LEGISLATIVE St. Joseph, Mo. 2014 ISSUES The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce is pleased to provide Government Relations this document, which outlines the priority legislative issues for The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce works to foster good relations with the 2014. The issues were identified by the Chamber’s Govern- various levels of government and to represent the business community in address- ment Relations Committee and the position statements were ing legislative issues. The Government Relations Committee develops the Chamber’s legislative positions on business-related issues and maintains working approved by the Board of Directors. relationships with government officials at the local, state and federal level. Several programs and events derive from this part of the Chamber: Our hope is that you will find the brochure a resource on legislative issues during the course of the year. The issues are divided between federal, state, and local government. Back- ground information is provided on each issue and a position is St. Joe Rising noted. In addition, you will find information on federal, state, St. Joe Rising is designed to bring current legislative issues to the membership. Held quarterly, the morning meetings feature breakfast, followed by a program and local government officials for easy reference. and a question/answer period. We encourage you, as a Chamber member, to be active in legislative matters of interest to you and your business. We 12th Annual Great Northwest Day at the Capitol hope this brochure will assist you in this effort. Held in early February, the Chamber participates and helps coordinate Great Northwest Day at the Capitol. The event exists as a cooperative effort by Northwest Missouri cities and counties to unify and enhance our region’s image in Jefferson City and to pursue issues and legislation beneficial to the “Great Northwest.”

16th Annual Washington, D.C. Fly-In Held in March 2014, a delegation of local business and community leaders an- nually visit the nation’s capitol as part of the Washington, D.C. Fly-In. While in Washington, D.C., the delegation meets with members of Congress, U.S. senators and legislative staff.

Public Service Candidate Leadership Academy Held in the fall prior to a local election, Public Service Candidate Training Work- shop provides an opportunity for participants to be introduced to, and gain a working knowledge of, the local political process. TABLE OF CONTENTS LEGISLATIVE ISSUES Legislative Updates Receive ongoing updates of action being taken during the Missouri legislative Federal Issues Page 3 session. The e-mailed updates focus on business issues and provide information on community issues of interest to St. Joseph and Buchanan County. State Issues Page 4 Local Issues Page 6 GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS For more information regarding the National Offices Page 3 Chamber’s Government Relations programs: State Offices Page 4 School District Page 5 St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce 3003 Frederick Avenue County Officials Page 6 St. Joseph, MO 64506-5104 City Officials Page 7 Phone: 816-232-4461 Fax: 816-364-4873 Web Sites of Interest Page 3 Email: [email protected] 2 National Offices Federal Issues President Barack Obama (D) 139th Airlift Wing of the Missouri Air National Guard The Chamber supports growth and expansion of the 139th, including The White House acquiring C-130J aircraft, the C-130H ARC Weapon Instructor Course, Washington, DC 20500 an Aircraft Simulator for training and tactics development. www.whitehouse.gov

Missouri River Levee Construction and Maintenance Vice President The Chamber supports increased funding for levee construction and Joseph Biden (D) maintenance and advocates for prioritizing levee construction and Senate Office Building maintenance funding over the Missouri River Recovery Program, to Washington, DC 20500 provide long term viability for business growth and expansion. www.whitehouse.gov/administration/vice-president-biden

Farm Bill The Chamber supports passage of a Farm Bill that includes reforms to nutrition programs, including food stamps and reforms to farm United States Senate subsidies including direct payment to farmers. U.S. Senator Controlling Spending The Honorable (R-MO) The Chamber supports efforts to reduce federal spending and Russell Senate Office Building reduce our nation’s $16 trillion debt through collaborative efforts to Room 260 202-224-5721 avoid government shut downs. Washington, DC 20510 (fax) 202-224-8149 blunt.senate.gov/public/ Regulation Reform [email protected] The Chamber supports reform to the Regulatory Flexibility Act to expand protections for small businesses from burdensome regula- tions from federal agencies. U.S. Senator The Honorable Claire McCaskill (D-MO) Sales Tax Fairness Hart Senate Office Building The Chamber supports federal legislation to ensure that items pur- Room 506 202-224-6154 chased online are subject to the same state and local sales taxes as all Washington, DC 20510 (fax) 202-228-6326 other sales. mccaskill.senate.gov mccaskill.senate.gov/contact/

United States House of Representatives

6th District Representative Website of Interest The Honorable (R-MO) U.S. President www.whitehouse.gov United States House of Representatives 1415 Longworth 202-225-7041 U.S. Senate www.senate.gov Washington, DC 20510 202-225-8221 U.S House www.house.gov (fax) or: Missouri Government www.mo.gov 411 Jules St., Room 111 816-749-0800 (fax) Missouri Senate www.senate.mo.gov St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-233-9848 graves.house.gov Missouri House www.house.mo.gov [email protected] Buchanan County www.co.buchanan.mo.us City of St. Joseph www.stjoemo.info St. Joseph School District www.sjsd.k12.mo.us Chamber of Commerce www.saintjoseph.com 3 Medicaid Program The Chamber supports the expansion of Medicaid in the state that State Issues would provide additional federal funding. Employment Law The Chamber supports legislative efforts to restore Missouri’s law to mirror that of the federal Civil Rights Act. Employment law in the State of Missouri is widely divergent from the protections guaranteed by the federal Civil Rights Act. Missouri’s laws regarding the defini- tion of employer, standard of review, procedures used in court and remedies are decidedly pro plaintiff.

Unemployment Insurance State Offices The Chamber supports reform to Missouri’s unemployment Governor of Missouri insurance program in order to bring relief to Missouri’s employers. The Honorable Jay Nixon (D) The current system is often plagued by fraud and reform needs tightening to better define misconduct so employees that are State Capitol Building, Room 216 terminated or blatantly breaking the law or company policy cannot 201 West Capitol Avenue; PO Box 720 573-751-3222 receive unemployment benefits. Jefferson City, MO 65102 573-751-1495 (fax) governor.mo.gov Transportation [email protected] The Chamber supports increased funding for Missouri’s transporta- tion needs, which includes the expansion of Interstate 70. Addition- Lieutenant Governor ally, it supports funding for four priority road construction projects: (a) The Honorable Peter Kinder (R) U.S. Highway 36 & Riverside interchange improvements; (b) Interstate State Capitol Building, Room 224 29 & U.S. South 169 interchange improvements; (c) new interchange at I-29 & Faraon; and (d) new Alabama Street interchange. 201 West Capitol Avenue 573-751-4727 Jefferson City, MO 65101 573-751-9422 (fax) Public Education — Kindergarten through 12th Grade ltgov.mo.gov The Chamber supports maintaining or increasing the current funding level [email protected] for K-12 funding, while ensuring that revenue dedicated to education con- tinues to be used for that purpose. In addition, it supports the establish- ment of a new direct funding source for early childhood education. State Senators 12th District Higher Education The Honorable Brad Lager (R) The Chamber supports adequate and appropriate state funding for 15989 Hwy 71 Missouri’s institutions of higher education, including Missouri Western State University. Missouri has a responsibility to adequately fund its Savannah, MO 64485 colleges and universities to help promote personal growth, statewide or: economic development, and thriving communities. The Chamber State Capitol Building, Room 422 further supports bonding for capital improvements on state univer- 201 West Capitol Avenue 573-751-1415 sity campuses, as well as the elimination of the sunset date on higher Jefferson City, MO 65101 573-751-8342 (fax) education institutions’ ability to enter into long-term land leases. [email protected]

Economic Development 34th District The Chamber’s supports the passage of an economic development The Honorable Robert Schaaf (R) package in the Missouri General Assembly that enhances the state’s 516 Pinewood 816-279-7917 ability to attract and retain jobs in the state. Further, it supports St. Joseph, MO 64507 816-233-6117 (fax) increased funding for job training. or: State Capitol Building, Room 319 Tax Credits The Chamber supports reform of Missouri’s tax credit programs, 201 West Capitol Avenue 573-751-2183 including measures that would institute caps and eliminate the buying Jefferson City, MO 65101 and selling of tax credits between businesses. [email protected] 4 State Representatives St. Joseph School District First District The Honorable Mike Thomson (R) P.O. Box 44 660-582-4494 Superintendent Maryville, MO 64468 Dr. Fred Czerwonka or: 925 Felix 816-671-4000 State Capitol Building, Room 401B St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-671-4470 (fax) 201 West Capitol Avenue 573-751-9465 [email protected] Jefferson City, MO 65101 [email protected] Board of Education Second District President The Honorable Casey Guernsey (R) Dan Colgan 816-233-9816 2602 E. Main St. (573) 751-4285 [email protected] Bethany, MO 64424 or: Vice President State Capitol Building, Room 206 A Brad Haggard 816-676-1295 201 West Capitol Avenue 573-751-0246 [email protected] Jefferson City, MO 65101 573-526-7740 (fax) [email protected] Chris Danford 816-364-4811 [email protected] Ninth District The Honorable Delus Johnson (R) Martin Rucker 816-238-7692 20480 County Road 380, 816-390-2267 [email protected] St. Joseph, MO 64505 [email protected] Sarah Siemens 816-279-5439 or: [email protected] State Capitol Building, Room 233 B 201 West Capitol Avenue 573-751-3666 Dennis Snethen 816-238-1615 Jefferson City, MO 65101 [email protected] [email protected] Sue Wagner 816-364-3389 10th District [email protected] The Honorable Pat Conway (D) 712 B Francis St. 816-294-2603 St. Joseph, MO 64505 [email protected] or: State Capitol Building, Room 109 B 201 West Capitol Avenue 573-751-9755 Jefferson City, MO 65101 573-526-1965 (fax) [email protected]

11th District The Honorable Galen Higdon (R) 6630 Belding St St. Joseph, MO 64504 816-238-4872 or: State Capitol Building, Room 412 A 201 West Capitol Avenue 573-751-3643 Jefferson City, MO 65101 [email protected] 5 Prosecuting Attorney Dwight Scroggins Local Issues Buchanan County Courthouse, 411 Jules St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-271-1480 Infrastructure Improvements [email protected] The Chamber supports increased local funding for road and infra- structure improvements. Assessor Scot VanMeter Public Education Buchanan County Courthouse, 411 Jules The Chamber supports extending the sunset on the local property St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-271-1469 tax levy that funds our schools from five years to 15 years. [email protected]

Auditor Nancy Nash Buchanan County Courthouse, 411 Jules St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-271-1408 [email protected]

Sheriff Mike Strong 501 Faraon Buchanan County Officials St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-271-5555 [email protected] Presiding Commissioner R.T. Turner Collector Buchanan County Courthouse, 411 Jules 816-271-1503 Peggy Campbell St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-232-3284 (h) [email protected] Buchanan County Courthouse, 411 Jules St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-271-1401 Eastern District Commissioner [email protected] Dan Hausman Buchanan County Courthouse, 411 Jules 816-271-1503 Public Administrator St. Joseph, MO 64501 Bill McMurray [email protected] Buchanan County Courthouse, 411 Jules St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-271-1442 Western District Commissioner [email protected] Ron Hook Buchanan County Courthouse, 411 Jules 816-271-1503 Recorder of Deeds St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-238-8811 (h) Ed Wildberger [email protected] Buchanan County Courthouse, 411 Jules St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-271-1437 County Clerk [email protected] Mary Baack-Garvey Buchanan County Courthouse, 411 Jules Treasurer St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-271-1412 John Nash Voting Information 816-271-1413 Buchanan County Courthouse, 411 Jules [email protected] St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-271-1432 [email protected]

6 Circuit Clerk Mary (Salanky) Beattie Buchanan County Courthouse, 411 Jules City of St. Joseph Officials St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-271-1462 [email protected] City Manager J. Bruce Woody Circuit Judge, Division 1 City Hall, 11th & Frederick, Room 305 816-271-4610 Randall Jackson St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-271-4737 (fax) Buchanan County Courthouse, 411 Jules-302 [email protected] St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-271-1447 City Clerk Circuit Judge, Division 2 Paula Heyde Weldon Judah City Hall, 11th & Frederick, Room 303 816-271-4730 Buchanan County Courthouse, 411 Jules-303 St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-271-4737 (fax) St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-271-1441 [email protected]

City Attorney Circuit Judge, Division 3 Lisa Robertson Patrick Robb City Hall, 11th & Frederick, Room 307 816-271-4680 Buchanan County Courthouse, 411 Jules-311 St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-271-4737 (fax) St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-271-1511 [email protected]

Circuit Judge, Division 4 Chief of Police Dan Kellogg Chris Connally Buchanan County Courthouse, 411 Jules-332 501 Faraon 816-271-4701 St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-271-1477 St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-271-5376 (fax) [email protected] Associate Circuit Judge, Division 5 Keith Marquart Fire Chief Buchanan County Courthouse, 411 Jules-322 Mike Dalsing St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-271-1454 401 South 7th 816-271-4603 St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-271-4612 (fax) Associate Circuit Judge, Division 6 [email protected] Ronald Taylor Buchanan County Courthouse, 411 Jules-323 Director of Planning & Community Development St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-271-1448 Clint Thompson City Hall, 11th & Frederick, Room 107 816-271-4827 St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-271-4752 (fax) [email protected]

Health Director Debra Bradley 904 S. 10th St. 816-271-4636 St. Joseph, MO 64503 816-271-4764 (fax) [email protected]

7 Property Maintenance Steve Hofferber Mayor & Council (2010-2014) City Hall, 11th & Frederick, Room 405 816-271-5342 Mayor St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-271-4826 (fax) The Honorable City Hall, 11th & Frederick, Suite 309 816-271-4640(o) [email protected] St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-341-4504 (c) [email protected] 816-271-4737 (fax) Parks, Recreation & Civic Facilities Director Bill McKinney Deputy Mayor Byron Myers Sr. 1920 Grand; PO Box 5116 816-271-5500 3002 Miller Road 816-294-1071 (c) St. Joseph, MO 64505 816-271-5513 (fax) St. Joseph, MO 64506 816-273-3108 (c) [email protected] [email protected]

At Large Director of Public Works & Transportation Jeff Penland Jody Carlson 1014 E. Cliff St. 816-238-7533 (h) City Hall, 11th & Frederick, Room 204 816-271-4653 St. Joseph, MO 64504 816-341-4502 (c) [email protected] St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-271-4740 (fax) [email protected] At Large Donna Jean Boyer General Airport Manager 5216 Mockingbird Lane 816-279-5259 (h) St. Joseph, MO 64506 816-244-3913 (c) Abe Forney [email protected] Rosecrans Memorial Airport 816-271-4886 100B NW Rosecrans Road 816-271-4887 (fax) District I Pat Jones St. Joseph, MO 64503 5314 Savannah Road 816-232-2529 (h) [email protected] St. Joseph, MO 64505 816-244-6229 (c) [email protected] Director of Financial Services District II Carolyn Harrison Joyce Starr City Hall, 11th & Frederick, Room 201 816-271-5526 1604 S. 22nd 816-244-3906 (c) St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-271-4697 (fax) St. Joseph, MO 64507 [email protected] [email protected] District III Director of Human Resources PJ Kovac Diana Slater 202 Fulkerson St. 816-238-2336 (h) St. Joseph, MO 64504 816-261-2934 (c) City Hall, 11th & Frederick, Room 403 816-271-4670 [email protected] St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-271-5370 (fax) [email protected] District IV Gary Roach 3802 Patee St. 816-279-8892 (c) Director of Building Development St. Joseph, MO 64507 816-341-4506 (c) Austin Rice [email protected] City Hall, 11th & Frederick, Room 107 816-271-5315 District V St. Joseph, MO 64501 Barbara LaBass [email protected] 3901 Bucher Drive 816-233-9838 (h) St. Joseph, MO 64503 816-752-8363 (c) Communications Manager [email protected] Mary Robertson City Hall, 11th & Frederick, Room 305 816-271-4610 St. Joseph, MO 64501 816-271-4737 (fax) [email protected] 8