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left00013970008096258706 Manchester Rd., Suite 104, St. Louis, MO 63144 314-961-6869 league@ 0200008706 Manchester Rd., Suite 104, St. Louis, MO 63144 314-961-6869 league@ LWV Legislative BulletinMarch 11, 2019LWV members are encouraged to personally communicate, as individual voters (not as LWV members), with their legislators on the various legislative bills. ACTION ALERT! - ASK YOUR LEGISLATORS TO OPPOSE CHARTER SCHOOL EXPANSION BILLSThe House was widely expected to take up HCS/HB 581 (Roeber) on March 6.? However, legislative action can be unpredictable, and the bill was not taken up.? The bill was placed on the informal calendar and is expected to be taken up next week before the House leaves for Spring Break on March 14.SCS/SB 292 (Eigel) is on the Senate calendar and could also be taken up this week.? The two bills are substantially the same and would allow charter schools to be sponsored by outside entities (other than the local school board) and operate in districts around the state.?? LWVMO strongly opposes both SCS/SB 292 and HCS/HB 581. Charter school expansion is likely to have a close vote in the Missouri House on Thursday, March 14. Opponents should contact their legislators and consider going to Jeff City to show their support for public schools.Here are a few talking points:???Supporters say charter schools offer a choice, but it’s not necessarily a better choice. The 10 worst-performing school systems in the state in 2017-18 were charter schools, according to 2017-18 APR data compiled by DESE.???Charter schools take money away from public education. ???Charter schools lack the same accountability as public schools. Board members are not elected and don’t have to live in the state, much less in the district.MARK YOUR CALENDARRally for the ERAWednesday, April 11, 2019 - 9:30 a.m.State Capitol Building, 1st Floor Rotunda Action DayTuesday, April 16, 2019 - 9:30 – 3:00 p.m.State Capitol Building, Jefferson CityERA: The Time is NowThe Equal Rights Amendment states in 24 simple words, “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” Illinois became the 37th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in May 2018. Supporters in Missouri should connect with state legislators and/or raise awareness through social media.Two ERA bills have been introduced in the current session:SCR7 in the Missouri Senate, introduced by Senator Jill Schupp (D-Creve Coeur) on Jan. 16, 2019. The bill was read a second time on Jan. 17, 2019 and was referred to the Senate Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions and Ethics Committee. Please take a little time to send an email to the Rules Committee chair, Senator Caleb Rowden, or call his office, stating reasons the ERA is vital for Missouri to ratify and in turn move the same ERA forward for the nation.?Stating your personal rationale/story/message is important so we don't look "cookie cutter".Here is Senator Rowden's contact information:? ?? caleb.rowden@senate. or call 573-751-3931HCR12 in the Missouri House, introduced by Rep. Judy Morgan (D-Kansas City) on Jan. 10, 2019, read a second time in the House on Jan. 14, 2019 but was not assigned to a committee. There is no valid reason to deny men and women equal constitutional protection from workplace discrimination and health care inequities. The ERA would also provide protection for women who have disparate rates of poverty, rape, and domestic violence assaults.??Historical Context of the ERA in MissouriThe Missouri ERA Coalition was founded in 1969 and was committed to supporting the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. Some of the organizations comprising the Coalition included the League of Women Voters, the Missouri Federation of Business and Professional Women, the National Women’s Political Caucus of Missouri, the National Organization for Women, and the St. Louis Chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women.In 1973, then-Governor of Missouri Kit Bond not only supported the ERA but also helped initiate a ratification campaign. That same year, Rep. Sue Shear introduced a bill ratifying the ERA in the Missouri House. Two years later in 1975, the Missouri House voted 82-75 to ratify the Amendment, but it was defeated in the Senate. Phyllis Schlafly’s STOP ERA organization was influential in Missouri throughout the 1970s and stopped a major Coalition effort in 1977. In 1980, sponsors of the ERA removed it from the legislative calendar because there were not enough sponsors in the legislature. The Missouri ERA Coalition disbanded in June of 1982. Senator Harriett Woods, stated “a body dominated by men should not deny a vote on this issue, which is so significant to both men and women.” Rep. Shear remained one of the strongest supporters of the ERA in the Missouri House until her death in 1998.Between 1999 and 2017, Missouri lawmakers have introduced an ERA ratification bill in every legislative session. Sponsors included Reps. Deleta Williams (D-Warrensburg), Vicky Riback Wilson (D-Columbia), Barbara Fraser (D-University City), Mike Talboy (D-Kansas City), Margo McNeil (D-Hazelwood), Judy Morgan (D-Kansas City) and Senators Mary Groves Bland (D- Kansas City), Jolie Justus (D-Kansas City), Joan Bray (D-University City) and Jill Schupp (D-Creve Coeur). Once 38 states have voted to ratify the ERA, the U.S. Congress would have to vote to extend the deadline.OTHER LEGISLATIONTAXESHB 548, a revised version, was voted out of committee this past week. It would implement a way to collect sales taxes owed for online sales (good) and phase in a tax cut over time (bad). A revised fiscal note has not yet been made available.The full Senate debated SB 46 which would implement an online sales tax collection mechanism BUT includes an income tax reduction (LWV opposed). Numerous amendments were offered, and the bill was laid over (meaning the votes were probably not there to pass, it could be taken up again later).EITCThe Refundable Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) proposal (SB 183) will be heard by the Senate Ways & Means Committee on Tuesday, March 12, at 8:00 a.m. in the Senate Lounge. League has been working with a number of other groups for several years to pass EITC which would help low income families with tax refunds which would also help the economy of our state. Normally, tax credits which reduce state income are a problem in these times of not enough state income to adequately fund needed programs, but this one is an exception for the above reason.BUDGETHouse Budget Chair Cody Smith released budget bills to the House Budget Committee with markup scheduled to begin on March 11 (this means the final adding, subtracting, from each of the 13 budget bills, the amending process) with a goal of the full House debating the budget the week after the legislative spring break (which runs the week of March 18-22). Probably the most controversial proposal is that the Chairman’s budget includes $100 million in GR (general revenue) for transportation, with the intention of doing so for four years in a row. These funds would be in place of the Governor’s proposal to use bonds to pay for transportation investments, using GR to pay for interest. GR has NOT been used for transportation in the past, since Missouri has had dedicated transportation funding. The problem may be that there is not an “extra” $100 million in GR according to most estimates so what other programs will need to be cut. ................
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