April 13, 2012Capitol Reports, April 14, 2012

Headline:  Former Missouri Governor Roger Wilson pleads guilty to illegal use of funds. [Entered: 04/12/2012]

By Sherman Fabes and Matthew Patane

A former Missouri governor was indicted Wednesday, April 11, and pled guilty a day later to federal charges for his involvement hiding the source of a campaign contribution.

Roger Wilson was indicted by a federal grand jury for misappropriation of funds while he was the CEO of Missouri Employers Mutual. He was charged with misdirecting $5,000 from the Missouri Employers Mutual Company (MEM) to refund a political contribution made by an MEM board member to the state Democratic Party.

On Thursday, April 12, Wilson pled guilty to the charges against him. His sentencing is set for July 9. He faces a fine of up to $100,000 and one year in prison.

"I made a mistake. I have taken responsibility for the mistake. I apologize to everyone," Wilson said in a statement outside the St. Louis federal courthouse after he entered his guilty plea.

Wilson, a former state senator who became chair of the chamber's Appropriations Committee, was elected lieutenant governor in 1996. He became governor of the state in 2000 for three months after the fatal plane crash of Gov. Mel ... continued

April 6, 2012Capitol Reports, April 6, 2012

Headline: Teacher tenure and failed school districts bills fall in Missouri Senate [Entered: 04/05/2012]

By Jordan Shapiro

Two of the major education issues for the 2012 legislative session failed in the Missouri Senate.

The Senate rejected an effort Tuesday, April 3, to eliminate the state teacher tenure system. A day earlier, Monday, April 2, a Senate filibuster forced the chamber to cast aside a measure that would have allowed St. Louis County schools to reject students from the unaccredited St. Louis City school system.

The tenure-elimination plan was rejected 17-15 by the Senate. Under current law, a Missouri public school teacher is given automatic job protection after five years.

"People want to have reform, and we can't just walk away from this," said the proposal's sponsor, Sen. Jane Cunningham, R-St. Louis County.

Senate Education Committee Chairman David Pearce, R-Warrensburg, sponsored the move to shelve elimination of teacher tenure and said the process was going too fast.

"This has long-term ramifications for the future of Missouri," Pearce said.

Cunningham said she was surprised by the vote and described it as "terribly disappointing."

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April 2, 2012Capitol Reports, March 23, 2012

Headline:  House approves a $24 billion budget for Missouri [Entered: 03/22/2012]

By Jordan Shapiro

The Missouri House of Representatives finished work Thursday, March 22, on the state's $24 billion operating budget with increases for education and cuts to health care for the blind.

House Budget Committee Chairman Ryan Silvey, R-Kansas City, said the House should be proud of the budget it passed.

"We have produced another balanced budget for the state of Missouri," Silvey said.

Missouri started the budget process with a $500 million shortfall from last year because federal stimulus funds expired and the federal government decreased its reimbursement rate for Medicaid costs.

The cuts caused by the budget shortfall left some Democrats calling for more revenue during the budget debate. Rep. Sara Lampe, D-Springfield, said the reluctance to raise taxes caused the budget to reflect a choice between higher education and social service programs.

"We are making false choices because we have not addressed the revenue stream," Lampe said.

Silvey said the House did the best it could with a certain amount of money.

"A lot of people in this chamber wish we had more money, ... continued

February 29, 2012Capitol Reports, Feb.29, 2012

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Headline: Business-backed bills advance in the legislature [Entered: 02/29/2012]

By Cole Karr and Joe Chiodo

Two major issues pushed by business advanced in the Missouri House during the last week of February.

On Monday, Feb. 27, the House Workforce Development Committee approved a Senate-passed bill that effectively restricts workers from filing damage lawsuits against employers for occupational diseases.

The bill would expand workers' compensation coverage to include occupational diseases. Workers' compensation provides health care coverage and awards for permanent injury or death. If a worker gains coverage, the worker and his or her family is prohibited from suing the employer for the injury or disease, with some exceptions.

Additionally, the bill would exclude people in prison from gaining workers' compensation coverage.

Two days later, on Wednesday, Feb. 29, the full House gave first-round approval to a bill that affects the way damages are awarded in civil cases.

The measure paves the way to comparative negligence in civil lawsuits, meaning that ... continued

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