top of page

04/25/22 - Missouri Mondays -Take action this week to protect unemployment benefits, public schools!

Take action this week to protect unemployment benefits, public schools, initiative petitions, voting rights and more!


Welcome to another Missouri Mondays and another busy week of important events and actions! Thanks for staying informed and using your voice to make a difference!

MISSOURI LEGISLATURE - ACTIONS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE THIS WEEK!

TELL YOUR STATE SENATOR TO VOTE NO ON HB 1860 CHANGES AFFECTING UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS!

The GOP majority continue their assault on families that need Missouri’s support the most. HB 1860 has passed in the House and is now in the Senate.

  • HB 1860 would cut the amount of support a family can count on from unemployment services by shrinking the amount of time they can remain on unemployment while searching for a new job.

  • HB 1860 would tie the length of time someone can claim unemployment insurance to the statewide unemployment insurance. Not only does using the statewide numbers ignore that different areas experience different levels of unemployment, the bill would make Missouri one of the states with the lowest amount of time someone can claim unemployment insurance.

Find your state senator using the legislator lookup here: https://www.senate.mo.gov/LegisLookup/Default.aspx

~~~~~~~~



HB 1552 CHARTER SCHOOL FUNDING BILL GOES BACK TO HOUSE AFTER SENATE PASSES COMPROMISE. TELL YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE TO VOTE NO!

Update from State Representative Keri Ingle–

The Senate on April 20 voted 29-5 to pass compromise legislation that would change how charter schools are funded. The bill– House Bill HB 1552 now returns to the House of Representatives, which approved a radically different version of it more than a month ago. The House can grant final passage to the Senate version or seek to negotiate an alternate version of the bill.

Charter schools are public schools that operate independently of their local school district and are exempt from many state education regulations. At present, they are allowed to operate only in Kansas City and St. Louis. As passed by the lower chamber, HB 1552 would have redirected millions of dollars in state funding from the Kansas City and St. Louis school districts to the charter schools in their jurisdictions.

The Senate compromise for HB 1552 –

  • Would modify the statutory formula for distributing state funding to local schools so that charter schools would receive additional funding without reducing the amount of money going to the local districts. The plan would cost about $62 million more in funding for the upcoming fiscal year.

  • Also includes reforms to how charter schools operate, including that they be run by a not-for-profit entity and require board members to be Missouri residents.

  • Includes changes to how on-line virtual schools must operate.

The Senate compromise for HB 1552 still diverts public dollars to charter schools that lack local and democratically elected bodies so are unaccountable to you, the taxpayer! TELL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO VOTE NO!

Find your state rep using the legislator lookup here: https://www.senate.mo.gov/LegisLookup/Default.aspx

Missouri Independent story on HB 1552 here: https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-passes-charter-funding-compromise-moving-bill-step-closer-to-governors-desk/

~~~~~~~~


TELL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO REJECT CHANGES TO INITIATIVE PETITION PROCESS!

House Joint Resolution HJR 132 and HJR 133 modify the requirements for votes needed to implement a constitutional amendment and both are still up for 3rd Read in the House this week.

Upon voter approval of HJR 132 or HJR 133

  • Initiative petitions would require more votes to pass. Currently, proposed citizen amendments pass by a simple majority of votes cast.

  • Any Constitutional amendment must receive both a majority of statewide votes and a majority vote in more than one half of the State House of Representative Districts in order to become effective.

  • The above requirements would also apply to Constitutional changes or amendments proposed during a Constitutional convention held under article XII, section 3(c) of the Constitution of Missouri.

See HJR 132 Bill Summary here: https://www.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills221/sumpdf/HJR0132P.pdf

See HJR 133 Bill Summary here: https://www.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills221/sumpdf/HJR0132P.pdf

Find your representative using the Legislator Lookup here: https://www.senate.mo.gov/LegisLookup/Default.aspx

~~~~~~~~

TELL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO VOTE NO ON HB 2140 RESTRICTIVE VOTING AND ANTI-TRANS LEGISLATION!

We should be making access to the ballot easier, not more difficult. Voter ID has remained a top priority for Republicans, despite the Missouri Supreme Court ruling against previous GOP voter ID laws. GOP Rep. Chuck Basye tacked on an anti-trans amendment to HB 2140 (McGaugh). This Election Omnibus bill is 51 pages of voting restrictions making it harder to vote in Missouri. The anti-trans amendment has no relation to the voting restrictions in HB 2140 and is illegal. Democrat Rep. Ian Mackey spoke passionately against Rep. Basye’s amendment confronting him on the House floor. After 3 hours of debate the anti-trans amendment was approved 89-40. HB 2140 is still in the House and on the Informal Third Read Calendar this week.

Find your representative using the Legislator Lookup here: https://www.senate.mo.gov/LegisLookup/Default.aspx

THANK DEMOCRAT REP. IAN MACKEY FOR STANDING UP FOR TRANS KIDS IN MISSOURI!

Office: 573-751-0100

Email: Ian.Mackey@house.mo.gov

Watch Democrat Rep. Ian Mackey’s powerful speech confronting GOP Rep. Chuck Basye on the House floor last week over his anti-trans amendment: https://www.youtube.com/watch

Watch MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell interview with Rep. Mackey here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUJZyC1xwL8

~~~~~~~~

MISSOURI BUDGET IN THE NEWS

“Record Missouri budget grows as Senate adds spending, House works on $1B tax credit plan. School transportation, teacher pay get boosts as Senate Appropriations Committee works through $46.5B package”

“Missouri would pay its full share of public school transportation costs for the first time in more than 20 years under a budget proposal approved Tuesday by the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The committee added $214 million for school transportation to the $114 million included in the record-setting $46.5 billion budget plan approved by the Missouri House. It was one of several additions made to the fiscal 2023 spending plan during committee work in both chambers that could add $2 billion or more to the total.

Other big additions include reviving Gov. Mike Parson’s proposed $500 million deposit to boost the investment fund that pays most state worker pensions, approved in the Senate committee, and a $1 billion plan for rebates of up to $500 for individual income tax filers approved in the House Budget Committee.”

Read Missouri Independent full story here: https://missouriindependent.com/2022/04/20/record-missouri-budget-grows-as-senate-adds-spending-house-works-on-1b-tax-credit-plan/

~~~~~~~~

“Federal COVID Relief is Driving the State’s Economy and Budget “Surplus”

“Missouri ended calendar year 2021 with $11.2 billion in the bank – an extraordinary amount. Although much of the balance is federal funding or earmarked state funds, $2.8 billion of the total was state general revenue. By comparison, that amount was nearly six times the average amount of state general revenue in the bank at the end of a normal year.

This “surplus” was largely made possible due to the Federal COVID response. Through a series of legislation including the Families First Act, CARES Act, American Rescue Plan and additional appropriations measures, the U.S. Congress provided significant financial assistance to states and localities, companies and nonprofit organizations and individuals. This assistance is bolstering Missouri’s economy and state revenue. Although Missouri is currently maintaining a significant general revenue balance, the extraordinary economic dynamics created by the Federal COVID response may be temporary and Missouri could at some point see a “normalization” or decrease in state revenue.”

Read more here: https://www.mobudget.org/federal-covid-state-surplus/ - Missouri Budget Project

~~~~~~~~

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THESE UPCOMING ACTIONS AND EVENTS


TAKE ACTION WITH THE MISSOURI VOTER PROTECTION COALITION (MOVPC)

TO PROTECT THE RIGHT TO VOTE

Join the next MOVPC meeting

MONDAY APRIL 25 at 10 AM

Text “MOVPC” to 66866 or register HERE: https://wustl.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYoceyuqTsqGN1NlXOMKb88rSExyr-kWjbt

Help protect the right to vote in Missouri with the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition! The Missouri Voter Protection Coalition (MOVPC) is a nonpartisan statewide network working to protect the right to vote in Missouri, promoting access to the ballot and working to remove barriers to voting.


Heartland Alliance for Progress

TONIGHT April 25 - 6PM via Zoom

Meet Progressive Candidates for Jackson County Legislature

RSVP here: https://bit.ly/3xmPfiE

Join us for the opportunity to hear from progressive candidates for Jackson County Legslature. As time allows, they will share their goals for the county and almost $400,000,000 of county funds: For public health and the environment, public safety, the courts and crime prevention, the detention center, the 3rd largest county parks dept in the nation, the Sports Complex and Rock Island RR path, county roads and bridges, infrastructure improvements, homeless services and housing asistance, and more.


Greater KC Women’s Political Caucus

Spring Happy Hour & Fundraiser

Sunday May 1

4pm-6pm

The Classic Cup

301 W 47th St, Kansas City, MO 64112

RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spring-happy-hour-and-fundraiser-tickets-306447411457

Join us for our first in-person event since the beginning of the pandemic! We'll meet each other face to face and plan to elect more women!

________________________________________________________________________________


MORE UPCOMING ACTIONS AND EVENTS

Find more upcoming actions and events here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/19AZUdtRH5WXefOC4Q5D9u-HyuzhBEL8rYX9Ospn3n18/edit?usp=sharing

________________________________________________________________________________


CRISIS IN UKRAINE - HOW YOU CAN HELP


HOW TO HELP

  • WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN - Help us provide fresh meals to communities in need. On Feb 24, Russia launched a large-scale attack on neighboring Ukraine, invading the country on several fronts. As a result, millions have fled their homes in search of safety. Working at a 24-hour pedestrian border crossing in southern Poland, WCK began serving hot, nourishing meals immediately. Now, we've expanded our efforts to serve people across the region in Romania, Moldova, and Hungary. WCK is also partnering with restaurants inside of Ukraine to get hot meals to anyone in need. Make a donation to WCK here: https://donate.wck.org/give/393234#!/donation/checkout

  • RED CROSS - The International Committee of the Red Cross is supporting the Ukrainian Red Cross right now. The groups are supporting food-producing initiatives, repairing infrastructure, and helping hospitals, schools, mental health facilities and community centers. You can make a one-time donation or a monthly contribution here: https://www.icrc.org/en/donate

SUNFLOWER OF PEACE - Sunflower of Peace Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to helping Ukrainians affected by the Russian military invasion. Donate here: https://www.sunflowerofpeace.com/

________________________________________________________________________________


Kansas City Metropolitan Area COVID Metrics at a Glance

Source: The Kansas City Beacon – April 21 https://thebeacon.media/stories/2022/03/04/kansas-city-beacon-covid-data-dashboard/

Case rate per 100K residents last 7 days - 4/23/22

  • Current: 27.82

  • Two Week Change: Down -63.31%

Average ICU occupancy - 4/15/22

  • Current: 73.08%

  • Two Week Change: Up 1.84%

New COVID hospitalizations - 4/15/22

  • Current: 354

  • Two Week Change: -4.84%

New deaths last 7 days - 4/23/22

  • Current: 6

  • Two Week Change: 0%

~~~~~~~~~~



Missourians Vaccinated - as of April 24 The New York Times

  • 66% of Missourians have received at least one dose - (77% have received at least one dose in the U.S.)

  • 56% of Missourians are fully vaccinated - (66% are fully vaccinated in the U.S.)

Total COVID-19 Cases and Deaths in Missouri

~~~~~~~~~~

MORE COVID-19 RESOURCES AND INFORMATION HERE: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1i1vCikZiGfMulA8tFCDSJbEKV5N37S1JU_TSlgs699A/edit?usp=sharing


THANK YOU! for answering the Missouri Mondays CALL TO ACTION!

Invite your friends and neighbors to join us and sign up for Missouri Action Alliance and this Missouri Mondays email at moactionalliance.com/signup

Follow us on Twitter at @MissouriAction, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/MOActionAlliance and check out our website at http://www.MOActionAlliance.com

Recent Posts
Archive
Search By Tags
Follow Us
  • Facebook Basic Square
  • Twitter Basic Square
bottom of page