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Representative Yolanda Young's Newsletter

December 17, 2021


Contact me at: 
201 W. Capitol Avenue, Room 102
Jefferson City, MO 65101
Phone: (573) 751-3129
Email: yolanda.young@house.mo.gov


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Dear Neighbors,

This week I traveled to Jefferson City to pre-file several pieces of legislation ahead of the 2022 legislative session. I have been working on several of these issues since I was first elected to the House in 2019 and I hope to be successful in getting them across the finish line this session. 

HB 2018- Requires election authorities to have at least one electronic voting machine for the blind or visually impaired.

HB 2019- Provides a state fund for public schools to hire a school nurse and a mental health professional.

HB 2020- Authorizes a tax credit for establishing an urban farm.

HB 2021- Requires that courts inform people of the rights and privileges they might lose if they accept a plea deal and plea guilty to a felony offense (i.e. the right to vote).

HB 2022- Requires the Missouri Department of Revenue to include educational material on stops and searches by law enforcement in the Missouri Driver Guide.

HJR 101- Allows those who are legally incapacitated (i.e. have been appointed a power of attorney or are in a mental institution) to exercise their right to vote. This resolution would be subject to the approval of Missouri voters.  

I am still working on more legislation, but if you have ideas for other bills I could file please don't hesitate to contact my office. 
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. If you know of someone who could use some extra help this holiday season, please give them my contact information. 

Yours in Service,

Yolanda Young
Attorney General Issues Threats
over Court Order not yet in Effect
Attorney General Eric Schmitt is threatening immediate action against local jurisdictions with mask mandates for supposedly violating a court order that isn’t yet in effect and that some local governments say doesn’t even apply to them. Schmitt also is encouraging parents to report school officials for alleged violations of the order.
 
Cole County Circuit Judge Dan Green issued the order on November 22 after striking down three regulations promulgated by Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19. Green declared the regulations an unconstitutional exercise of legislative power by an executive branch agency and said any local health restrictions based on the regulations are invalid. Green stayed enforcement of his order until December 22.
 
However, several municipalities and school districts, especially in the Kansas City and St. Louis areas, say their mask requirements aren’t based on the disputed regulations but in compliance with a state law the General Assembly passed this year. That law requires elected officials to approve restrictions and periodically vote renew them in order to keep them in place. According to The Kansas City Star, school districts are also citing a 58-year-old state law granting them broad authority to take actions deemed necessary to control the spread of disease. Both state laws remain in effect since neither have been challenged and aren’t addressed by Green’s ruling.
 
State health department Director Donald Kauerauf asked Schmitt, whose office was representing the agency, to appeal Green’s ruling, but Schmitt refused. The department opted not to hire outside counsel to appeal the case on its behalf.
 
Even though Green’s order isn’t yet in effect, Schmitt’s office has moved to enforce it anyway by sending threatening letters to local officials. On December 8, his office established an email hotline for parents to report schools that are still enforcing mask mandates. Schmitt hasn’t explained how the state laws granting local jurisdictions the legal authority for their actions are no longer enforceable since no court has ruled otherwise. Schmitt has made combatting COVID-19 restrictions a central component of his U.S. Senate campaign.
Locals Push Back Against
Attorney General's Legal Threats
Pushing back against what they call Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s “campaign of litigation terror against local governments and schools,” Jackson and St. Louis counties on December 13 filed a joint motion to intervene in a recent case they say resulted in “chaos” after a Cole County judge struck down several state regulations on infectious disease mitigation. Intervention, if granted, would allow the counties to appeal the decision after Schmitt refused to do so.
 
In their motion, the two counties said Green’s ruling was legally erroneous and must be appealed to uphold the longstanding authority of state and local officials to respond to public health emergencies. The counties note court precedent allows outside parties with legal interests at stake in a case to intervene on appeal if none of the original parties plan to appeal.
 
“In short, if the court’s judgment is not set aside, community spread of all communicable diseases will no doubt skyrocket in this state, while the mechanisms for combatting any such spread will have been dismantled,” the counties said in their motion.
 
On a separate front in Schmitt’s legal attacks on local officials, an attorney for the Lee’s Summit School District hit back hard against the “cease and desist” orders Schmitt recently sent to dozens of Missouri school districts demanding they immediately end mask mandates and other disease mitigation efforts. In his campaign for the U.S. Senate, Schmitt portrays himself as a defender of the “rights” of those who oppose COVID-19 restrictions.
 
“Your invocation of ‘rights’ untethered to an obligation to exercise them responsibly invites lawlessness,” W. Joseph Hatley, the attorney representing the Lee’s Summit School District in the matter, wrote in a December 10 letter to Schmitt. “This is especially pernicious coming from your office, because of the outsized weight some may attach to your opinions. But as Missouri’s courts have repeatedly said, the opinions of the Attorney General have no binding authority. For the reasons I will now explain, your recent letters not only lack legal effect—they are simply wrong.”
 
Hatley noted state law grants school districts broad authority to mitigate the spread of disease. One law specifically prohibits students from attending school if they have a contagious disease or have been exposed to one. Hartley said since Green’s ruling in no way addressed the legal powers granted local schools, those laws remain in full force, and Schmitt has no legal authority interfere with COVID-19 mitigation efforts taken in accordance with them.
Governor Proposes Big
Raises for State Employees
Reversing course on years of small or nonexistent cost of living adjustments for Missouri government employees, Governor Parson on December 6 announced he will ask the legislature to enact a 5.5 percent raise for all state workers and establish a $15 an hour minimum wage for state jobs. And in an equally unexpected move, he wants lawmakers to do so in the first month of the 2022 legislative session so the raises can take effect Feb. 1.
 
For many years, Missouri has consistently ranked dead last in the nation in average state employee pay. While that fact has long been lamented, little has been done to address it. In a news release, Parson said action is necessary now due to excessive employee turnover rates and an inability of some agencies to fill vacancies at existing salaries.
 
The move marks a sharp turn on the issue for Parson. For the current fiscal year, Parson recommended just a 2 percent pay bump for state employees. To save money, Parson delayed the increase from taking effect until Jan. 1 instead of with the July 1 start of the fiscal year, as is traditional. Parson also used his line-item veto power this year to eliminate several targeted pay raises for certain state agencies from the FY 2022 state operating budget.
 
Under Parson’s latest proposal, the 5.5 percent hike slated for February 1 would be in addition the 2 percent increase already scheduled to kick in January 1. The new pay plan is estimated to cost $91 million for the remainder of FY 2022, which ends June 30, and then $218 million for the full 2023 fiscal year that starts July 1.
 
Statements of support for the plan from the chairmen of both the House Budget Committee and Senate Appropriations Committee are included in the governor’s press release. The pay raises are to be part of a supplemental appropriations bill lawmakers are expected to take up shortly after the legislative session begins January 5.
FBI Shot Down ‘Hacking’ Claim
Before Parson Made It
One day before Governor Parson falsely accused a St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter of “hacking” a state website, the Federal Bureau of Investigations had informed the Parson administration that it didn’t appear a crime had been committed and the state instead had “misconfigured” the site to expose sensitive information to public access.
 
The emails also showed the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education had intended to publicly thank the reporter for discovering the problem, which potentially exposed the Social Security numbers of more than 100,000 Missouri educators, before the governor’s ordered a shift in tone and labeled the reporter a hacker.
 
After discovering the flaw, which was publicly accessible on the DESE website to anyone who cared to look, the paper immediately informed the department of the problem and delayed publication of its story on the matter until the affected web pages could be taken down. The paper published the story in its October 14 edition.
 
Later that morning Parson held a news conference at which he angrily accused the reporter of hacking and vowed to prosecute and pursue civil sanctions against all involved with the story. Parson then left without taking questions. His characterization was uniformly ridiculed by cybersecurity and legal experts in local and national news reports, and no other officials have defended his position.
 
According to emails obtained by the Post-Dispatch, a cybersecurity expert with the Missouri Department of Public Safety told DPS Director Sandra Karsten on October 13 she had contacted an FBI agent in St. Louis. The expert said the agent informed her “that this incident is not an actual network intrusion.” She also wrote the agent said the state’s database was “misconfigured” to allow public access to “data that should not be public.”
 
Karsten forwarded the email to Parson’s chief of staff, as well as Vandeven, according to the paper. Yet one day later, with Karsten at his side, Parson still accused the reporter of a crime.
 
Additional emails show DESE Commissioner Margie Vandeven initially planned to thank the paper. Part of her proposed statement said: “We are grateful to the member of the media who brought this to the state’s attention.” However, staffers in the Governor’s Office insisted on changes to shift blame to the reporter instead of praising him for catching the problem.
 
The overwhelming evidence to the contrary notwithstanding, Parson said at public ceremony on December 7 that he still believes the Post-Dispatch committed a crime. “Most certainly I believe that,” Parson said when asked, the paper reported. “And most certainly I don’t know where that information’s coming from that you guys printed on that, whether it’s very accurate or not either,” Parson added, questioning the veracity of public documents provided by his own administration.
STL Challenges Law Restricting Investigations of Police
St. Louis city filed a lawsuit on December 6 challenging the constitutionality of legislation enacted earlier this year creating a so-called “law enforcement officers bill of rights” that places tight restrictions on the length and scope of investigations of police and grants suspected officers special privileges that aren’t afforded to civilians investigated by police.
 
The lawsuit, filed in Cole County Circuit Court, raises several alleged constitutional problems with the measure, Senate Bill 26. But its central argument is that the legislation violates state constitutional provisions limiting bills to a single subject that is clearly reflected in the bill’s title and that isn’t changed from its original purpose.
 
SB 26 originally was a 10-page measure containing two provisions relating to “public safety.” By the time of final passage, SB 26 had grown to 21 provisions spanning 172 pages. Several provisions – such as changing the statutory definition of “excursion gambling boat” and establishing new regulations on electric fences and pesticide usage, among others – have, at best, tenuous connections to public safety.
 
The lawsuit’s other claims include that SB 26 violates a provision of the state’s Hancock Amendment prohibiting the state from imposing unfunded mandates on local governments. One such alleged mandate requires local governments to indemnify officers against civil claims for misconduct. The case, City of St. Louis v. State of Missouri, hasn’t yet been set for a hearing.
 
State Revenue Collections Remained Strong in November— Budget Officials Anticipate
Record Revenues in FY 2023
Strong income and sales tax collections helped push up net state general revenue collections for November 2021 by 19 percent compared to November 2020, with collections going from $811.1 million last year to $965.5 million this year. According to monthly data provided by the Missouri Division of Budget and Planning, sales tax collection increased 20.4 percent for the month, while individual income tax collections were up 20.4 percent and corporate income and franchise tax collections rose 27 percent.
 
Net state general revenue collections for the first five months of the 2022 fiscal year decreased 0.7 percent compared to the same period in FY 2021, going from $4.53 billion last year to $4.5 billion this year. Through the first four months of FY 2002, year-to-date collections had been down 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.

Top state budget officials are expecting net state general revenue collections to hit a record $11.4 billion for the upcoming 2023 fiscal year, growing 2.1 percent over FY 2022 collections. The agreed upon figure, known as the “consensus revenue estimate,” will be used as the basis for crafting the state operating budget for FY 2023 during the upcoming legislative session.
 
For three decades, budget leaders representing the governor, the Senate and the House of Representatives try to agree on a consensus revenue estimate each year to ensure all parties are working with the same numbers. In some years, however, the sides don’t agree, which can lead starkly different takes on how much money the state will have available to spend. The estimate frequently is revised during the course of the process to reflect changing economic conditions.
 
The budget process will begin in earnest in January when Governor Parson will present his proposed FY 2023 spending plan to the General Assembly. While the governor’s budget is used as a starting point, lawmakers will make changes over the following months before passing a final budget in May. The FY 2023 fiscal year begins July 1.
 
Budget officials also revised the consensus revenue estimate for FY 2022 upwards to $11.2 billion. That marks a sizable increase over the $10.45 billion in general revenue the legislature originally budgeted for FY 2022, which ends June 30. Lawmakers are expected to pass at least one supplemental appropriations bill next month to allocate the additional anticipated revenue for the current budget.
 
Secretary Ashcroft Wins Legal Dispute with Treasurer Fitzpatrick
In a case pitting two statewide officials against each other, a Cole County judge upheld ballot language Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s office prepared for a proposed constitutional amendment seeking to give the state treasurer greater flexibility in investing taxpayer funds. State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick challenged the language as argumentative and likely to prejudice voters against the measure.
 
The Missouri Constitution currently places tight restrictions on the type of investments the treasurer can make. Among other changes, Amendment 1 would allow the treasurer to “also invest in other reasonable and prudent financial instruments and securities as otherwise provided by law.” Lawmakers placed Amendment 1 on the November 2022 ballot with the passage of House Joint Resolution 35 last May.
 
Fitzpatrick objected to a portion of the ballot language Ashcroft’s office subsequently prepared stating Amendment 1 would “allow the General Assembly to override the current constitutional restrictions of state investments by the state treasurer.” Fitzpatrick argued this language is “inaccurate and biased” because Amendment 1 grants the legislature no role in managing state investments, which is the constitutional responsibility of the treasurer.
 
However, Cole County Circuit Judge Dan Green said the provision of Amendment 1 allowing for investments “as otherwise provided by law” would indeed grant the legislature the power pass laws circumventing existing constitutional restrictions.
 
“This court finds that the word ‘override’ is neither unfair nor insufficient because the term ‘override’ gives voters notice of the effect of Amendment 1 – to set aside the current constitutional restrictions on where the treasurer can invest,” Green wrote. “In fact, the new language is so open ended that the word ‘override’ is, in fact, somewhat generous.”
 
Fitzpatrick is expected to appeal the ruling. In response to the decision, Ashcroft issued a statement taking shot at his fellow officeholder for filing the lawsuit.
 
“This was ridiculous from the beginning,” Ashcroft said. “It was a complete waste of taxpayer funds in an attempt to force a specific voter outcome on the amendment.”
Deadline Looms for Statehouse
Redistricting Panels
The separate commissions charged with drawing new state House of Representatives and Senate districts face a December 23 constitutional deadline for agreeing to tentative proposals. While the House commission has met in recent weeks in an effort to reach an agreement by the deadline, the Senate commission has not.
 
Both commissions consists of 20 members evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, with 14 votes required for a commission to approve a redistricting plan. The commissions are each scheduled to meet on the day of the deadline.
 
If a commission agrees to a tentative proposal for its chamber by the deadline, then it would have until January 23 to finalize it. If a commission doesn’t agree on tentative plan, then its work is effectively over, and a commission of six appellate judges appointed by the Missouri Supreme Court will take over the job of drawing new boundaries for that chamber.
 
Under the state constitution, however, the judicial commission wouldn’t get jurisdiction until January 23, essentially putting the process in limbo for a month. With candidate filing for the August party primaries scheduled to begin February 22, the judges would face an extremely tight timetable for finalizing new districts.

If you would like to view the proposed maps and submit comments to the General Assembly and redistricting commissions, you may do so on the State Office of Administration's website
Republican State Representative to Resign For New Job
State Rep. Aaron Griesheimer (R-Washington) announced on December 13 that he plans to resign January 6 to accept a full-time private sector job. Griesheimer, who served as chairman of the House Emerging Issues Committee, was midway through his second two-year term.
 
Governor Parson isn’t expected to a call a special election to fill the vacancy since the 2022 legislative session would be nearly over by the time a replacement could be seated and the post already will be on the ballot for a term next November. Griesheimer’s departure will leave the House of Representatives with four vacancies, all last held by Republicans.
Upcoming Events
Work for the City of Kansas City
There are numerous opportunities to work for our city at kcmo.gov. If you are in need of a job going into the new year, I highly recommend you check out what the city of Kansas City has to offer!
Business Grants for Formerly Incarcerated People in Kansas City
The Rise Up, Get Started Matching Grant program is for formerly incarcerated people in the Kansas City-area who are interested in starting or are already running a service-based business. Link to apply: https://bit.ly/3JavGxF

They will select 16 second chance entrepreneurs to work with in 2022. Participants will attend biweekly virtual meetings, create a business plan and budget, receive networking connections as they take steps to grow their business, and receive a $750 grant on top of $300 required business savings.

For selection to the program, preference is given to second chance entrepreneurs in the KC-area who have a felony record that plan to start or are running a service-based business. A service-based business is one whose customers purchase the skills of the service provider. As opposed to a product-based business that sells a physical product to the customer, a service-based business completes a specific task for the customer in return for payment.

Applications are due by Tuesday, January 25.
Emergency Rent and Utility Assistance
Low Income Home Energy
Assistance Program
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: 
         
         Mid America Assistance Coalition(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. 
Need Healthcare? You Might be Eligible for Medicaid in Missouri! 
Under Medicaid expansion, many more Missourians are now eligible for health care through the state. You may qualify if you: 
  • Live in Missouri and are a United States citizen (or qualified non-citizen)
  • Are a person with disabilities (permanently and totally disabled)
  • Are a person who is blind or visually impaired
  • Are 65 years or older
  • Are a pregnant person 
  • Are an uninsured women ages 18-55
  • Have children under the age of 19
  • Or you make less than the annual income limit for your household size
If you think you might be eligible for Medicaid, you can apply at dss.mo.gov. If you need assistance or have additional questions about the program, call my office and we will connect you with a Medicaid professional. 
COVID-19 Vaccine Resources
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

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.
State government can be hard to navigate. If you need assistance with a state department or with unemployment, Medicaid, food stamps, or other state benefits call my office at (573) 751-3129. We can also guide you to community resources such as rent and utility assistance, food distribution, and COVID-19 related issues. My staff and I are here to help in any way we can. 
District 22 Staff




Kaylee Bauer
201 W. Capitol Avenue, Room 102
Phone: (573) 751-3129
kaylee.bauer@house.mo.gov 
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State Representative Yolanda Young · 201 W Capitol Ave · Jefferson City, MO 65101-1556 · USA

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