Thursday, Feb. 04, 2010
Legislators talk jobs, ethics
Miranda Wycoff, Journal Staff
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Ethics, jobs and education — that’s what is on the mind of local legislators for the 2010 session of the Missouri General Assembly.
Ethics
Both Rep. Jeff Grisamore, R-District 47, and Rep. Will Kraus, R- District 48 in Lee’s Summit, and Rep. Gary Dusenberg, R-District 54, Blue Springs, are involved in sponsoring or filing ethics bills they hope will curb ethical problems in the Missouri General Assembly.
“There’s a problem in Jefferson City right now,” Dusenberg said. “We’ve had a few clouds over our heads that need to be cleared up and we need to do right by the taxpayers.”
Grisamore said he co-sponsored “every ethics reform bill” he could.
“I always support any efforts to bring greater transparency and accountability to the legislative process, including campaign finance,” Grisamore said.
Kraus said ethics reform is probably one of the most important things the Missouri House of Representatives will address this session.
“I’ve crafted an ethics bill that will cut down on money laundering and the abuse of power going on with campaign contributions.”
Dusenberg said a special committee on ethics reform has been formed in the General Assembly and all of the bills drafted on ethics will be heard through that committee. The committee will then put together one reform bill for the legislature to consider.
“I just hope that bill has teeth to get things done,” Dusenberg said.
Jobs
Like President Barack Obama’s focus in his 2010 State of the Union Address, many of the local legislators were concerned about bringing jobs back to Missouri.
“This session, my primary priority is to focus on jobs and make sure we bring new jobs and economic development to Missouri,” said Rep. Bryan Pratt, R-District 55, of Blue Springs. “And not only bringing them in, but keeping the ones we’ve got.”
Kraus said there are pieces of legislation that will provide economic development incentives to attract and retain businesses like Kokam America, a high-tech battery company whose world headquarters are in Lee’s Summit.
Kraus also said he is interested in legislation that would expand the Missouri Quality Jobs Act to add businesses like Lee’s Summit’s Vira-Cor.
Additionally, there is legislation that would help bring the highly touted Missouri Innovation Park to Blue Springs that Pratt and Dusenberg said they support.
Education
Recently, Gov. Jay Nixon proposed a budget that would give the state’s school districts less than one-sixth of the funding increase that was scheduled to occur under the funding formula in the next school year.
Kraus, Grisamore, Dusenberg and Pratt said they are all very much against that proposal.
In 2005, the General Assembly passed the funding formula for the state’s school districts as a phased approach, Kraus said.
“But the governor’s budget does not meet that phase-in,” Kraus said. “And I don’t plan on supporting that.
“We told (the schools) we were going to fund the finance formula and we need to do that,” he added.
Grisamore said he thinks it is important to protect the school districts from education legislation that would adversely effect the classroom. While it is important to pass a balanced budget without tax increases, the state still needs to make sure they fully fund the schools, Pratt said.
“We have the finest school districts in the state here in Eastern Jackson County, and we need to restore those funds to our schools.”
Although Dusenberg said he sees a problem with Nixon’s budget proposal, he said he anticipates the Missouri House of Representatives will “fully fund education.”
To reach Journal reporter Miranda Wycoff, call 816-282-7017, or e-mail mwycoff@bluespringsjournal.com
