Perspective: Budget, ethics bills sent to governor

On Wednesday, after one last trip around the Coca-Cola plant and the State Capitol, Jefferson City laid to rest one of its most distinguished and well-respected citizens, Carl Vogel.

Since Carl’s passing, Mid-Missouri has shown tremendous love and support for Kim, Jake, Kristen and the entire Vogel family by sharing personal stories of Carl’s kindness and generosity. Carl was a man of great grace and honor and I am blessed to have learned from him and to have been a part of his life. Please continue to keep Kim, Jake, Kristen and their entire family in your prayers over the next weeks and months as they mourn the loss of their husband, father and friend.

The Legislature sent two more ethics bills to the governor for signature this week. HB1979, sponsored by Rep. Caleb Rowden, prohibits statewide officials, members of the General Assembly and appointed officials from registering as a lobbyist until a “cooling off period” has passed. When signed by the governor, all current and future legislators will have to wait until six months after the natural end of their term in order to register as a lobbyist. Gone are the days when one could be a senator one day and become a lobbyist the next.

HB2203, sponsored by Rep. Jay Barnes, addresses the handling of funds in candidate committees, campaign committees, debt service committees and exploratory committees. This legislation ensures elected officials are restricted from funneling money from campaign funds to personal accounts or to influence legislators.

With the passage of HBs 2203 and 1979, the Legislature has sent three ethics bills to the governor. With three weeks left in session, there is the potential to further add to this total. Missourians rightfully expect their elected officials to behave ethically and to represent their interests and values in Jefferson City. These bills cannot change the character of individuals, but they can and do add clarity and raise the bar for acceptable conduct. Ethics reform is one of the main things that Missourians wanted the Legislature to address this session, and with the leadership of Speaker Todd Richardson and Senator Ron Richard, we have done so.

The most important and time-intensive part of each legislative session is an on-time and balanced budget. It is the one thing the constitution requires of the Legislature and it is a priority. This year’s $27.1 billion operating budget has been reviewed, discussed, dissected and voted on multiple times in both the House and the Senate. It isn’t perfect, but it is a good and balanced budget that reflects our priorities and represents our values.

This year’s budget includes a 2 percent pay raise for all state employees, a $71 million K-12 Foundation Formula increase, an $18.5 million increase for all scholarship programs and a 4 percent increase across-the-board for performance and equity funding for higher education institutions. This year’s increase in K-12 education and transportation funding brings them to the highest levels ever, and will allow districts to spend more on students in the classroom while at the same time keeping up with the mandated transportation costs.

One thing that this budget does NOT include is funding for Planned Parenthood facilities. The budget sent to the governor rejected $8 million in federal money and replaced it with $8 million in state money, keeping the level of funding for women’s health services exactly the same, in order to ensure that your tax dollars were not going to support the abortion industry. Instead of directing women toward an organization that does not value and protect the lives of unborn children, we are steering women toward those who provide far more comprehensive services in hundreds of convenient locations across the state, such as FQHCs and county health departments. None of these provide abortion services.

Gov. Nixon will now be getting pressure from the radical wing of his party to veto the defunding of Planned Parenthood in the FY17 budget. I am hopeful that the governor will sign the budget as-is, but should he decide to put politics above the preservation of innocent life, he has to consider that defunding Planned Parenthood passed both chambers with veto-proof majorities. Additionally, due to the early timing of the budget, the Legislature will still be in session when the governor acts on the budget, allowing us to over-ride vetoes in May rather than waiting until September.

My purpose and my intent is to serve the constituents of the 6th Senatorial District. If you are in the State Capitol during the coming weeks and months, please stop by your office in Room 321.

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