Champion: Jobs Bill Not Important If "Not Done Right"

Springfield Sen. Norma Champion said she supports a ceiling on state historic tax credits but not a complete sunset, and isn't sure the Senate will even approve a jobs bill before the session is over.

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"I would not be surprised if that doesn't get held up, and, or separated," Sen. Champion said when asked about the status of legislation that would expand tax credits for businesses in Missouri. The legislation has languished in the Senate for weeks because of a debate over whether to reign in different types of tax credits.

"If we vote on a Fair Tax, that would do away with it all, now wouldn't it," Champion said. Asked for her position on tax credits, she added, "I support a ceiling, but I don't support a sunset per say. I think we need a plan to look statewide and appropriate them so they are equitably distributed in the state. We have to look very, very hard at what these tax credits are doing. I think we have to get a handle on them, tighten the perimeters of them."

Champion downplayed the importance of passing some type of jobs legislation by next week. "It's important if we can get it settled, but it's not important if it's not done right. This doesn't have to be done," she said.

Champion said she has not been lobbied by the Governor's office for her support.

"The Governor hasn't lobbied me on anything," she said.

ON THE TAX CUT PASSED BY THE HOUSE:

"I can see the logic of it, doing it one-time," Champion said. But she isn't convinced that making it permanent is a good idea. "That I don't know whether we can sustain. We don't know what our revenue will be like," she said.

MoGOP Hits Nixon On Appointing Donors

GOP: PAY TO PLAY?
CARDETTI: ASK NORMA

The Missouri Republican Party estimates that Governor Jay Nixon's appointees and their employers donated around $3.4 million dollars to his election campaign.

"It is stunning how quickly Jay Nixon disregarded his campaign promises, instead appointing his moneyed friends to the highest levels of state government," said David Cole, Chairman of the Missouri Republican Party. "Despite his pledge to clean up Jefferson City, it seems that money is the most important factor in Governor Nixon’s staffing decisions."

The GOP said the most egregious example is the hiring of Jeff Mazur, a former staffer for AFSCME Council 72, who is now serving in the Office of Administration. The union contributed $2.8 million to Nixon and Democrats during the 2008 cycle, according to Cole.

Republicans also note Lloyd "Joe" Carmichael of Springfield, who has been appointed to the Highway Transportation Commission. Carmichael's family and his employer donated more than $41,000 to Nixon, according to GOP calculations.

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NIXON SPOKESMAN JACK CARDETTI RESPONDS:

"Gov. Nixon has assembled an experienced and professional team to turn around this state’s economy. The Republican-led Missouri Senate voted to confirm each and every member of Gov. Nixon’s cabinet, all of whom have been hailed for their proven backgrounds of leadership, both inside and outside state government," said Cardetti. "The Governor also appreciates the professional manner in which Republican Senators have personally sponsored his appointments to important boards and commissions, including the Highway Commission and the University of Missouri Board of Curators."

Cardetti also notes that Springfield Republican Sen. Norma Champion is personally sponsoring Carmichael's appointment.

Sen. Champion: Martinez Will Be Confirmed

Springfield's State Senator Norma Champion tells The Notebook that Linda Martinez has alleviated her concerns surrounding the illegal immigration issue and says she could be confirmed as the new head of Economic Development by week's end.

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Martinez's nomination was held up Wednesday by Sen. Scott Rupp.

In an interview, Champion said she would vote to confirm Martinez. She made her decision after a meeting with Martinez and the nominee explained why she participated in a St. Louis area lawsuit that challenged an ordinance that fined businesses and landlords for hiring and renting to illegal immigrants.

"She said the city was going beyond what they were allowed to do. It was a question of legality. She also saw that it put a lot of burdens on businesses and that they didn't really have a fair hearing in the matter. I'm strong on the regulation of illegal immigrants, but it satisfied me," Champion said.

ON WHY SHE'LL CONFIRM: "Several of the Governor's appointments are way too liberal for me, but it's about understanding the job. As to the question of her being qualified and being good at the job at hand, I don't think anyone questions that. Democrats and Republicans think she's outstanding."

ON THE HOLD UP: "She'll be confirmed. I wouldn't be surprised to see it this week. I don't get the impression the Senators are blocking her to stop her, but rather to express their opinion."

ALSO:
SEN. JIM LEMBKE, who was the first Senator to raise public concerns about Martinez's comments on illegal immigration, sent a letter to the nominee this week, asking her to "be clearer" in her answers.

An excerpt from Lembke's letter:

"In your response last week you wrote that the State of Missouri has not ruled on the issue of illegal immigration. However, don’t you recognize the precedence set within the lawsuit against the City of Valley Park of which you were a part? My understanding is that the Eastern District Court specifically rejected the preemption arguments that you and the ACLU made when that Court upheld the Valley Park ordinance. As I feel certain you know, several provisions of that Valley Park Ordinance were copied into state law in 2008 by the General Assembly and Governor. Do you now acknowledge that, as a matter of law, you were wrong when you represented the plaintiffs against Valley Park? And do you intend to fully support those provisions that are now part of Missouri state law, even though you sued to stop them in 2007?"

Blunt Signs Champion's Meth-Tracking Bill

Gov. Matt Blunt signed legislation Tuesday that will create a new system to track potential meth manufacturers.

Springfield Senator Norma Champion's legislation is also being heralded as a way to alert law enforcement officers to potential abuses of raw materials used to make the deadly drug.

“I’m extremely pleased Gov. Blunt has signed off on this landmark anti-meth legislation,” Sen. Champion said. “By making it increasingly difficult for meth producers to make this destructive drug, we are one step closer to keeping it from hurting our communities — especially our children.”

Specifically, this bill creates an electronic tracking system of the purchase of pseudoephedrine in real-time to cut down on meth makers jumping from location to location to purchase large quantities of pseudoephedrine. The bill also requires that anyone licensed to sell these products submit information about the sale of pseudoephedrine to the Department of Health and Senior Services in accordance with the department’s guidelines while including provisions to protect the privacy and confidentiality of Missouri patients.

The new tracking system will be Internet-based. Pharmacies across the state will enter each purchaser’s information as part of the sales transaction, and the system will alert the seller if that purchaser is over the daily or monthly limit.

Champion's Anti-Meth Bill Clears Assembly

A bill that's intended to strengthen the monitoring procedures for over-the-counter drugs that make meth is on its way to the Governor.

Senate Bill 724, an omnibus prescription drug bill, has been passed by the both the House and the Senate.

"My legislation ensures that people purchasing pseudoephedrines to make meth cannot buy more than is allowed by law," said Springfield Sen. Norma Champion, the bill's sponsor.

Under current law, pharmacies are required to maintain a paper log and document any transactions where the customer purchases products that contain pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient used in the production of meth. Champion's legislation would require pharmacies to upgrade to an electronic, rather than a written log, which records when a pseudoephedrine product is purchased and who is the purchaser. The act also specifies that the photo ID provided by the buyer of pseudoephedrine products be issued by a state or the federal government and shown prior to the purchase.

Around the Horn

• BOND'S BLACKBERRY . . . Senators aren't supposed to use electronic devices on the Senate floor. It's part tradition, part sanctity. But as the Washington Post reports, most thumb their nose at the ban, including our own Sen. Kit Bond, who was seen fiddling through messages while standing in the well of a chamber.
• METH BILL . . . Senate and House committees have passed out a bill that would close a loophold in Missouri's anti-meth law. Senator Norma Champion's bill would create a database that shows when people are going from pharmacy to pharmacy in search of the drug. You can watch my KY3 News @ 10 story on the legislation HERE.
• WALKING ON SUNSHINE . . . State Representative and Democratic candidate for Attorney General Jeff Harris has introduced legislation to toughen up Missouri's Sunshine Law. Harris wants to clarify that e-mails pertaining to public business sent by mobile communication devices, such as a Blackberry or cell phone, are also public records, that can be requested by the public or journalists. The bill also makes it easier for citizens to prove a Sunshine Law violation and raises the maximum fine to $5,000 from $1,000.
• THAT LIGHT IN THE SKY . . . The Pentagon said it will try to shoot down a dying, bus-sized U.S. spy satellite loaded with toxic fuel on a collision course with the Earth. Missouri Rep. Ike Skelton cautioned: "It should be understood by all, at home and abroad, that this is an exceptional circumstance and should not be perceived as the standard U.S. policy for dealing with errant satellites." Darn it.

Not Telling: Why Local Pols Aren't Endorsing

"As an elected official, it's somewhat risky."

None of Springfield's Republican state representatives are publicly endorsing a candidate for president, now just over a month before Missouri's February 5th primary.

Rep. Jim Viebrock of the #134th legislative district puts it this way: "As an elected official it's somewhat risky to publicly endorse, because you don't know. The next thing out of their mouth might be really, really bad," he said.

Viebrock said he has a personal policy not to endorse, even in local races. "I've very cautious about endorsing in any primary." But he acknowledged that part of the problem in the Republican race for president is that there is no clear frontrunner to get behind.

"Among friends we talk about it, but I'm not ready to make a public commitment. It's pretty scattered really. I'm kind of curious to watch and see who comes through," Viebrock said.

Rep. Charlie Denison (#135th) said he has not yet made up his mind on an endorsement. In a brief phone interview, Denison said, "I'm going to kind of wait and see what the fallout of it all is."

In an interview Friday, Rep. Shane Schoeller (#139th) said he is privately leaning towards a candidate, but is not ready to say who. "I've decided in this particular race that you are not going to get a candidate that has every quality that you would look for," he said.

Rep. Bob Dixon's (#140th) office said Dixon was unavailable for comment due to a family emergency. A spokeswoman for Senator Norma Champion said the senator was unreachable and taking time off until after the holiday.

Rep. B.J. Marsh has been the most open about his choices -- favoring Mike Huckabee and Rudy Giuliani -- but even the blunt Marsh said he hasn't settled.

On the Democratic side, Rep. Sara Lampe talks glowingly about the top three Democrats, but offers no hint of a preference. Rep. Charlie Norr has told the KY3 Political Notebook he favors John Edwards.

Sen. Champion Introduces Tougher Meth Law

Missouri lawmakers will once again consider a bill that could help keep people from jumping from pharmacy to pharmacy to buy legal drugs used to make illegal meth.

Sen. Norma Champion, R-Springfield, said at a news conference on Wednesday that she plans to introduce that bill.

People wanting to buy medicine that contains pseudoephedrine must show a photo identification and sign a paper log. State law also restricts how much of that medicine that one person can buy.

It's difficult, however, to keep people from stopping at several pharmacies. Law enforcement have access to the store’s log but must go from store to store to check them to see if one person is buying more than he should.

Champion says her bill would require all pharmacies in the state to be connected via the Internet so pharmacists at each store would know if the person has purchased drugs somewhere else within a given time period. Law enforcement officers say the bill would help cut down on time spent tracking meth cooks.

A bill similar to this has failed in the past. But according to our report, Sen. Champion couldn't put a price tag on the bill and couldn't explain how it would be paid for. Huh?

You can watch KY3's Sara Sheffield's report HERE.

Sex Offenders Don't Have to Move

Some convicted sex offenders will be able to live close to schools and daycare centers, according to a ruling today by a Cole County Judge.

You can watch my KY3 News @ 10 piece HERE.

The legislature passed a law that bans registered sex offenders from living 1000 feet within schools or daycare facilities.

The ruling says lawmakers went too far when they went further -- and crafted a law that forces registered sex offenders to move from the homes in which they lived before the ban went into effect.

Parents are upset about it. Greene County Sheriff Jack Merritt called the decision "a disappointment," because a high percentage of sex offenders are likely to reoffend. Attorney Dee Wampler called it a "constitutional conflict," but defended the ruling on First Amendment grounds. It's not clear whether State Senator Norma Champion agreed or disagreed with the ruling. In an interview with KY3, Champion outlined the arguments on each side but did not take a clear stand on the Cole County ruling.

Champion Reports Abuse at Nursing Facility

Sen. Norma Champion (District #30) said she's received notification from the state that "horrific conditions at a skilled nursing facility in west Springfield have led to the physical and verbal abuse of residents, increased exposure to illness and injury by the residents, and in some cases, death."

You can watch a report by KY3's Melissa Yeager on Green Haven nursing home HERE.

"Upon further inquiry of the Department (of Health and Senior Services), I became aware that this information was obtained during a routine inspection by inspectors with the Department," said Champion in a release.

She said a second inspection done this week found that the conditions had not been corrected.

"I understand that the Department began proceedings to revoke this facility’s eligibility to receive Medicaid and Medicare payments," Champion said.

She said yesterday she notified the Department of her concern for the well-being of residents at the facility. She said she was told by the Department that procedures would be initiated today "
in regard to the facility’s license to operate."

Champion has made a request to Governor Matt Blunt that he order the Department to review its policies and procedures as to appropriate action when such discoveries are found.

"I am most interested in knowing what procedures are in place to determine whether a situation has reached a level requiring immediate state intervention, what actions should be taken to ensure the protection of the residents, and upon that determination what process is in place to disseminate this information to the next of kin, the media, the general public, and the General Assembly," Champion said.

It is not yet clear what specific facility Champion is referring to.