could be some cost savings from combing the offices.
"Once they're in office, if I see the lieutenant governor, maybe I can get his attention and his time ... instead of
the governor's time," Lamping said. "Because I know they're working in conjunction with each other. And I just
think they would cover the state better, represent the state better."


A NEW DAY?
With so much work to be done, Senate President Pro Tem Rob Mayer, R-Dexter, and House Speaker Steve Tilley,
R-Perryville, say they've been communicating since the special session ended. Such talks may be necessary; this
year, many pieces of legislation died because of differences of opinion between the House and Senate.
Mayer, though, is optimistic. He said he met with Tilley earlier in the month to discuss his chamber's agenda for
the upcoming year.
"He expressed the wishes and the will that I did that we focus on some things we can get done and we agree on,"
Mayer said. "So, those are going to be our priorities early on. We tackled some pretty tough issues last year. It's
not easy to pass a $360 million tax credit program for economic development -- such as Aerotropolis -- in [the
second half of the session]."
Tilley said he, too, hopes that the Senate and House can have a better working relationship.
"I hope it's a new day," Tilley said. "Rob and I have tried to focus on areas where we agree and stay away from
areas where we tend to disagree. ... I can't control how the Senate functions, even though I'd like to change some
things. So that's what we've got to deal with."
State Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Glendale, said the legislature has a "responsibility" to have a productive session.
"You have a limited time -- especially in the era of term limits -- to work on things and to get things done,"
Schmitt said. "And people expect that. That's what you're elected to do. So I'm hopeful that we'll be able to move
on some legislation, get some things done."
But at least one lawmaker, state Sen. Ryan McKenna, D-Jefferson County, is not optimistic. McKenna -- whose
father Bill McKenna was in the Missouri Senate -- said too much emphasis is placed on blocking legislature
through fillibusters and not enough pursuit of compromise.
"I don't see a lot changing, quite honestly," McKenna said. "The players haven't really changed. If anything, there
might be a little more animosity between people, between the House and the Senate, between individual
members."
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He doesn't predict any big change until after 2013, when elections and term limits change the complexion of the
legislature.
"In today's Senate, it seems like there's a fillibuster every day," McKenna said. "And others have said that
compromise seems to have become a dirty word. That's what's traditionally made the Senate the Senate -- the
ability to compromise, to give and take."
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MISSOURI MAY REQUIRE ANYONE TO REPORT SEXUAL ABUSE
BY CHRISTY MILLWEARD
POSTED: DEC 28, 2011 10:34 PM CST
UPDATED: DEC 29, 2011 8:34 AM CST
CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KFVS) - Missouri State Senator Eric Schmitt, R-Glendale, is proposing a bill that would
require anyone who witnesses sexual abuse to report it to law enforcement.

Missouri statute says right now there is a limited group of people that are required to report sexual abuse; social
workers, doctors, or parole officers just to name a few. But this new proposal would make anyone, and everyone,
a mandated reporter.

This legislation is still in preliminary stages. The legislative session starts Jan. 4. The bill will have to go to a
committee, pass both the House and Senate, and get the Governor's signature.

"If you think a child's being harmed, report that," said Tammy Gwaltney President and CEO of the Beacon Health
Center.

Gwaltney says it's a simple idea.

"Now an easy thing to me is if you witness abuse, what is there to be second guessing, you saw it, you have a
responsibility to report that," said Gwaltney.

But some Missouri lawmakers think it may need to be laid out in black and white.

"This law would say when people have actually witnessed sexual abuse, they have to contact law enforcement
officials," said Missouri Senator President Pro Tem Robert Mayer, R-Dexter.

Mayer says he thinks lawmakers in the Capitol will want to talk about the proposed legislation from the St. Louis
legislator.

"I think most people agree that we as a society should protect those that cannot protect themselves," said
Mayer.

"It seems like common sense to most of us, but obviously it's not," said Linda Garner, the Director of the Safe
House for Women in Cape Girardeau.

She says she has mixed feelings about the legislation.

"I know that a law on the books, doesn't equate with responsible behavior," said Garner.

And Gwaltney says it can be a rare instance that the law would actually apply.

"Abusers don't typically make sure that there's an audience," said Gwaltney.
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Other states have passed similar legislation.

"I think it's critical that we look at those states and see what we can learn, and what we can glean from that,"
said Gwaltney.

"See if there's a measurable difference that it's made," said Garner.

"Children deserve to live a life free of abuse," said Gwaltney.

If you have an abuse crime to report in Missouri, call the Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-392-3738.
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Prison Reform Would Save Missouri Taxpayers
Millions, Bipartisan Report Says
By Albert Samaha Thu., Dec. 29 2011 at 9:00 AM , Riverfront Times

Since 1990, Missouri's spending on inmates has tripled to more than $660 million, and the state's prison
population has doubled. While the state's overall general fund has grown by 14 percent over the last decade, the
Department of Corrections' budget has grown by 39 percent.
For all the spending, the state hasn't seen much return on its investment. Between 1999 and 2009, violent crime
in America dropped 18 percent while the nation's imprisonment rate increased by two percent. Over that same
period, though, Missouri's violent crime rate dropped by just two percent and its imprisonment rate rose by
seven percent.


Those stats come courtesy of a new report from the Missouri Working Group on Sentencing and Corrections, a
bipartisan, fifteen-member committee made up of appointments from all three branches of government and co-
chaired by state Sen. Jack Goodman (R) and state Rep. Chris Kelly (D). The report concludes that reforming that
state's probation and parole policies, shifting more drug offenders toward rehabilitation, and reducing the state's
highest-in-the-nation sentencing disparity for crack cocaine would allow the Department of Corrections to focus
more on serious offenders and save Missouri tax-payers millions of dollars.


A good-size chunk of the state's incarceration rate increase, the report found, stemmed from probation and
parole violations. Currently, these revocations account for 71 percent of prison admissions, which is a 16 percent
increase since 1990. Around 40 percent of inmates released from prison return within two years. Nearly two-
thirds of parole and probation revocations, though, come from non-violent violations, including drug offenses.


"Of the prison admissions for drug possession between 2000 and 2010, 81 percent resulted from a revocation,"
the report stated. "Put another way, a significant number of the inmates convicted of a drug offense entered
prison not because of the seriousness of the underlying offense but because they violated the rules of
community supervision."


Accordingly, the report recommends alternatives to the straight-to-prison model. Those suggestions include:
incentivizing good behavior by reducing the term of supervision by 30 days for every 30 days of compliance;
using short, one- or two-day stints in jail as punishment for certain violations; requiring drug treatment programs
for first-time violators who catch a drug charge.


Reforming the "War on Drugs," of course, ties into any discussion of prison reform. In Missouri, one out of every
five inmates is serving time for a drug offense, which is just about the national average among state prisoners.
While the federal government last year reduced its crack-powder cocaine sentencing disparity from a 100-1 ratio
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to an 18-1 ratio, Missouri's remains at 75-1, which is the highest in the nation (the next closest is New
Hampshire's 28-1 ratio). This means a person in Missouri caught with 5 grams of crack cocaine receives the same
penalty as a person in Missouri caught with 375 grams of powder cocaine. The report recommends that this
disparity be reduced.


With belts tightening in statehouses across the nation, prison reform has gained more and more support from
people other than sociology professors and New York Times editorial board members. This tide was perhaps
most famously seen in Indiana Republican governor Mitch Daniels' widely popular but still-stalled effort to enact
sweeping changes in his state's corrections policies earlier this year.


Missouri Working Group estimates that its prison reform package would reduce the state's prison population by
245 to 677 inmates within six years and reduce costs by $7.7 million to $16.6 million.
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Net Worth of Missouri Congressional Delegation Tops
$47.9 Million
BY CHAD GARRISON WED., DEC. 28 2011 AT 7:01 AM
RIVERFRONT TIMES

The Center for Responsive Politics recently released its report on the nation's wealthiest U.S. representatives and
senators.

No one from Missouri makes its Top 10 list, but that doesn't mean we don't have some worthy contenders. Turns
out we actually have some of the richest -- and poorest -- politicians in Washington, based on the financial
disclosures the elected officials file each year.

Here, then, is the average net worth* of Missouri's congressional delegation based on those disclosures:

Senators
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D): $26.5 million
Sen. Roy Blunt (R): $3.7 million

Representatives
William Lacy Clay (D - Dist. 1): $32,000
Todd Akin (R - Dist. 2): $160,000
Russ Carnahan (D - Dist. 3): $328,000
Vicky Hartzler (R - Dist. 4): $8.9 million
Emanuel Cleaver (D - Dist. 5): $891,500
Sam Graves (R - Dist. 6): $1.1 million
Billy Long (R - Dist. 7): $2.4 million
Jo Ann Emerson (R - Dist. 8): $490,500
Blaine Luetkemeyer (R - Dist. 9): $3.4 million

Total them up and they add up to $47.9 million, of which McCaskill's fortunes (courtesy of her developer
husband, Joseph Shepard) account for over half. Hartzler, the second-weatlhiest Missouri politician in D.C., owns
a farm equipment business with her husband, Lowell.

Lacy Clay is the poorest of the group. In fact, he's one of the least-wealthy people in all of Congress, ranking as
the 395th richest member of the 435-person House of Representatives.
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*Center for Responsive Politics uses a range to estimate the average net wealth. More information on that can
be found here.
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SPENDING BILL TARGETS FERCS PROCESSES
By Rance Burger, lakenewsonline.com
Posted Dec 28, 2011 @ 08:48 AM


Lake of the Ozarks, Mo. — Lake of the Ozarks, FERC and Ameren Missouri pop up in the 1,200-page, $1 trillion
federal government budget that Congress approved and President Obama signed into law on Dec. 23.
The year-end omnibus spending bill contained language that directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
to evaluate its process for reviewing and approval shoreline management plans. U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-MO, and
U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-MO, added specific language in their appropriations amendment that directs FERC to
work with parties involved in shoreline disputes in effort to develop mutually agreeable solutions when private
land and power generation come into conflict.
“This is a step in the right direction, but there’s still more work to be done. I’ll continue to work with my
colleagues in both the House and the Senate to improve the appropriations process and pass policies that will
help jumpstart our economy," Blunt said.
When it renewed its license to operate Bagnell Dam in 2008, Ameren Missouri submitted a shoreline
management plan for Lake of the Ozarks. On July 26, 2011, FERC issued an order regarding "non-conforming"
structures, buildings constructed on the small strip of land that Ameren Missouri controls called the project
boundary under the shoreline management plan. More than 1,200 property owners fear losing their homes,
outbuildings and other structures.
Blunt and McCaskill cosponsored standalone legislation known as the Supporting Home Owner Rights
Enfrocement (SHORE) Act with the same provisions as the budget amendment. When negotiations over
government spending came down to the wire, the Missouri senators took the opportunity to attach the FERC
legislation to the budget bill. Congress combined 12 spending bills into one in order to meet its end-of-year
deadline for budget passage.
“While I was not pleased with the process by which these bills were passed, this spending package cuts
discretionary spending for the second year in a row and helps move us in the right direction. When combined
with the previous minibus that was enacted in November, this spending amounts to $7 billion less than last
year’s level and $98 billion less than President Obama’s original request," Blunt said.
Since the president signed the bill into law, FERC will be required to meet the demands of the Missouri
delegation.


What's next?
Ameren Missouri plans to submit a new shoreline management plan with new project boundaries and maps in
2012. The company scheduled a public comment period in January and will hold two workshop style meetings in
order to interact with the public.
Two other members of Congress from Missouri applauded the drive from Missouri's largest utility provider to
communicate with the public.
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“I believe there is a need for discussions between Lake-area citizens, Ameren and the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission on the shoreline management plan for the lake,” U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-MO, said. “I
appreciate Ameren’s willingness to work quickly to address the concerns of lake-area citizens. Ameren’s request
for public comments will provide folks with an excellent opportunity to gather information and ask questions.”
"I encourage Lake-area citizens to have their voices heard and to have their comments taken into account. In the
interim, I will continue to explore legislative options to ensure Lake of the Ozarks property rights are protected
for years to come," U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler said.
Hartzler sponsors a House bill that will explicitly ban FERC from issuing any type of order to teardown structures
on the Lake of the Ozarks shoreline. Her legislation has been assigned to a committee.
Deadline for comments: Jan. 15.
Email comments to: lake@ameren.com.
Comments can also be submitted by calling (573) 365-9203
or by U.S. Postal Mail:
Project Boundary Comments
Ameren Missouri Shoreline Management
P. O. Box 993
Lake Ozark, MO 65049
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UTILITIES SAY RATES TO RISE WITH NEW EPA RULES
DECEMBER 28, 2011 | MISSOURI NEWS HORIZON | POSTED BY: DICK ALDRICH


JEFFERSON CITY, MO. — SPOKESMEN FOR THE STATE’S TWO LARGEST GENERATORS OF ELECTRICITY SAY RATES ARE LIKELY TO RISE NOW
THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY HAS ANNOUNCED NEW LIMITS ON AIR POLLUTION FROM COAL FIRED POWER
PLANTS.THE LIMITS ARE AIMED AT SLASHING THE EMISSIONS OF POLLUTANTS SUCH AS MERCURY AND TOXIC AIR POLLUTION LIKE ARSENIC,
ACID GAS, NICKEL, SELENIUM, AND CYANIDE. THE RULES ARE AIMED AT COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS IN 27 STATES. THE EPA SAID IN ITS
DECEMBER 21ST RULING THAT MORE THAN HALF OF THE POWER PLANTS IN THOSE STATES ARE ALREADY EQUIPPED WITH EMISSIONS
SCRUBBING SYSTEMS THAT WILL MAKE THE PLANTS COMPLIANT WITH WITH THE DIRECTIVE.



BUT SPOKESMEN FOR KCP&L AND AMEREN MISSOURI SAID THAT WHILE SOME OF THEIR PLANTS ALREADY HAVE THE POLLUTION
ABATEMENT EQUIPMENT IN PLACE, RATE PAYERS WILL EVENTUALLY WIND UP PAYING FOR THE COSTLY EQUIPMENT.



“WHEN FOLKS THINK ABOUT THE EPA AND THE EPA RULES, THEY NEED TO KNOW THAT THOSE COSTS GET ULTIMATELY PASSED DOWN TO
CUSTOMERS,” SAID CHUCK CAISLEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS AT KCP&L.



CAISLEY SAID THE UTILITY HAD BEEN ANTICIPATING THE EPA’S RULING “FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS” AND HAD ALREADY INSTALLED
EMISSIONS CONTROLLING EQUIPMENT IN MANY OF ITS COAL FIRED PLANTS IN MISSOURI AND KANSAS. BUT HE SAID THOSE COSTS HAVE
ALREADY RUN BEYOND $1 BILLION WITH ANOTHER $1 BILLION TO OUTFIT THE REST OF ITS PLANTS IN MISSOURI WITH THE SAME
EQUIPMENT.



“WE WERE ABLE TO SEE THIS COMING AND WE WERE ABLE TO RETROFIT SOME OF OUR UNITS AHEAD OF TIME,” SAID CAISLEY. “SO, AS A
RESULT, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HELP THE KANSAS CITY AREA OZONE ATTAINMENT LEVELS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.”



CAISLYE SAID THE RETROFITTING PROJECTS HAVE ALSO PROVIDED JOBS DURING TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES IN WESTERN MISSOURI.


SPOKESMEN FOR AMEREN MISSOURI DID NOT RETURN PHONE CALLS FROM MISSOURI NEWS HORIZON, BUT LAST WEEK TOLD THE ST.
LOUIS BEACON THAT RETRO-FITTNG ITS COAL FIRED PLANTS IN ILLINOIS AND MISSOURI WOULD COST MORE THAN $200 MILLION OVER
THREE TO FIVE YEARS.



AMEREN OPERATES FOUR COAL-FIRED POWERS PLANTS IN MISSOURI AND ONLY THE SIOUX POWER STATION NORTHEAST OF ST. LOUIS
HAS A SCRUBBER SYSTEM TO REMOVE SULFUR DIOXIDE AND OTHER POLLUTANTS.



ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS HAIL THE RULING, SAYING THE NEW STANDARDS WILL IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF CHILDREN ALL ACROSS THE
UNITED STATES, NOT JUST IN MISSOURI.
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“THIS LANDMARK ACHIEVEMENT REFLECTS WHAT EVERY PARENT KNOWS, WHICH IS THAT POWERING OUR HOMES SHOULD NOT POISON
MISSOURI’S KIDS,” SAID TED MATHYS, STATE ADVOCATE FOR ENVIRONMENT MISSOURI.


ENVIRONMENT MISSOURI RECENTLY RELEASED A REPORT THAT SAID THAT MISSOURI POWER PLANTS EMIT MORE MERCURY THAN THOSE IN
46 OTHER STATES. IT CITES AMEREN’S LABADIE POWER PLANT IN FRANKLIN COUNTY AS THE SECOND WORST MERCURY EMITTER IN THE
UNITED STATES.


THE STUDY ASSERTS THAT POWER PLANTS ARE THE SINGLE LARGEST SOURCE OF MERCURY POLLUTION IN THE UNITED STATES, AND LINK
MERCURY TO CANCER, HEART DISEASE, BRAIN DAMAGE, BIRTH DEFECTS, ASTHMA ATTACKS, AND PREMATURE DEATH. THE EPA ESTIMATES
THAT THE NEW STANDARDS WILL PREVENT 130,000 CASES OF CHILDHOOD ASTHMA SYMPTOMS AND SAVE 11,000 LIVES EACH YEAR.



“THIS LANDMARK STANDARD WILL IMPROVE MISSOURIANS’ QUALITY OF LIFE AND PROTECT CHILDREN TODAY AND FOR GENERATIONS TO
COME FROM KNOWN POISONS,” SAID MATHYS.



POWER GENERATING COMPANIES CAN HAVE UP TO FOUR YEARS TO COMPLY WITH THE EPA’S NEW POLLUTION STANDARDS.
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PUBLIC HEARING ON CAPE GIRARDEAU POSTAL PROCESSING
FACILITY IS TODAY
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2011
SOUTHEAST MISSOURIAN
The U.S. Postal Service will hold a public meeting to discuss the proposed closing of the Richard G. Wilson
Processing and Distribution Facility in Cape Girardeau at 7 p.m. today at the Osage Centre.
The Postal Service will discuss the results of a study it conducted to determine the feasibility of consolidating
Cape Girardeau mail processing operations with those in St. Louis. Postal Service personnel will also allow
community members to ask questions and voice their opinions.


The Cape Girardeau mail processing center is one of 252 centers the U.S. Postal Service is studying for possible
closure in hopes of saving $3 billion by 2015.


Pertinent address:


1625 N. Kingshighway, Cape Girardeau, MO
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PREVAILING WAGE FIGHT SHAPES UP FOR 2012 SESSION
December 28, 2011 | Missouri News Horizon | Posted by: Tim Sampson


JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Seven months in the making, the fight over prevailing wage laws in Joplin could be one of
the biggest fights of the 2012 legislatives session.

Republican Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder renewed his call this week for Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon to support the
suspension of prevailing wage laws in Joplin to help reduce the cost of rebuilding after May’s record-setting,
deadly tornado.

“Our priority in Joplin must be to replace the homes that families lost in May, particularly homes for low-income
families,” Kinder said. “Because of the higher costs, contractors will be forced to cut back on the scale of projects
for low-income housing in Joplin.”

The federal mandate for prevailing wage laws has existed since the time of the New Deal, and requires that
construction workers working on publically financed projects be paid not just the legal minimum wage, but a rate
that is commiserate with the rate being paid by private contractors for similar projects in the same area.

Recent revisions to prevailing wage rules would significantly increase the cost of construction, which Kinder says
would slow the rebuilding process.

Bills have already been prefiled in the state House and Senate to suspend the prevailing wage rules in Joplin, but
many opponents say that it is unreasonable to look for savings and efficiency by cutting into long established
worker wage protections.
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MISSOURI LAWMAKER HOPES TO MAKE COLLEGE MORE EFFICIENT
AND LESS COSTLY
SENATOR DAVID PEARCE WANTS TO CHANGE TRANSFER CREDITS AND REMEDIATION
by Jay Scherder, jscherder@ky3.com
4:05 a.m. CST, December 29, 2011


SPRINGFIELD, Mo -- College seniors who graduated in 2010 carried an average of more than $25,000 in student
loan debt. Missouri's average is slightly below the national average at $22,600.
One Missouri lawmaker is trying to make the college experience quicker and more efficient. The proposed
legislation is aimed at keeping debt down. It's also about keeping students from dropping out, because many feel
like they can't afford it anymore.
Senator David Pearce will be introducing legislation in January that will change the way colleges and universities
operate in Missouri.
The proposed law focuses on two main areas--transfer credits and remediation.
It would create a library of 25 courses that could be transferred between any public two or four year university in
the state--meaning English 101 at School A will transfer as English 101 at School B. It won't transfer as just an
elective or not at all.
It also establishes a "reverse transfer." It allows someone who has a number of college credits to transfer to a
two year college to get an associates if they can't finish their bachelor's degree.
"A great way to keep debt down is making sure students don't waste classes. If a University is not accepting good
classes that they should and making students retake it at a much higher rate, that causes debt. We don't have
that issue here, but in other parts of the state that's an issue," said OTC President Dr. Hal Higdon.
"We want to make the college experience as quick and efficient as possible. We don't want to try to saddle our
students down with debt when they get out," said Senator David Pearce.
This proposed law also sets up a "best practices" standard for remediation. Those are the basic courses in college
like math or english that students didn't learn enough of in high school. Essentially it will figure out what works
when teaching those classes and apply it to every school in the state.
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HEARING SET IN BID TO BLOCK KC STUDENT TRANSFERS
SOUTHEAST MISSOURIAN, DEC 28, 8:33 PM EST

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A Jackson County judge has scheduled a hearing Friday on efforts by suburban school
districts to block transfers of students from the Kansas City district when it loses accreditation Jan. 1.


The five districts are seeking an order putting any transfers on hold until questions about transportation, tuition
and eligibility are resolved.


Missouri law requires unaccredited districts to pay to send students to accredited districts within the same or an
adjoining county. The petition by officials in Blue Springs, Independence, Lee's Summit, North Kansas City and
Raytown says Kansas City's plans for covering the costs are vague and inadequate
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KC-AREA SOAP FIRM GETS $428,000 LOW-INTEREST LOAN
Southeast Missourian - Dec 29, 5:01 AM EST

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A suburban Kansas City company that produces environmentally friendly soap is
getting a low-interest loan through a Missouri program.

Liquid Soap Products in Lee's Summit is receiving the $428,000 loan through the Missouri Linked Deposit
Program. The company has 22 employees and plans to use the loan to buy new manufacturing equipment.

Liquid Soap Products moved to Lee's Summit from Lexington, Mo., and sells cleaning products through water
purification sales companies. All the materials in the soaps are biodegradable.

The state treasurer's office estimates the low-interest loan will save the company about $30,000 over the next
five years.
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AUDIT: ELK PROGRAM COST 3 TIMES ORIGINAL ESTIMATE
Southeast Missourian, Dec 28, 5:33 PM EST
By CHRIS BLANK
Associated Press
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri's elk restoration program has cost about three times more than initially
estimated, to a cost of about $30,000 per animal, the state auditor's office said in a review released Wednesday.
Republican Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich said in the study that the Department of Conversation spent about
$1.2 million for expenses such as employee salaries, equipment and habitat improvement. The Department of
Conservation had budgeted about $411,000 for operational costs to introduce up to 150 animals. In all, the
review calculated that the Department of Conservation spent about $30,000 on each of the roughly three dozen
elk introduced so far.
Conservation officials said the audit's cost calculation is misleading because it includes one-time costs such as
building pens for the elk. In addition, the department said the audit counted expenses for habitat improvements
that benefit all wildlife, road maintenance and other project costs that likely would have been incurred
regardless of any elk restoration.
Tim Ripperger, the deputy director for the Conservation Department, said the agency spent about $363,000 for
operational expenses such as trapping, relocating and testing the elk. The four-member Conservation
Commission approved the elk restoration plan last year, and Ripperger said commissioners knew at that time
some expenses were not included in the cost estimate.
Ripperger said the budgeting process was not unusual and has been used for other Conservation Department
projects.
The Conservation Department has said restoring elk could be an economic boost for Missouri through tourism
and hunting. A group with 34 elk was released in June to a 346-square-mile elk restoration zone in parts of
Shannon, Carter and Reynolds counties in southern Missouri. The animals were fitted with GPS radio collars to
help track their movement, health and preferred types of vegetation. Conservation officials said there now are
36 animals, including five calves. The elk were brought to Missouri from Kentucky.
Eventually up to 150 elk could be released over the next several years. Wild elk had not been present in Missouri
in more than 150 years. The department plans to keep elk to the restoration zone through trapping, relocation
and euthanasia.
Opponents of the elk restoration have raised concerns about the potential for crop damage, spreading disease to
livestock and accidents with vehicles.
The state audit rated the overall performance of the Conservation Department as "good."
Besides the budget, auditors also said they believed some discussions about elk restoration wrongly were held
during closed meetings. The audit said commissioners and executive staff discussed elk restoration during closed
sessions at the Conservation Commission's meetings last year in January, April and May.
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Missouri's open meetings law, called the Sunshine Law, generally requires public entities to meet in sessions
open to the public. However, closed meetings are allowed for certain topics, such as litigation and personnel
issues.
The Conservation Department said discussions during the closed sessions related to potential legal actions and
were allowed. The agency said in a written response included with the audit's findings that its general counsel
reviews every topic planned for discussion during a closed meeting to ensure it is permitted under the Sunshine
Law and that commissioners stick to those issues.
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AUDITOR CLAIMS ELK REINTRODUCTION PROJECT OVER BUDGET
December 28, 2011 | Missouri News Horizon | Posted by: Tim Sampson
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – So just how much did the state spend to reintroduce elk to Missouri this year?
The State Auditor on Wednesday released a report criticizing the Missouri Department of Conservation for
exceeding it’s originally stated budget for reintroducing elk in the southern part of the state. But the
conservation department says the auditor was counting money spent on projects that also benefit other species.
According to the Auditor’s report, the conservation department has already spent $1.23 million to reintroduce
just 39 elk into a three county area. That’s a stark difference from the Missouri Conservation Commission’s initial
estimate that it could reintroduce 150 elk for a cost of $411,185.
This MCD estimate did factor in the cost of building pens, paying hourly employees and capturing elk in Kentucky
to be brought to Missouri, but Auditor Tom Schweich says the estimate did not include the cost of salaried
employees, ongoing monitoring costs and habitat restoration.
“To help ensure the Commission makes well-informed decisions, the MDC executive staff should provide
complete and accurate fiscal information,” Schweich said in the report.
The auditor went on to accuse the MDC executive staff, which prepared the estimate, of violating state open
meetings laws by discussing aspects of the elk restoration process in closed meetings that should have been
made open to the public.
The conservation department defended it’s estimate though, saying the commissioners who ultimately approved
the elk restoration plan were made fully aware of the intended limited scope of the budget.
In it’s estimation, the conservation department says it spent only $363,000 of its proposed $411,185. They say
the other items the auditor cited as cost overruns were never intended to be part of the limited elk
reintroduction project.
They argued funds spent on habitat restoration activities should not be included in the project budget since they
benefit other species within the wildlife area.
“The Commission understood habitat improvements on private and public land would provide benefits to a wide
variety of forest, fish, and wildlife resources in the restoration zone,” the department argued in a written reply to
the auditor. “The $31,538 per elk is a misleading calculation (…) The majority of those services would be incurred
regardless of elk restoration efforts.
Despite this budgetary disagreement, the auditor’s office gave the conservation department a “good” rating
overall on its performance audit of the agency. That is the second highest rating the auditor is authorized to
impart.
The reintroduction of elk into Missouri – a state they have been absent from for many years now – has been full
of controversy since the plan was first conceived. Fiscal conservatives in state government have questioned the
cost of the project at a time when Missouri has been faced with stiff budget cuts year after year. At the same
time, farmers and residents in the area where the animals are being reintroduced have vexed about potential
damage to crops and auto travel due to the animals.
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ADAIR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ADOPT NEW CAFO ORDINANCE
by Stephanie Claytor, KTVO3
Posted: 12.28.2011 at 7:31 PM


KIRKSVILLE, MO. -- After the recent announcement that a sizeable egg farm is moving into Northeast Missouri,
the Adair County Commissioners decided to revise their CAFO ordinance to make it harder for concentrated
animal feeding operations to move into the county.
On Wednesday morning, the Adair County Commissioners voted to adopt Livingston County's amended CAFO
ordinance. They said the Livingston County ordinance is more restrictive.
"We've had the opportunity to look at Livingston's CAFO ordinance. We're very impressed with it," said Second
District Adair County Commissioner Mark Thompson. "It's a bit more restrictive. We're concerned about the
residents here in Adair county. We are not anti-agriculture at all. We want to make sure that if a CAFO does come
legally into Adair county, that it doesn't cause problems for any of the residents in Adair county."
The commissioners said the Livingston County CAFO ordinance was created with the help of legal advise from a
Kansas City lawyer who specializes in CAFOs.
KTVO took a look at both ordinances and found some noteworthy differences, which include:
      An added section that explains construction commencement
      An added definition of what is considered a confinement building and lot.
      An added section that dictates floodplain boundaries.
      Changes in the naming of the different types of CAFOs. The new names are consistent with the naming
       used by the Missouri DNR.
 The new ordinance states that prior to the owner/operator obtaining a county health permit, they must notify
adjoining neighbors about the amount and types of animals that will be housed in the facility, along with
providing their waste-handling and layout of facility. The owner/operator must also provide neighbors with the
location and number of acres of the facility.
The CAFO applicant must also provide the commission a nutrient management plan for soils.
The new ordinance states dry animal waste shall not be applied within 1,000 feet of an occupied dwelling which
existed prior to the date a CAFO is constructed. The old ordinance stated the owner could not apply dry animal
waste within 500 feet of an occupied dwelling.
The new ordinance has larger setback distances. This is the distance between CAFOs. The buffer distances are
also increased.
An added cash, surety bond schedule for smaller Class II CAFOs.
The initial fees are higher for smaller CAFOs including the Class IC and Class II.
COMMISSIONERS SAID THE NEW CAFO ORDINANCE FOR ADAIR COUNTY IS EFFECTIVE AS OF DEC. 28, 2011. IT IS AVAILABLE AT THE
ADAIR COUNTY CLERK'S OFFICE.
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MO. STATE MUSEUM PLANS NIGHT PROGRAMS IN JANUARY
SOUTHEAST MISSOURIAN - DEC 29, 5:01 AM EST

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The Missouri State Museum inside the state Capitol will hold extended hours on
several days next month.


The state museum will be open until 8 p.m. every Wednesday in January. During the evenings, museum staff will
have special programs.


The first evening exhibit will be Jan. 4. The museum will feature a special interpretative program about Ella
Ewing, who was from northeastern Missouri and toured with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
because of her extreme height. The Missouri State Museum has several artifacts from Ewing, including her shoes.


Visitors for the evening museum hours should use the carriage entrance on the south side of the Capitol building.
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MISSOURINET

TWO ETHICS BILLS AWAIT MO LEGISLATURE (AUDIO)
December 29, 2011 By Mike Lear

Ethics legislation has been filed in the House for the 2012 legislative session.

Representative Jason Kander says he plans to keep pushing for ethics reform.

Its sponsor, Jason Kander (D-Kansas City) says House Bill 1080 deals with issues that have been brought before
lawmakers many times before, but he says it’s time they get some traction. “Campaign contribution limits, a ban
on lobbyist gifts, closing the revolving door between legislators and lobbyists…legislators just quitting or leaving
office and becoming lobbyists the next day.”

His bill includes some new material, as well. “For instance a prohibition on legislators soliciting lobbyists for jobs
for after they leave their position as legislators.”

In spite of possible election year contention and issues stemming from the redrawing of legislative districts,
Kander says he doesn’t plan to approach the ethics debate any differently than he has in the past. He notes the
success seen in 2010. “That’s when we passed bipartisan ethics reform…and that was an election year.” He adds,
“To me, every year, this is one of the most important issues out there…I view ethics reform as sort of an umbrella
issue that affects how every other issue comes out.”

He has filed a second bill, House Bill 1121, that deals with another issue of ethics, related to an elected official
having access to information through his or her position about a publicly traded business. Kander wants to make
sure such privileged information is not used for financial advantage.

He says that bill creates transparency. “It require folks to attest on their personal financial disclosure that they
have to file every year that they have not misused information like that. Of course there are penalties already in
place if you were to say something false on that statement.”

Kander says bills dealing with ethics issues stand much less of a chance of getting through the legislative process
if they don’t receive attention early in the session. He’s also hoping for some pressure from voters.


    AUDIO: Mike Lear interviews Representative Jason Kander – 6:37 mins.
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New regulations for commercial truck drivers (AUDIO)
December 29, 2011 By Allison Blood

The National Transportation Department has released new regulations on what hours commercial truckers can
drive.

Missouri’s Transportation Department spokesman Chuck Gohring says the new regulations, which decrease the
number of hours truckers can work per week and restricts drivers from being on the road between 1 and 5 am,
are to keep drivers safe.

He says the rules hadn’t changed in decades, and it was time for regulations to be updated. Also, another new
regulation, this one created by Missouri’s transportation department, commercial truck drivers in Missouri are
prohibited from using their mobile phones while on the road.

He says there hasn’t been a formal response from any truckers unions to his office, but thinks there probably will
be.


    AUDIO
Allison Blood reports. Mp3 [1:00]
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BLOG ZONE

Mitt Romney in striking distance of Iowa win
By MAGGIE HABERMAN, JONATHAN MARTIN and ALEXANDER BURNS | 12/28/11 4:27 AM EST

Don’t look now, but Mitt Romney suddenly seems like the Iowa front-runner.
The former Massachusetts governor has carefully tempered expectations in Iowa all year, visiting only a handful
of times and saving the bulk of his television spending for the final weeks of the race. But as a crowd of
conservative opponents keep the anti-Romney vote divided, his odds of a victory in the state that humbled him
four years ago have never been better.
Even as he tried to keep talk about his prospects in check Tuesday, a slew of public and private polling and
anecdotal evidence on the ground suggests that Romney is within striking distance of a first-place finish in Iowa
— especially as Ron Paul’s momentum spurt appears to have run into the reality of front-runners’ scrutiny.
Romney’s team is moving to make the most of it. The candidate launched a bus tour Tuesday and suggested on a
conference call with Iowans this week that he’ll be in the state for New Year’s Eve. After a solid ad buy in Iowa for
a month totaling more than $1.1 million, Romney’s camp has upped its spending in the Quad Cities market,
sources familiar with the purchase told POLITICO. His team has dropped a collection of mail pieces, both positive
about Romney and negative about the perceived closest alternative — Newt Gingrich.
In another clear sign he’s playing to win, he has quietly moved a handful of staffers from his headquarters in
Boston and in other states earlier this month to give his skeleton Iowa staff a needed boost. And he’s cycling in a
platoon of high-profile surrogates to rally around him in the state at stump stops and on talk radio, including Gov.
Chris Christie, Sen. John Thune, Rep. Aaron Schock and former Sens. Norm Coleman and Jim Talent.
Among Romney’s Iowa backers, there was a marked rise in confidence Tuesday.
“I think we’re going to do better than most people expect us to do,” said state Rep. Renee Schulte, a top Cedar
Rapids Romney supporter.
Schulte hesitated about predicting an outright win because of the many variables — Paul’s turnout, Rick
Santorum’s potential, the weather — still hanging over the race. But she noted the difference between this year
and the 2008 caucuses.
“The only way we were going to lose was if the right coalesced, and that’s exactly what happened [with Mike
Huckabee],” said Schulte. “But this time Bachmann, Santorum and Perry are still out campaigning aggressively, so
if [conservatives] go three ways, we’re going to do better.”
Speaking on background, another Romney loyalist with close ties to the candidate dispensed with the
expectation-setting.
“That is becoming more likely,” said the loyalist when asked if Romney could win the caucuses outright. “We’ve
been lucky and good. The campaign plan was always to adjust activity based on what we were seeing on ground
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but keep expectations down. But between the positive news for us of late and negatives for our rivals, we’re
finishing in a good place.”

Predicted this source: “If we have a good week, we’ll finish strongly. Is it one? Is it two? I’d be surprised now if it’s
three.”

“A caucus win would certainly deliver the one-two knockout punch that they would love to have,” said Tim
Albrecht, Gov. Terry Branstad’s communications director and a Romney adviser in his 2007 race, referring to the
prospect of wins in Iowa and New Hampshire. “They are quietly organizing to do well here while publicly
downplaying their expectations.”

Former Iowa House Speaker Chris Rants, a 2007 Romney backer who recently pledged support to him this time
as well, said the role Iowa typically plays is to winnow the field — and that those who will get cut first are likely to
be Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich.

“So if Mitt finishes first or second,” he added, “does it really matter?”

Yet with great opportunity comes a new degree of peril for the on-and-off Republican front-runner: Romney’s all-
but-explicit push to win the caucuses, along with his clearer-than-ever status as the national GOP favorite, will
make it difficult for his campaign to treat Iowa as sideshow if the vote next week puts him in a distant second
place or lower.

That, Iowa politicos say, is as it should be for a candidate who has worked the state intermittently for half a
decade and who still has one of the most sophisticated campaign operations in the state — especially as he runs
against a “mini-caucus” of Bachmann, Perry, Gingrich and Santorum, while standing alone with Paul in the top
tier.

“He ought to finish first or second,” said Steve Grubbs, a former Iowa Republican Party chairman. “He has two
groups of voters who are coalescing around him right now. One is pro-business voters and the second is the
group of voters concerned about electability. From my anecdotal conversations, those are the two groups that
seem to be coming together for Mitt Romney, and those are two pretty sizable groups.”

“In these last few days, he’s putting in more time and has a greater presence, so it’s clear to a lot of people he’s
going for a win that could start wrapping this up for him, much as Kerry did in ’04,” agreed David Yepsen, a
former longtime Des Moines Register columnist.

Mike Murphy, a veteran of many Iowa state and presidential races who advised Romney’s 2002 governor’s race,
exclaimed “Yeah!” when asked if the former Massachusetts governor could win Iowa outright, adding, “Especially
with Newt fading and this [Wall Street Journal] story [about him once supporting Romneycare], which means he
won’t be able to get his message out for another 48 hours.”

As for Paul, Murphy said the libertarian’s strength was being overestimated.

“If you have enough regular Republican caucus-goers show up, I don’t think he wins it,” he said. “Either way, if
you’re Romney, you come out with somebody weak — a crazy-ass Ron Paul or an imploding Newt. He’ll be in a
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commanding position. These are a big couple of days for Mitt [before the caucuses]. He still has to land the 747.
But things are lining up for him there.”

Santorum sought to boost expectations for Romney to POLITICO after a visit to a Mason City manufacturer,
suggesting he ought to meet the national bar he’s set for himself.

“I don’t think there’s any question that he’s been the front-runner from Day One,” Santorum said, noting that
“Iowa is part of the nation. This has been, because of the debates, a national race more than it has been a local
race. The idea that Romney hasn’t run here …” he said, his voice trailing off as if to dismiss the notion.

Romney backers have long cited a string of reasons why third place or better would be a respectable showing for
him — his paid staff is pared down substantially from his 2007 campaign to just a handful this time around; he
has done little to court the state’s pivotal evangelical voting bloc; and there’s a lingering mistrust of him among
conservatives who spurned him for Huckabee in his last campaign.

Romney insisted during a New Hampshire swing Tuesday morning that he doesn’t have to win and even cited
polls showing him languishing in third place.

“A couple of weeks ago, I was a distant third in Iowa, and you just don’t know what’s going to happen in this
process,” said Romney.

Top Romney strategist Stuart Stevens told POLITICO there are “a million reasons” why Romney can’t win Iowa
but declined to name them. As for having to come in first or second, he said, “We just don’t have that kind of
sling-shot strategy. Some campaigns have to do an X-then-Y thing. That’s not our campaign.”

Eric Fehrnstrom, a senior Romney adviser, also declined to say how he thinks they’ll fare.

“I’m not playing the Iowa expectations game,” he said. “Of course, we want to win everywhere Mitt Romney’s
name is on the ballot, but this election isn’t going to be decided next week, or next month and possibly not for
several months. That’s why we have built an organization that can go the long distance needed to get the 1,143
delegates required for the nomination.”

The only other campaign built for distance at the moment is Paul’s — but he is, according to rival campaigns,
experiencing a slide prompted by sudden scrutiny of his lesser-known stands. They include opposing action to
prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, and racist newsletters that bore his name and earned him money,
which he’s disavowed and claimed he didn’t write — but has yet to explain away with precision, either.
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Absentee ballots available for meaningless GOP
primary in state
BY JAKE WAGMAN • STLTODAY.COM | POSTED: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2011 12:00 AM

ST. LOUIS • For those who want to make sure their vote is counted in a contest that won't count at all, absentee
ballots are now available for the Missouri Republican presidential primary election.
The "beauty contest" primary will be just that — the results will be officially meaningless.
Missouri Republicans chose to abandon the Feb. 7 primary, seeking to comply with party guidelines against
having a primary before March 6. National GOP rules dictate that only Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and
Nevada can hold presidential nominating contests before March, mostly because of tradition.
A bill that would have pushed Missouri's primary date back was vetoed by the governor, who objected to
unrelated provisions of the legislation. Instead, state GOP leaders decided that voters would select their nominee
in mid-March caucuses.
But legislation to eliminate the Feb. 7 election, rendered inert by the move to a caucus, was a casualty of gridlock
in the Legislature. So election officials must treat the Feb. 7 contest like any other, which means individuals who
can't vote on the appointed Election Day can now begin filling out their absentee ballot by mail or in person at
the headquarters of their local voting authority.
Relatively few voters are expected to participate, absentee or otherwise, because the results will have no weight.
The process for Democrats, who also will vote Feb. 7, remains unchanged, though there's far less attention on
those results because President Barack Obama is not expected to face a primary challenge.
Though the GOP results will only be symbolic, the cost of holding a statewide election is real.
The secretary of state's office does not yet have an estimate for how much the primary election will cost. But in
2004, the last year when only one party held a competitive presidential primary, around 543,000 people voted,
at a cost of $4 million. In 2008, when both parties fielded large slates of candidates, around 1.4 million people
cast ballots, costing more than $7 million.
"The state's spending $8 million that we can be using for something else," Jack Lary, a Republican elections
commissioner in St. Louis, said of the upcoming primary.
For those who do vote in the election, the ballot may seem like an anachronism, and not just because of its lack
of import.
Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, who on Wednesday defected to the Libertarian Party, and pizza maven
Herman Cain, who suspended his campaign amid questions of infidelity and sexual harassment, will both appear
on the Feb. 7 ballot in Missouri.
But Newt Gingrich, who is hoping to continue his late surge with a strong showing in Iowa next week, did not file
the paperwork needed to appear on the ballot, a move he has called a "conscious decision."
Missouri is an open primary state, meaning any voter is allowed to take part in the Feb. 7 election. But Missouri
does not have early voting, so those wishing to vote absentee must provide a valid reason.
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THE STATE'S ACTUAL PREFERENCE FOR A GOP NOMINEE WILL BE DECIDED AT COUNTY-LEVEL MEETINGS ON MARCH 17, WHICH ARE OPEN
TO ANY REGISTERED VOTER WHO SAYS THEY ARE A REPUBLICAN. ONE CAUCUS WILL BE HELD IN EACH OF MISSOURI'S 114 COUNTIES AND
THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS.
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MISSOURI'S DEMOCRATS WON'T LOSE CONVENTION PLACES
DESPITE EARLY PRIMARY
Dave Helling, The Midwest Democracy Project

Posted: Wed., Dec. 28

Most of the focus of discussion surrounding Missouri’s early presidential preference primary revolves around
Republicans, who of course are seeking a presidential nominee. Absentee voting began Tuesday for the Feb. 7
primary, but for the GOP it’s a beauty contest — the actual delegate selection will be in March so the state won’t
lose delegates under party rules.

Less noticed, though, is the potential impact of the early primary on the Democratic party in the state.

Democrats will allocate most of their delegates based on the results of the Feb. 7 primary. That appears to
violate party rules that require states other than than Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina to vote
in March. Under the rules the state could lose half of its 102 delegates for going too early.

It looks like the state will escape the hammer, though.

At a meeting with the DNC in December, national party officials reportedly accepted the state’s argument that it
tried to move the primary back but couldn’t because some Missouri Republicans wanted to keep the February
date (notwithstanding Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of a bill moving the date back to March.)

Under the party’s rules, the DNC can waive the penalty if it determines the “state party and the other relevant
Democratic party leaders and elected officials took all provable, positive steps and acted in good faith to achieve
legislative changes to bring the state law into compliance with the pertinent provisions of these rules.”

As a practical matter, the penalties wouldn’t have mattered to President Barack Obama, who is the certain
Democratic nominee and who will obviously win the Missouri primary. That’s why little attention has been paid
to the potential penalty for going early.

Had the party enforced its rules, though, some Missouri Democrats seeking credentials to the Democratic
National Convention might have been forced to stay home, angering some Democrats and potentially
embarrassing Sen. Claire McCaskill, who co-chaired a Democratic commission setting up rules for the 2012
presidential contest.
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EDITORIALS … & Letters to the Editor
FLOODGATES OPEN FOR MISSOURI'S 2012 INITIATIVES
Kansas City Star Editorial

The Kansas City Star

Missouri government watchers will remember 2011 as a dog of a legislative session for many reasons. Not least
among them was the legislature’s brazen willingness to run roughshod over a public vote calling for more
humane conditions in the state’s many puppy-breeding businesses.

Lawmakers couldn’t get around to seriously discussing economic development in the regular session, but they
wasted no time dismantling the “puppy mill cruelty act,” which a majority of voters had approved in November
2010. Gov. Jay Nixon stepped in and brokered an 11th-hour compromise. But the willingness of politicians to
trample over a public vote remains a disturbing legacy of this year.

The trials of the puppy mill initiative have not diminished Missouri’s ardor for government through initiative
petition, however. The secretary of state has approved 32 petitions dealing with 13 issues for circulation. If
backers collect enough signatures, they could appear on the statewide ballot in November of 2012.

At their best, initiative petitions represent a way for citizens to circumvent a legislature that refuses to stand up
to special interests and fix problems in the state.

Years of legislative inaction prompted the puppy breeding initiative. Citizens now are seeking serious regulation
of the payday lending industry because lawmakers have refused to do so. Same with a petition calling for a
higher cigarette tax. Those are especially worthy initiatives.

At its worse, the state’s petition process is misused as a tool by those who seek to use Missouri as a laboratory
for unproven and potentially dangerous ideas and theories. That is certainly the case with St. Louis
multimillionaire Rex Sinquefield, who is financing an effort to jettison the state’s income tax and replace it with a
higher sales tax on a greater range of goods and services.

Such a proposal would relieve wealthy Missourians, like Sinquefield, from having to pay taxes on their incomes.
But it would shift the burden onto middle- and low-income citizens, who would not gain enough in income tax
savings to recoup the amount they would have to pay in extra sales taxes. Even with higher sales taxes, loss of
income tax revenues would require severe cuts in already strained state services.

It’s simply a terrible idea. Fortunately, polling shows that the more people learn about it, the less they like it. A
broad coalition of education, civic and business groups and unions is trying to head off an expensive statewide
vote. Sinquefield would do the state a favor by backing off.
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Such a move might not put an end to the notion of scrapping or greatly reducing Missouri’s income tax, though.
At least three measures promoting the idea have been filed in the legislature. But having lawmakers debate an
issue and put their votes on record is far preferable than watching them hide behind a wealthy financier.

The statewide election Nov. 6 will be the culmination of what could well be a stormy year in Missouri politics. The
legislature needs to get its act together after the debacle of the failed special session this summer. But harmony
is more elusive in election years, and the governor’s office, other elected statewide positions, some senate seats
and all house seats are up for a vote in 2012.

Missouri allows too much money to flow into campaigns, and it’s hard to get beyond the noise and manipulation.
But citizens should give close scrutiny to the issues that make the statewide ballot. And voters should demand
that candidates respect their decisions once they have spoken.
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COAL AGE FADING?
EMISSOURIAN.COM

POSTED: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2011 5:32 PM

There are indications that our dependence on coal to produce electricity is gradually fading. The announcement
of new government regulations last week is going to result in the closing of some coal-fired power plants.

The new air pollution regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency limit mercury and other emissions
from coal-fired power plants. A story in The Wall Street Journal said that another reason coal plants are losing
out is that there is more natural gas available and it's cheaper. However, to change some power plants, such as
the one at Labadie, to natural gas would be costly.

The end result of the building of new power plants or to convert a coal-fired plant to natural gas is that the
consumer is going to foot the bills. In Missouri, power utilities, as elsewhere, are regulated as to rates. The rates
are permitted to include retiring the debt incurred for improvements or new construction.

Yes, the air may be cleaner with the demise of the coal-fired power plants but it's the consumer who will be hit.

The future of coal as a producer of electricity is not bright, but it won't happen perhaps for a decade or two. The
Journal reported that as recently as 2003 coal produced 51 percent of net electricity generation, according to the
U.S. Energy Information Administration. Its share has dropped to 43 percent for the first nine months of 2011.
Use of natural gas jumped to 25 percent for the same reporting period. And, gas prices have dropped.

What will happen at Ameren's Labadie plant, which uses coal? It is one of the more modern plants but has been
under fire as a pollution producer, especially for its coal ash landfill at the plant site, and for proposing an even
larger landfill. Will it be converted to natural gas and at what price to consumers? Will it close completely when it
reaches a certain age? What kind of a plant will replace it if it has to be closed?

One thing seems to be certain: Use of coal to produce electricity will continue to be on the decline and natural
gas plants are going to become more common.
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Editorial: Joplin memorial should remind lawmakers of
priorities
By the Editorial Board STLtoday.com | Posted: Thursday, December 29, 2011 12:15 am


Tim Bartow's house, what is left of it, anyway, stands as a chilling testament to why the Associated Press named the Joplin
tornado that killed 161 people as the top news story in Missouri in 2011.

One wall remains of Mr. Bartow's home, among the thousands wiped out by the EF-5 twister's destructive power. The wall
has been left as a monument to the nearly 100,000 volunteers from around the globe who helped the residents of
southwest Missouri dig out of the rubble.

Mr. Bartow and officials in Joplin want the wall preserved permanently in some fashion. But the home's foundation is
crumbling. Elsewhere in the neighborhood signs of rebirth suggest that the wall, and the hand-written and painted tributes
it bears, will have to be moved.

We hope the wall can stand until May 22, the anniversary of the disaster. That date is about a week after the Missouri
Legislature concludes its 2012 session, a five-month period in which the Joplin tornado will be at the center of many
discussions, sometimes for all the wrong reasons.

This was Missouri's Year of the Storm. There were St. Louis tornados, too, and massive flooding in northwest Missouri and
southeast Missouri. In their wakes were no Democrats and Republicans, only Missourians coming together to help
neighbors in need.

But it didn't take long for the unity to crumble as the tug-of-war over hundreds of millions of dollars began. In any year, this
is what the Legislature is all about, a constant pulling back and forth by various interests trying to grab a piece of the state's
budget.

Particularly now, there is only so much money to go around. Schools, hospitals, the needy and corporations all want their
piece. Lawmakers divvy up the money in a series of policy decisions based on political philosophies and parochialism.

In 2012, Joplin will be caught in the middle.

Gov. Jay Nixon and the Legislature must decide how to pay for much of the work that already has been done to dig out Mr.
Bartow and his neighbors. They must decide how to rebuild levees and restore farmland ravaged by the flooding along the
Missouri and Mississippi rivers.

Already, state Auditor Tom Schweich, a Republican, has made an issue of how the Democratic governor decided to pay for
storm recovery. Mr. Schweich sued the governor, questioning his authority to take $100 million from other state programs
to use for storm recovery.

Republican lawmakers saw in the killer tornado an opportunity to advance their constant attack on workers, suggesting
that developers' profits are more important than the ability of Joplin workers to make a decent wage rebuilding their
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communities. Bills have been filed that would exempt the storm-ravaged city from prevailing wage statutes, which exist to
help laborers make a living wage and to make sure that taxpayer-funded projects are built to quality standards.

Less than a year has passed and politicians have forgotten the pledges of unity made in the aftermath of the storm.

That's why we hope Mr. Bartow's wall stands at least a little longer. It's more than a tribute to volunteers. It's a memorial to
the human spirit. It's a reminder that when we say things like "never forget," we ought to mean them.
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Our Opinion: Conflicting views over existence of
conflict
News Tribune editorial
By News Tribune, Thursday, December 29, 2011

We believe a local lawmaker has the better argument in a difference of opinion with a statewide elected official.

State Rep. Jay Barnes, R-Jefferson City, believes the office Secretary of State Robin Carnahan would have a conflict of
interest if it writes the ballot language for a proposed initiative petition on renewable energy.

The secretary’s brother, Tom Carnahan, is the founder and chairman of the board of Wind Capital Group, which Barnes
described as “one of Missouri largest renewable energy suppliers.”

Barnes believes the wording of the ballot language could affect the outcome of the vote. Approval, he wrote in a Dec. 16
letter to the secretary, “would transfer $360 million from Missouri’s electric ratepayers ... to renewable energy suppliers
...” including Wind Capital Group.

In a response Friday to Barnes, the secretary said “I strongly disagree with your suggestion of a conflict.” She said her
viewpoint was supported by the attorney general’s office but, nevertheless, she would delegate the ballotwriting task to
her deputy.

Barnes contends — and we agree — that delegating the task to an underling does not remove a potential conflict.
Employees are inclined to act in accordance with theirs bosses’ wishes — whether spoken or tacit.

The legislator said even if the act of writing the ballot language is legal, elected officials must avoid even the appearance of
impropriety.

“No rational Missourian,” Barnes said, “believes Secretary Carnahan doesn’t have a conflict in writing ballot language for a
measure that would secure hundreds of millions of dollars in guaranteed sales for a business owned by her brother.”

Although no apparent provision exists for transferring the ballot writing, Barnes believes the secretary could adopt
language offered by a “neutral and credible third-party.”

Government incentives to promote alternative and renewable energy companies recently have become a source of public
scrutiny and controversy, largely triggered by federal assistance to Solyndra, a now-bankrupt solar power company.

To eliminate such scrutiny and controversy, Secretary Carnahan’s wisest move is to place as much distance as possible
between her office and writing the ballot language for the renewable energy proposal.
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Nieters: Quest to protect life led to lawsuit on MOSIRA
Springfield News-Leader, 11:00 PM, Dec. 28, 2011

To understand why Missouri Right to Life (MRL) joined a lawsuit to declare the Missouri Science Innovation and
Research Act (MOSIRA) ineffective requires a history lesson.

Recognizing the advent of embryonic stem cell research and cloning, MRL was instrumental in the passage of
196.1127 in 2003, which prevented public funds to be distributed by the Life Sciences Research Board (LSRB) from use
for unethical research such as human embryonic stem cell research (ESCR), cloning or aborted fetal research.

In 2006, Amendment 2 to the Missouri Constitution passed by the narrowest of margins to protect the biotech
industry's right to clone and kill human embryos. Pro-cloners spent $30 million in a deceptive ad campaign to
convince Missouri citizens to pass a constitutional amendment to protect that right. Despite their denials, the main
purpose of Amendment 2 was to gain access to public funding of embryonic stem cell research (ESCR) and cloning.
Fortunately, Amendment 2 failed to include a funding mechanism for that research.

Ever since the passage of Amendment 2, the biotech industry has been trying to access public funds via the Missouri
Technology Corp. (MTC), instead of the LSRB, in order to avoid the prohibitions of 196.1127. Initially, MRL opposed
any funding of human life science research for fear that it would allow for funding of unethical research, especially
given the passage of Amendment 2 into the Missouri Constitution.

On Jan. 15, 2009, the court in Missouri Roundtable v. Steelman decided that, despite the language of Amendment 2
and the language of section 196.1127, the legislature has the power of appropriation of state funds. The court did not
find section 196.1127 unconstitutional. Based on that decision, MRL has promoted the inclusion of the 196.1127 life
protecting language in every economic development and appropriation bill that provides for funding of human life
sciences research.

Sadly, in the 2011 special session, the Missouri legislature passed and the governor signed SB 7 (MOSIRA) which
provided for the payment of state funds through the MTC without the life protecting language that MRL sought.

The language of the bill, however, made its effectiveness contingent upon the passage of SB 8 (Aerotropolis/China
Hub) during the same special legislative session. SB 8 did not pass in that session, and thus it is MRL's position that SB
7 cannot become effective.

Despite the contingency clause in SB 7, the governor signed the bill stating the administration's intent to act as though
SB 7 is valid, effective legislation. Because of the government's anticipated actions in violation of the statute, MRL
joined Missouri Roundtable for Life in a lawsuit challenging the effectiveness of SB 7. Stay tuned.



Gerard A. Nieters is the legislative director for Missouri Right to Life.
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Guest commentary: The poverty business is booming
By Dan Glazier STLtoday.com | Posted: Thursday, December 29, 2011 12:00 am

"The poverty business is booming." That's my ironical answer when people ask me how things are going at Legal
Services of Eastern Missouri.

And the latest national census data more than bear this out.

According to new U.S. Census Bureau data, an additional 19,000 people in our region joined the ranks of the poor
in 2010 with nearly 49,000 new poor people in the St. Louis area since 2006. Nationally, 15.1 percent of the U.S.
population now lives in poverty, up almost a full percentage point from 2009. It is the third consecutive annual
increase in the poverty rate. The number of Americans now eligible for legal aid services is more than 60.4
million, an increase of 3.6 million from 2009.

The numbers we are experiencing at LSEM mirror this increase. In 2010, we saw an 18 percent increase in the
number of calls we received from folks needing our services. We closed 30 percent more cases in 2010 than we
did the previous year. While our case numbers are increasing amid poverty figures on the rise, our resources are
decreasing. Legal Services programs nationwide are losing 15 percent of their 2011 funds in 2012. This is a loss of
more than $300,000 to our 2012 budget, which means more than 1,000 fewer clients and their family members
may be helped in 2012.

The good news is that we are making a significant difference in the lives of the people we are able to represent.
Nearly 95 percent of our cases result in successful outcomes for our clients. An example: a domestic violence
case involving Ms. J.

Following a horrible episode with her abuser, Ms. J fled with her minor children from her apartment. The local
housing authority where she got her federally subsidized Section 8 certificate determined that she had
abandoned her apartment and moved to terminate her valued Section 8 assistance. Her landlord then sued her
for unpaid rent after she had to abandon the unit.

LSEM attorneys, however, were able to get the eviction lawsuit dismissed. We then advocated for Ms. J with the
local housing authority to get the certificate reinstated, proving that she had not improperly vacated the dwelling
but, rather, was a victim of domestic violence. We kept her and her family of four school-age children from being
victimized twice — once by the abuser and again from the loss of affordable housing. Today, her family is safely
living in subsidized housing, and the family's future looks much brighter.

The case of Ms. J underscores the work LSEM staff and volunteer lawyers do on behalf of low-income people. We
give our clients, quite simply, the empowerment and freedom to pursue opportunities they wouldn't otherwise
have in their lives. Ms. J was helped, as were nearly 20,000 other clients and their families throughout 2011.
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The poverty business is booming. But through the dedicated work of our staff and the lawyers who do pro bono
work through the LSEM Volunteer Lawyers Program, we are removing obstacles of poverty from the
underserved.

Through partnerships and collaborations all over the region, we are making a difference in their lives. That is
freeing indeed.

Dan Glazier is executive director and general counsel for Legal Services of Eastern Missouri.
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Student shifting began long ago
By MARY SANCHEZ The Kansas City Star

Updated: 2011-12-29T06:19:29Z

Student shifting began long ago Celebrity sheriff may have failed at fighting crime Bound to help in a time of
need As life unravels, teenager is left to fend for her family Daily struggles of these Muslims are all American
‘Nuclear option’ for KC schools: a weapon of mass delusion KC man’s honesty duly attracts kudos Obama stands
up for racial diversity in school policy Celebrations honor Our Lady of Guadalupe Hyatt adds insult to injury with
memorial decision For healthier female body images, let's drop Photoshop Less Photoshop for healthier female
images Vacant former schools need to be dealt with Most Americans see through humbug about taxes and
spending Maybe teen’s tweet holds a lesson for Brownback, too Behind numbers, a sad reality Congress’ school
lunch policy: Let them eat crud Morality police need a shift in focus Tales of terror don’t jibe Behind a dismal
performance, an odious idea Focus on Kansas City public schools' positive factors Alone at work, no help in sight
Herman Cain stumbles in search for adage Gloria Steinem’s mission connects women across generations Keep
the focus on improving achievement in KC’s schools Occupy Wall Street needs a real political strategy Community
has an opening for a Chief A toast to Kemper Arena’s memorable glory days If the deficit supercommittee fails,
will anyone worry? Chef’s family tries a recipe for openness, healing For all the worry about students fleeing the
Kansas City Public Schools for suburban classrooms, a pertinent point is being missed.

It’s already happening. Trading school districts just isn’t usually pegged to the loss of accreditation in Kansas City.

But some students in Kansas City’s central district lead transient lives, where changing addresses is fairly
common. Their families move more often than more economically stable households. It’s part of the instability of
their educations as well.

And the shifting often occurs into Raytown, Independence, Hickman Mills and to a lesser extent, Kansas City, Kan.

Picture a migratory path, with students moving in and out of districts for a variety of reasons: when a parent
loses a job and can no longer afford the rent, or they choose to live with another relative or friends for a time as
the result of family complications.

It’s not unusual for Hickman Mills to see an influx of 30 to 50 students in one week and to lose nearly that many
as well. Nor will all those students be from or going to the troubled Kansas City district.

Yet Hickman Mills was not a part of the lawsuit filed last week. Independence, Raytown, Blue Springs, North
Kansas City and Lee’s Summit are asking a Jackson County judge to halt student transfers from Kansas City until
tuition costs, transportation and eligibility can be worked out.

It was a prudent move. Financially, much is at stake for all the districts involved.
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Hickman Mills could join the suit later. The decision not to be involved at this juncture was made because
Hickman doesn’t share a contiguous border with Kansas City and had received only two phone calls lately from
parents mentioning the soon-to-be unaccredited status of Kansas City as a reason for inquiring about enrollment,
according to John Baccala, spokesman for Hickman Mills.

But that doesn’t mean the district isn’t already receiving Kansas City students; it’s just more often due to families
up and moving, rather than staying at the same address and transferring because of accreditation concerns.

If I were a betting woman (I’m not, too frugal) I’d predict Raytown and Hickman Mills will see most of the
increase in students after the district’s loss of accreditation.

People move in patterns. And the Blue Ridge Boulevard corridor and U.S. 71 have long been connectors between
the urban core and neighborhoods further south. Raytown is similarly close by, and like the Ruskin/Loma Vista
areas of south Kansas City, offers plenty of affordable housing.

The sands of this hourglass are slipping away. On Sunday, Jan. 1, the Kansas City Public Schools lose
accreditation. But the shifting of students has long been under way.
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