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Dear Neighbors,
This week, I had the privilege to attend the 49th Missouri Governor's Conference on Agriculture. As an urban farmer and owner of my own small family farm, I was encouraged by the Democratic Caucus Leadership to attend the conference in Osage Beach to learn more about how our state can use agricultural resources to meet the ever-growing needs of Missourians.
Attending this conference with my colleagues has reminded me that relying on global food supply chains is not a reliable source during a global pandemic. We need both the urban food systems and rural food systems working together to feed Missourians. I hope to find ways to close the gap for Missourians who don't have access to fresh, nutritional foods and to support our local farmers, ranchers, and growers.
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Last Wednesday, I had the opportunity to visit the Western Missouri Correctional Center in Cameron. The goal of this visit was meet with a constituent from the Kansas City area and to learn how the prison is ran from the staff.
While meeting with a constituent, I learned a lot about the realities of living through the COVID-19 pandemic in our state's correctional facilities. It has been a tough time for all of us, but the people who are incarcerated have a unique perspective on the pandemic. This was echoed by the staff as they described the challenges the prison has had caring for inmates despite having a large staffing shortage.
Despite being understaffed and overworked, at the Department of Corrections (DOC) the prison staff is still able to provide some resources for the inmates. I was shown rehabilitation and job training programs that inmates were encouraged to participate in. One of the most remarkable was a building trades workshop in which the inmates learned to build and wire houses from the ground up and then deconstruct them.
In both of the DOC facilities I toured, each Warden said that hiring more capable staff members would help to improve operations. If you are interested in helping support improvements to our state's prisons, I encourage you to visit the DOC employment website to find opportunities. |
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I also had the opportunity to tour the Builder's Association Training Center in North Kansas City. During this visit, my colleagues and I learned about the technical training opportunities that are offered to those pursuing a career in labor, brick laying, ironwork, carpentry, and more. The labor force is vital to the success of our state and I was very impressed by the training facility we have right here in Kansas City. For more information on career and technical training in Kansas City, visit the Builder's Association website. |
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Remember, we are always here to help you with anything you may need. For assistance, call my office at (573) 751-3129 or email me at yolanda.young@house.mo.gov.
Yours in Service,
Yolanda Young |
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Boys & Girls Club Offers FREE Activities While Schools Close for Fall Break
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Find Farm Fresh Food Near You!
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I encourage you to check out the Department's Missouri Grown website to find fresh food near you!
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COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic-
Booster and Child's Vaccines Available!
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Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
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The Missouri Department of Social Services is collecting applications for Missourians who need assistance with heating their home this winter. If your heat has been shut off or if you heating system needs repair, I encourage you to complete the department's Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program application. Once completed, send applications to:
MidAmericaAssistanceCoalition(MAAC)
4001 Dr. Martin Luther King JR. DR., Suite 270
Kansas City, MO 64130-2350
Phone number: (816 ) 768 -8900
Fax number: (816) 768- 8901
If you need help completing the application or have questions, call my office at (573) 751-3129 or email my assistant at kaylee.bauer@house.mo.gov.
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Governor Parson Open to Unemployment
Aid for the Unvaccinated
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After blocking Missourians from receiving enhanced federal unemployment benefits earlier this year because he perceived it was discouraging people from working, Governor Parson has indicated he is open to providing unemployment payments to workers who are discharged for refusing to obey an employer’s directive to get vaccinated against COVID-19, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported November 9.
The paper inquired about Parson’s position in light of a new law in neighboring Iowa that extends eligibility for unemployment benefits to workers who lose their jobs after failing to get vaccinated as required by their employer. In response, a spokeswoman for Governor Parson said: “The governor is always open to making improvements to any program in state government especially when it comes to protecting the workforce from overreaching federal vaccine mandates.”
Many employers in Missouri and around the country have chosen vaccinations requirements as an effective means of controlling the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace and preventing the disease from hampering productivity. The federal government has also issued a workplace safety directive for larger employers to implement vaccine requirements, subject to valid medical and religious exemptions. The directive is scheduled to take effect in December, but several Republican-led states, including Missouri, are challenging it in court.
In June, Governor Parson unilaterally ended Missouri’s participation is a federal program that provided unemployed Missourians $300 a week to help offset the financial impact of the pandemic. In a news release announcing the move, Governor Parson said: “It’s time that we end these programs that have ultimately incentivized people to stay out of the workforce.”
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Redistricting Commissions
Hold Final Public Hearings
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The two commissions separately charged with drawing new state Senate and House of Representatives districts held the last of their scheduled hearings on November 10 to take testimony from the public and now will shift to drafting proposed redistricting plans. The commissions have through December 23 to submit a tentative plan for their respective chamber.
Every 10 years, the state’s 34 Senate districts and 163 House districts must be redrawn to reflect population shifts under the latest U.S. Census. The Missouri Constitution grants that task to the redistricting commissions, each of which consists of 20 members, evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. It takes 14 votes for a commission to adopt a redistricting plan.
If the commissions submit tentative plans, they have through Jan. 23 to finalize them. If one or both fail to do so, then the Missouri Supreme Court will appoint a different commission of six judges chosen from among the 32 members of the state Court of Appeals to finish the job.
If the appellate commission takes over, which is nearly always the case, it would have until April 23 to complete its work. However, since candidate filing for the August 2 primaries opens February 22, the judges likely would expedite the process.
In typical redistricting years, new state Senate and House districts are finalized in late November or early December. However, this year the process is months behind due to a delay in getting the data needed to draw new maps from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The ideal population for a Senate district is 181,027 residents. For the House, the target is 37,761 residents. However, the constitution allows a standard population deviation of plus or minus 1 percent from the ideal. If necessary to keep cities or counties in the same district, a deviation of up to 3 percent is permitted.
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Strong Income Tax Collections
Boost October Revenue
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Driven by an uptick in income tax collections, net state general revenue for October 2021 increased 22.7 percent compared to October 2020, going from $631.9 million last year to $775.3 million this year. According to monthly data provided by the Missouri Division of Budget and Planning, individual income tax collections were up 26.5 percent for the month, while corporate income and franchise tax collections increased 43.8 percent.
Net state general revenue collections for the first four months of the 2022 fiscal year decreased 5 percent compared to the same period in FY 2021, going from $3.72 billion last year to $3.54 billion this year. Through the first three months of FY 2002, year-to-date collections had been down 22.5 percent compared to FY 2021.
Comparisons between FY 2021 and FY 2022 are skewed, however, since the income tax filing deadline in 2020 was delayed from April to July due to the pandemic. As a result, revenue collections in the early months of FY 2021 were drastically inflated compared to normal years.
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State Ethics Commission Again
Fines Pac Tied to Parson
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For the second time in 15 months, the Missouri Ethics Commission on November 15 fined a political action committee with close ties to Governor Mike Parson for violating state campaign finance laws. As happened with the previous violation, the committee’s treasurer, in written a joint stipulation of facts with the commission, admitted to the violation.
In the latest case, Uniting Missouri PAC admitted it accepted an illegal $150,000 donation in October 2020 from the Republican Attorneys General Association Action Fund. The donation was illegal because the association neglected to register in Missouri as required by state law.
Uniting Missouri was founded to support Parson’s successful 2020 bid for a full term. Although Governor Parson can’t seek re-election due to term limits, the PAC continues to raise and spend money in support of his agenda. Unlike a candidate’s campaign committee, a PAC isn’t subject to limits on individual campaign contributions.
The illegal donation at issue in the latest case was made just two months after Uniting Missouri in August 2020 admitted to two counts of illegally underreporting the value of in-kind contributions. One of the counts involved a chartered flight the committee booked for Governor Parson to travel to Miami to watch the Kansas City Chiefs play in the 2020 Super Bowl.
The ethics commission fined Uniting Missouri $2,000 for the first violation, but it only had to pay $200 provided that it didn’t commit any further violations for two years. Because of the subsequent violation, the Uniting Missouri must now pay the remaining $1,800.
The commission again fined Uniting Missouri $2,000 for the latest violation. For now it only must pay $1,000, with the remaining fine waived if it can successfully go two years without any additional offenses.
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State Child Advocate to be
Replaced by Lawmaker
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In yet another unexpected and unexplained personnel shakeup in Governor Parson’s administration, the governor is replacing Kelly Schultz as director of the Office of Child Advocate, an independent agency that serves as watchdog over the Children’s Division of the Missouri Department of a Social Services.
Under Governor Parson’s Administration, the Children’s Division has been the target of fierce criticism for more than a year over its mishandling of abuse and neglect investigations and for being unable to locate children who go missing from foster care. Schultz has been among those raising concerns and called DSS “an agency under duress” during testimony before a House committee in October.
Schultz originally was appointed as child advocate in 2011 by then-Governor Jay Nixon and has served in the post during three administrations. Her last day in the job is November 30.
Governor Parson is expected to appoint state Representative Becky Ruth (R-Festus) to replace Schultz. Representative Ruth is midway through her fourth term in the House of Representatives and can’t seek re-election next year due to term limits. She is a real estate agent and retired high school teacher. In the legislature, Representative Ruth is best known for her work on transportation issues, including serving as primary House sponsor of a bill that became law earlier this year increasing the state fuel tax for the first time in 25 years.
Since the spring, Governor Parson has replaced six state department directors – including five in one day in October – and numerous other lower-level state officials. As with the removal of Schultz, the governor hasn’t publicly explained his reasons for the changes.
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COVID-19 Vaccine Resources
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The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services says vaccinated adults are eligible for a booster shot at 6 months or more after getting either the Pfizer or the Moderna vaccine, no matter their age, health status, or working conditions. For those who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, everyone over 18 is eligible to receive a booster shot two months after receiving the dose.
You do not need to get your booster shot at the same location you received their initial series, but you will need to get the same brand of vaccine that you previously received.
Missouri has also updated state guidance to include vaccines for 5 to 11 year olds, which authorizes local health departments and providers to start administering the vaccines to children in that age range.
You can talk to your child’s pediatrician about setting up an appointment, search for a site near you using vaccines.gov, text your ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233.
If you need a vaccine booster or you would like to vaccinate a newly eligible child, you can do so at any location providing vaccines. Visit MOStopsCovid.com to find a nearby provider and schedule a vaccine appointment or locate a walk-in clinic. You can also get the flu shot at the same time you receive the COVID-19 booster shot. Find a flu shot near you at MOStopsFlu.com.
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Truman Medical Center is offering walk-in vaccinations at their two hospital campuses (2211 Charlotte and 7900 Lee’s Summit Road) 7am to 2pm Monday through Friday. In addition, you can schedule a vaccine at www.trumed.org or by calling 816-404-CARE.
ALL Missourians are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and many are eligible to receive a booster. If you have not been vaccinated, I encourage you to visit the COVID-19 map to find a vaccination site near you. The following places are currently offering vaccines in Kansas City: Anyone in need of a COVID-19 vaccine can receive one for FREE from KC CARE Health Center at the following Kansas City Public Library locations:
Tuesdays, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.
Wednesdays, 2 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Waldo Branch, 201 E. 75th St.
Thursdays, Noon - 6 p.m.
North-East Branch, 6000 Wilson Ave.
Anyone hoping to get a vaccine can walk in to one of the Library clinic sessions as long as supplies last. No registration is required. Available for ages 12 and older. There is no cost to get the vaccine -- it is completely free.
The full schedule of vaccine clinics at Library locations can be found on the Library’s online calendar.
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