The Association report

from the Capitol

March 22, 2002

The state capitol will be quiet for a few days as legislators loaded up their cars and headed back home Thursday (Mar.21) at the close of the day's legislative session. Thursday marked the beginning of the annual legislative spring break. This year's spring break is to include Easter Sunday and the following Monday. Work at the Capitol is to resume on April 2.

This year's session has been somewhat unusual for a couple of obvious reasons. First, legislative term limits will remove nearly half of the veteran legislators who've been putting together the legislative agenda for the past decade or more.  Taking away this experience and "institutional knowledge" could substantially change the philosophical direction of state government. And of a more immediate impact, normally quiet legislators are using this last opportunity to express themselves - to make the speech they've only thought about for so many years. Some of them seem saddened and others relieved at the prospect of coming to the Capitol for the last time.

Still, other legislators are just plain cranky. Maybe that can be attributed to the second reason this is an unusual legislative session. That is a state budget that's squeezed the patience of many.  We haven't yet seen the most dramatic impact of the budget situation. However, the discussions of the virtual elimination of a department (higher education), the closing of institutions (corrections) and employee layoffs (this could be anywhere) have resulted in unusually long hours of pouring over budget books. Historically the house finishes the budget before it leaves on spring break. This year budget bills won't even go to the house floor until after April 1^st.

The bleak budget entered into discussions Wednesday (Apr. 20) when our Association's legislation dealing with MoDOT salaries came before the House Transportation Committee. HB 1620, sponsored by Rep. Dan Ward, would require regular job studies, limit the number of pay brackets per grade for salaried employees and establish annual pay raises based on the consumer price index (CPI). Committee members essentially agreed with the need for a better response to state employee salaries. But several members of this committee have spent recent weeks wrestling with a budget that won't balance and they were preaching patience. Appearing at the committee hearing was Association president, Steve Cox, legislative specialist, Larry Thompson and 20 to 30 Association members.

When legislators return in April for the home stretch run, I'll be bringing you more reports on our Association's legislative progress. The session ends this year on May 17.

From Harry Hill, Lobbyist

Missouri Highway and Transportation Employees' Association