Legislative session frustrates Columbia lawmakers

Following a year marked by historic revenue decline, two Columbia state representatives offered their take on the 2010 legislative session.
In separate interviews, Democratic Representatives Chris Kelly and Mary Still said the local delegation was able to pass through a number of measures that will benefit the area. The two also said local residents should be proud of the delegation’s ability to work together.
“In Columbia we’re the black-and-gold party,” Still said, referring to a delegation that includes Kelly and herself as well as Democratic Rep. Stephen Webber and Republican Sen. Kurt Schaefer. “We don’t quibble a lot about politics but try to mutually join together to support our community.”
Webber and Schaefer’s offices did not respond to interview requests for this story.

Budget

A continued decline in revenue and uncertainty about additional federal stimulus funds required the House and Senate to cut $500 million from the fiscal 2011 budget proposed by Gov. Jay Nixon in January.
Although committees in each chamber were able to cut the additional funds from Nixon’s proposal, some of the savings were based on legislation that never passed, which left the budget passed by legislators out of line with revenue projections for the next fiscal year.
The budget passed was “technically balanced but, on the other hand, still needs more work,” said Kelly, a member of the House Budget Committee.
Four days after the 2010 legislative session concluded, State Budget Director Linda Luebbering announced that more cuts — $350 million worth — would need to be made in order for the 2011 budget to balance.
“We knew it wasn’t balanced,” Still said of the budget. “We knew we were going to come up short.”
Kelly lamented the legislature’s inability to pass a number of measures he said would have provided additional savings for the state, including a bill he sponsored to bring funds from other areas into the state’s general revenue pool and another measure that would rein in Medicaid spending.
Both representatives also said the state needs to take a look at new sources of revenue. “We certainly can’t cut our way into prosperity,” Still said.

Jobs

Already passed by the House, the Senate brought up the economic development bill on the final day, only to see it filibustered by a number of members.
Kelly said the attitude of members toward tax credits by the end of session had become, “Kill ’em all.”
But that view is short-sighted, Kelly said, noting the role state tax incentives played in drawing IBM to Columbia.
According to Still, a jobs bill would have also contained the MOSIRA program, under which a small amount of general revenue would be set aside for investment in science and technology.
“That could have had a huge effect here in Columbia,” Still said of the program.

Ethics

The General Assembly was able to pass ethics legislation during the final days of the 2010 session.
“It was a sham,” Still said of the bill.
She said she voted for the measure because it addressed the transfer of money between committees but questioned language imposing contribution limits of $20,000 while exempting representatives from the provision.
Kelly cited a portion of the bill that would make it a class C misdemeanor to obstruct an ethics investigation and noted that littering is a class A misdemeanor.
“We took ethics just a little less serious than littering,” he said.

An interesting, frustrating session

Still, who described the session as both “interesting” and “frustrating,” said she was very proud of her involvement in the passage of a measure requiring some insurance plans to cover autism spectrum disorder.
As the ranking Democrat on the House Health Insurance Committee, Still said she was “the leading advocate on our side” for the autism coverage mandate.
But Still was frustrated that her bill regulating payday loan centers never made it to the House floor.
“It was clear that the speaker and the House floor leader were not going to let that come to a vote,” Still said.
Kelly described himself as “extremely frustrated” at the legislature’s inability to appropriate funds for the Ellis Fischel Cancer Center. Kelly also said there was not enough “strategic planning” on behalf of members to plan for future problems, including a fiscal year 2012 budget that will be short $900 million in federal stimulus funds used by the state this year.
Kelly said he expects a more productive session in 2011 and added that Rep. Steven Tilley, R-Perryville — the expected Speaker — is committed to a cooperative General Assembly.
“Next year I think we’ll be better,” Kelly said.