Representative Ed Lewis's Capitol Report

Supplemental Budget Bill Signed by the Governor (HB 3014)

The General Assembly and the Governor has given final approval to a supplemental budget bill that will provide extra funding for K-12 schools and the state’s Medicaid program, as well as a pay increase for state employees. With the governor’s signature, HB 3014 authorized nearly $4.6 billion in funding to be utilized in this current fiscal year that ends in June.

The bill includes nearly $1.8 billion in Elementary and Secondary Education Relief funds that are allocated to local education agencies. The bill also includes more than $444 million for the Office of Childhood for stabilization services.

The amount of funds that will be realized by a few local school districts are:

Westran $1.2 Million

Macon $2.4 Million

La Plata $1.2 Million

Moberly $5.9 Million

HB 3014 also includes more than $1.5 billion in funding for the state’s MO HealthNet program. The funds are necessary to avoid a funding shortfall in the program due to the increased Medicaid population that resulted from Medicaid expansion.

Additionally, the bill allocates nearly $99 million for a pay increase for all state employees. During public hearings in the Budget Committee, members learned state jobs have a 26% turnover rate, and a more than 55% turnover rate in jobs that pay less than $30,000 annually. The plan approved by the General Assembly will ensure state employees receive at least a 5.5% pay raise. The House Budget Committee chairman said the bill makes an investment in the state workforce “to help retain and attract talented employees.”

The bill is now set to go into effect with the Governor’s signature.

Medicaid Reform Constitutional Amendment Receives House Approval (HJR 117)

A proposed constitutional amendment is now on its way to the Senate that would allow voters to decide if key reforms should be enacted for the state’s growing Medicaid program. House members approved HJR 117, which would ask voters if three key changes should be made to the Medicaid program in Missouri.

HCS HJR 117 proposes a constitutional amendment relating to eligibility and requirements for MO HealthNet. The three parts of HJR 117 are as follows:

Residency requirement

Limits Medicaid benefits to Missouri residents.

Work requirement

MO HealthNet participants must comply with work and community engagement requirements

Appropriation requirement

Clarifies the legislature’s authority to appropriate for specific Medicaid populations. The change would allow lawmakers to uncouple the mandatory population from the expansion population and appropriate for them independently. This could be critical in future years if and when Medicaid becomes prohibitively expensive and continues to encroach upon other priorities within our state budget.

The proposed constitutional amendment now moves to the Senate.

House Sends Bills to Protect Missourians’ Freedoms to the Senate (HB 1686 and HB 2358 & 1485)

Two bills designed to protect Missourians from mandates that would take away their right to decide whether to receive a COVID-19 vaccination are now on their way to the Senate. The House approved both HB 1686 and HB 2358 & 1485 Wednesday morning.

HB 1686 would make it clear that public entities such as government agencies and public schools cannot require a COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of employment. It also prohibits fines or other penalties based on an individual’s vaccination status. Additionally, it reaffirms an employee’s right to raise a religious objection to receiving a vaccination.

The bill’s sponsor said the legislation is a response to the “heavy-handed intrusion from government” that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said, “The point of this bill is not whether or not you should take the COVID-19 vaccination. This bill doesn’t make it any more difficult for anyone to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. The point of this bill is about the danger of concentrating power in government and about what values we should consider to protect as we consider the people we protect - values like personal liberty, informed consent, the right of the people to make decisions for their own lives, and common sense.”

The House also approved HB 2358 & 1485 to clearly affirm the right of an employee to receive an exemption from a COVID-19 vaccine requirement if the employee requests one based on certain sincerely held beliefs. The bill clarifies the religious exemption includes theistic as well as non-theistic beliefs. The bill would require an employer to provide reasonable accommodations for the request unless clear and convincing evidence proves it would cause an undue hardship or be a direct threat to other employees or customers.

The bill’s sponsor said, “The heart and soul of this bill recognizes religious freedom. It recognizes in Missouri what is federal law – that the employee gets to make that decision about what their strong and sincere beliefs are. Most importantly, this bill is a lifeline to those many businesses that want to work with their employees; that want to give them reasonable accommodations.”

HB 2358 & 1485 also ensures an employee who is injured, disabled, or killed due to an employer-required COVID-19 vaccination would be compensated. The bill would treat the injuries resulting from the vaccine as an occupational disease. Additionally, an employee terminated or discharged for failing to comply with a COVID-19 vaccination requirement would still be eligible for unemployment benefits.

Both bills are now under consideration in the Senate.

Last week, US Congressman Jason Smith visited the Capitol.

Last Wednesday, Senator Roy Blunt addressed the Missouri House of Representatives.