Perspective: State auditor remembered; Senate acts on bills

Last week in the Missouri Legislature will be remembered only by the events of Thursday and the tragic death of Auditor Tom Schweich. That is as it should be.

On Tuesday, the Senate completed initial work on a "transfer bill' to make substantive and much needed changes to help ensure that Missouri children are not trapped in failing school districts. These discussions, which began the week before last, were completed on Tuesday and included 17 amendments offered by members of both parties. Education is a challenging topic, both because of its importance and because of the complexity of the issues surrounding it. However, it is also worth the time and the effort that we spend on it. This legislation will continue to change as it moves through the House and back to the Senate, but I look forward to a finished product which the governor will sign and that better ensures all Missouri children get the education they deserve.

On Tuesday I was able to present my Senate Bill 220 before the Small Business Committee. This bill is identical to legislation which passed both the House and the Senate last year before being vetoed by the governor as "unnecessary." When the national economy nose-dived in 2008, Missouri, like many other states, borrowed money from the federal government to cover an influx of unemployment claims. Under this administration, Missouri chose not repay the balance of the debt by 2011. In doing so, Missouri employers had a compounding per-employee penalty imposed upon them every year.

In 2012, this penalty was $21/per employee. In 2013, the penalty rose to $42/employee, jumping to $63/employee in 2014. The governor was perfectly willing to saddle job-creators and small businesses with these penalties, but finally paid off the debt as a result of pressure from the Legislature. He then had the temerity to claim he had solved the problem and that this legislation was no longer necessary.

Like last year, SB220 has two components. First, in order to help prevent Missouri from finding itself in this situation again, it ties the number of weeks an employee can receive benefits to the unemployment rate. The higher the unemployment rate is, the longer an individual can receive benefits, up to the current state maximum of 20 weeks. Similarly, the lower the unemployment rate, the shorter the term of benefits. Second, SB673 requires the state to consider bonding any outstanding loan balance to the federal government. The interest rates on bonds are likely to be 1 percent to 1.5 percent lower than the 2.6 percent rate we paid off on 2008 borrowing.

Also on Tuesday, I was pleased to see the Small Business Committee vote out my Senate Bill 233 which will update Missouri's laws relating to expert witnesses. Currently, it takes very little, essentially "I stayed at a Holiday Inn last night", to be considered an expert witness. Missouri's current statutes benefit only trial attorneys who specialize in bringing frivolous and unsubstantiated lawsuits. SB233 aligns Missouri with approximately forty other states in following federal standards for expert witnesses by formally acknowledging the role the trial courts play as gatekeepers to limit unreliable expert testimony. This reasonable and small tort reform faces opposition from only one group, trial attorneys who benefit from their current ability to shop for and coronate anyone as an expert witness in order to suit their needs.

On Thursday, I also filed Senate Concurrent Resolution 30 on behalf of Missouri farmers in opposition to the Humane Society of the United States and their subversive actions in the state of California which are now impacting Missourians. In a direct assault on animal agriculture, the Humane Society of the United States coordinated and facilitated dramatic changes to egg production requirements in California. Beyond that, in an effort to cripple the animal agriculture industry, they required that all eggs sold in California to come from facilities that use these same practices. Missouri farmers must not be forced to use specific farming techniques in order to do business in California. California is free to pass ridiculous legislation that is beholden to HSUS, but they cannot to do so in a manner that prohibits commerce and dictates the practices of Missouri farmers.

Each of these bills, and the actions of the Senate this week, pale in comparison to the death of Auditor Tom Schweich. Tom's death leaves a vacancy in an important state office, but that office will be filled. What will not be filled is the void in the lives of his wife, his children, his extended family, and his friends. Proverbs 22:1 says that "a good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and a loving favor rather than silver and gold." In his life, Tom Schweich earned a good name and loving favor. My prayer for Mrs. Schweich, their children, and all of his family and friends is that Tom's good name will be a source of comfort in this time of grief and will help heal the wounds of his untimely death.

My purpose and my intent is to serve the constituents of the 6th Senatorial District. If you are in the Capitol during the coming weeks and months, please stop by your office in Room 220.

State Sen. Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City, represents the 6th District.