What a start
Thursday, January 4th, 2024, was the 2nd day of our legislative session here in Missouri and it barely got started before it was over! There's so much to talk about in regard to this brand new session and it's my intention to share my thoughts about it with you here and on the Arise & Build podcast. In the days ahead, I'll be talking about ...
- The new Freedom Caucus
- The Republican platform
- The newly filed bills we're keeping an eye on
- Actions & words of current legislators
- And so much more!
But, to understand what's happening now in 2024, we've got to look back AT LEAST to last year. It would be even better if we could look even further back through history, but for now I think the stats on 2023 will be enough to show you that we have a HUGE problem here in Jefferson City. In fact, I'd compare it with a Pelosi-run D.C.
Understanding that problem will help you know why it is you see brave senators standing on the Missouri senate floor trying to change the status quo & being met with the full force of the GOP leadership.
Pelosi style leadership results in passing unread omnibus bills
The following charts are the final pass votes on every bill and joint resolution that passed in 2023 and went to the Governor's office for his signature. These bills are what your Missouri General Assembly actually accomplished. These were the bills they "truly agreed and finally passed."
The Governor signed most of them, but not all. The bills he signed took effect at the end of August in 2023. They are now current Missouri statute.
I've been wondering for a while, "What ARE they actually doing?" I knew, often times, the bills we were hoping to see pass were indeed dying and the ones we'd hope to kill were passing.
You hear Senate leadership (really GOP leadership in general and the talking heads on the news) complaining that they "can't get anything done" because of this crazy band of conservatives that just want to bicker and fight. From what you hear at leadership-led press conferences these guys are just far right fanatics that are making it their mission to thwart the good intentions of the GOP who only want to work together to "get things done."
My perspective after a good friend of mine, Lisa Pannett, printed and read every bill passed last spring and after we summarized and scrutinized all of them for days upon days... is that the narrative coming from senate leadership couldn't be further from the truth.
The truth I see is that Missouri would be BETTER off if they stood and opposed MORE OFTEN!
Our freedom would be much safer if they passed NOTHING at all. After all - aren't ALL republicans supposed to support less government instead of more?
To reassure you about our opinions, we contacted experts and even attorneys when we had questions or weren't sure of the language we were reading. We have already had several conversations with a variety of legislators - both senators and representatives on the specifics of certain bills as well as this overarching problem I'm addressing today.
We believe we have a good understanding of these bills and what they mean for Missourians.
We've got a huge problem and I think this 2-page chart with all the 2023 final pass votes will give you insight as to what might be the reason we aren't seeing particularly REPUBLICAN policy pass even though we have a super majority of republicans in the senate & in the house.
what you're looking at
- What they ACTUALLY did. Every bill (House & Senate bills) and the one joint resolution that actually passed the Missouri General Assembly.
- Final votes on each bill. These are ONLY the "truly agreed & finally passed" votes. These votes alone do NOT tell the whole story of what happened, but these votes alone DO pass the bill in its final form. It's the TAFP vote that is the final vote a legislator takes on bill and the vote that officially passes the bill. These are the votes you hold them accountable for.
- Every bill that passed in 2023 and the 1 joint resolution that passed. The 39 non-budget bills plus 1 joint resolution that passed are included here. We did not cherry pick bills. We wanted to know the whole story and we want you to know the whole story. After the 2023 session our team printed and read every bill that passed, searched for the votes and compiled them to study for ourselves and to share with you. These charts include all the bills & one joint resolution. 40 total votes.
- All Senators from both parties. I wanted to know ALL of the votes and see who was voting with who. All 34 senators are listed down the left. Names in red are republicans and blue are democrats. Yes, I have the House votes, too, and I'll be publishing them as well. Stay tuned.
- Part of the story. Again, these votes don't tell the whole story. Please, if you have questions about the votes, give your legislators a call or better yet, make an appointment in their office and ask in person. You can't necessarily trust they'll tell you the truth but it's your responsibility to ask and start learning. If you're new to this political arena I suggest a "trust but verify" approach with all of them.
missouri, we have a problem!
Actually we have more than one problem, but let's focus on just one for now.
What do you see when you look the charts below? Red names are republican senators and blue are democrat senators. Green votes are good (in our opinion) and yellow votes are bad.
Do you notice how A LOT of the time, everyone is voting the same way?
Even if you don't know why we support or oppose a bill and even if you don't agree with our position - it's easy to see that 80% of the time, the senate is voting as one block. They ALL vote together nearly all the time.
WHY?? Good question!
The answer: Leadership in the Senate wants everyone to be happy and get along so they can get things done. That means they have to include LOTS of things in the bills to keep everyone happy and get all the yes votes.
After they pass all the bills, they each go back home to their voters and talk about the tiny little details - almost like trophies. But while they wave the feather in their cap in front of voters at home, they don't tell you the whole truth.
Well, here it is. Every senator. Every final vote. None of them are immune...even the ones I really love and support.
This is the system they are working in and that system needs an overhaul badly.
The problem for voters: How do you hold anyone accountable when one vote includes so many topics, especially when everyone votes the same!?
The fact is they are ALL supporting ALL the issues by voting yes on Christmas tree, multi-subject, unconstitutional omnibus bills that are so big and being thrown together so quickly the last 2 weeks of session - NO ONE is actually even reading them!!
Hello! Anyone remember Nancy Pelosi?? It's like she is living and working right here in Missouri!
For more clarity....these bills come up for vote and there are really on a few options as to why they would vote yes.
- They know one or two sections of language is included that they want to support and/or they promised Lobbyist ABC or even a good friend they'd support a piece of language that's included (that makes them happy) so they vote YES.
- Their own language is in it (that makes them happy) so they vote YES.
- They know leadership will be angry if they vote NO. Happy leadership makes them happy but angry leadership means you don't get what you want tomorrow. So they vote YES.
But when you vote to support a bill that has 12 subjects in it and you've only read 1 or 2 or even if you read 11 - the unread portion of statute that you vote yes on could be the one that erodes another piece of our freedom.
The unread but supported language can & OFTEN does harm people.
Here's a PDF version that will be more readable if you'd like to download: 2023 MO Senate Final Votes.pdf
**Disclaimer: The votes shown are accurate to the best of my human ability. They were manually taken by myself, personally, from the senate journals on the last truly agreed vote on each bill. If you find an unintentional error, please reach out to me and I'll be happy to fix it.
but jodi, what is actually in these bills?
You're a smart cookie to ask!
I've already posted a few podcasts on that very topic so hop over there, take a listen and subscribe. There's more on the horizon!
It's my intention to talk and/or write a little each day about what passed in 2023, what I've witnessed since I've been involved (this is my 4th up close & personal session) and how I believe it relates to what's happening right now.
I'm going to keep talking about it both here & there so stay tuned & be sure to share with like minded friends & family.
And PLEASE pray about sharing with your pastor. We NEED the ekklesia to rise up, get educated & start using the tools God has given us to make a difference in this government mountain!
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Then you will know the truth and the truth shall set you free. John 8:32
TODAY'S GOAL: Understand the 2023 voting pattern and why it's happening.
TODAY'S ACTION: 1. Subscribe & share. 2. Find your senator's contact info here: Lookup Tool
worship before battle
We started Day 1 of our legislative session with The Gathering and it was absolutely fantastic! The Gathering yesterday was our first monthly worship and prayer time at the Capitol. If you missed it, don't worry! You've got an opportunity on February 8th to join us, so mark your calendars now!
Check back on our Events page to plan for March, April & May.
why gather & worship?
1. Last session as I was praying in the midst of some very hard days, Holy Spirit began to whisper, "Gather the believers." God made it very clear to me that we would NOT win these earthly governmental battles without divine strategy and working with Him. He continued to whisper instructions of gathering committed believers throughout the course of the interim.
2. We started monthly worship last session in 2023, but we kept it private. We gathered a tiny group in Senator Jill Carter's office for worship and prayer. It was a divinely ordained and blessed time every month. We typically invited the other senators nearby to join us and sometimes we had other guests, including citizens who were in the building for hearings and staffers. It became our favorite day of the month and we all looked forward to it, only wishing we could do it more often.
3. In the Old Testament, when the Israelites were going to battle they would send out worshippers ahead of the army to sing and worship the Lord. For example, in 2 Chronicles 20, Jehosephat told the Israelites to, "...trust in the Lord your God and you will endure. Put your trust in the prophets and you will succeed." He appointed those who sang to the Lord and who praised Him to to go before the army in praise. It was as they began singing and praises that the Lord set ambushes against the enemy.
please join us!
In 2024, we are moving our time of worship from a private office to the rotunda and we are inviting all who would like to join us to come.
Expect a short word from scripture, a short time or corporate prayer, prayer points provided for you to take home & 30-45 minutes of worship. As legislators are able to join us, we will stop and pray over each one individually.
It is a very laid back time set aside for those He calls to come and freely worship and pray as you are led. We encourage everyone who attends to take some time afterward to meet with their legislators, build relationship and use the time to offer prayers and encouragement.
If that resonates with your spirit, I hope you'll pray about joining us in February!
This article is a supplement to Episode 28 on the Arise & Build podcast. Listen for more info & subscribe!
Health & family education for mo high schools
HB 447, sponsored by Rep Bishop Davidson, is an education bill that addresses several different issues pertaining to Missouri school kids.
One of them is a change in the name of our high school health class and the development of new standards:
160.527
1. The one-half unit of credit in health education required by the state board of education shall be renamed "Health and Family Education" for the 2024-25 school year and all subsequent school years.
2. The state board of education shall convene a work group to develop and recommend academic performance standards relating to the one-half unit of credit of health and family education required by the board. The work group shall include, but not be limited to, educators providing instruction in health education and family and consumer science in grades nine to twelve, representatives from the department of elementary and secondary education, and nonprofit organizations that focus on public health, parenting, and social services. The work group shall develop written curriculum frameworks relating to health and family education with an emphasis on behavioral health relating to the causes of morbidity and mortality of youth, chronic disease management, and parenting skills associated with optimal family health over a lifetime that may be used by school districts.
This is only one small piece of HB 447 and this alone is concerning enough I would've voted no on this piece of legislation. Unfortunately, most of our legislators voted yes and this bill was signed by the governor and took effect in August.
Concerns
Why do we need to change the name of our health class? Is this really necessary?
Including 'family education' would likely indicate an emphasis on sex education and/or extending personal health of students into their homes and families. Neither one of those things is something I appreciate.
Because I've personally sat in education hearings and listened to the lobbyists for the counseling and education industries categorize parents as abusive if they don't affirm LGBTQ lifestyles, this simple change in title was a red flag to me.
In the 2nd paragraph, the red flag was confirmed. A work group that will include non-profit organizations. When you understand more of the national landscape around the issue of our youth and their health, which includes mental health, the connection to LGBTQ ideology becomes much more clear. The fact that this language specifically mentions youth mortality is another clue that the gender & sexuality issue will be front and center.
It's language like this in our statutes that are delivering woke ideology to our schools. It seems harmless on the surface but when you have an understanding of the bigger picture, it's a huge problem!
I'm adding some links to a few non-profits that would want to be part of this workgroup so you can see for yourself what I'm concerned about.
Also, remember that centralizing and standardizing systems is the goal of the globalization movement. The efforts of these organizations to bring the entire nation into alignment is a big problem.
sunshine requests
The workgroup has already met and I've requested copies of all related emails, attendance lists, and materials used. I should be receiving those documents in the coming days. It will be interesting to see what topics were actually discussed. I'll be sure to let you know, so make sure you subscribe!
Resources
HB 447 can be found here. See page 1 & 2 for the Health & Family Ed language.
WSCC model video on CDC YouTube channel.
WSCC on CDC website.
Planned Parenthood sex ed info.
Seicus - Sex Ed for Social Change
WSCC model video on CDC YouTube channel.
WSCC on CDC website.
Planned Parenthood sex ed info.
Seicus - Sex Ed for Social Change
This blog compliments Episode 24 on the Arise & Build podcast where Lisa Pannett and I discuss the interstate compact language that was found in 4 different bills in 2023. The end result was the passage of interstate licensing compacts for medical workers, counselors and social workers. The language is the same for all three professions.
Bill Links:
SB 70 sponsored by Senator Travis Fitzwater
SB 157 sponsored by Senator Rusty Black
HB 99 sponsored by Rep Bishop Davidson
HB 115 sponsored by Rep Brenda Shields
what are interstate compacts?
In the simplest of terms, interstate compacts are official agreements between states. They are not required. In fact, if you read the U.S. Constitution literally, they are unconstitutional.
Black's Law Dictionary states the legal definition of the term 'compact' is:
"An agreement or contract. Usually applied to conventions between nations or sovereign states. A compact is a mutual consent of parties concerned respecting some property or right that is the object of the stipulation, or something that is to be done or forborne."
"No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay."
Although the U.S. Constitution says states aren't allowed to enter into compacts with each other, the Supreme Court has adopted the precedent that only interstate compacts which would increase the State's power and undermine federal power need to be approved by Congress.
The compacts we are discussing today are professional licensing compacts and, therefore, are not seen by SCOTUS as unconstitutional.
what are interstate licensing compacts?
Licensing compacts between states are agreements that lay out how licensed professionals (such as doctors, nurses, surgeons, physical therapists, counselors, social workers, nail techs, emergency medical technicians, dentists, etc.) are able to practice in multiple states without jumping through more hurdles like testing, application processes, etc.
isn't that a good thing?
The simple answer is yes. We want to allow our professionals to practice in other states, move more easily across state lines, etc.
We ALREADY COULD DO THAT.
We already had the ability to have what's called reciprocity from one state to another. It didn't NEED to be changed.
these compacts cede our state sovereignty
In these bills, we have opted in to interstate compacts that address our healtcare workers, counselors and social workers.
Missouri is now opted in to three different federal level commissions. These commissions....
- Have one member on the commission from each member state. Missouri will have ONE unelected person on the commission with potentially 49 others from across the nation.
- The rules of the Commission will be carried out in Missouri with the FULL FORCE of Missouri law. Rules that will be written by people from across the nation and can be added to or amended at any time.
- The Commission is immune from any suit brought against them
- The Commission, however, can bring suit against Missouri
- The Commission can institute emergency rules with no notice
- The Commission can revoke a license without notice if the licensee is under investigation
- The Commission requires full participation in all data collection programs
- and more.. more potentially dangerous things for Missourians
rules with full force of missouri law
This point is worth highlighting. I want to make sure you understand.
These commissions now have the ability to write rules that will be enforced as law for Missouri.
Unelected people from across the country will now, essentially, be writing laws that apply to Missouri professionals.
Think about Covid as that related to our doctors.
Think about LGBTQ+ as it relates to our counselors.
Think about pandemics and left wing craziness as it relates to social workers.
Doctors = our healthcare.
Counselors = mental health & schools
Social workers = hospitals, schools, our families
What happens when this federal commission writes a rule that doctors can't deviate from CDC guidelines without losing their license?
What happens when this commission writes a rule that requires doctors to give hormones to pre-teens struggling with identity?
What happens when this commission writes a rule that requires social workers to remove kids from non-affirming homes?
What happens when the commission writes a rule that counselors will collect and submit specific data on their clients - which could be your children?
what can you do?
Call your senator and representative. Ask them about their vote on this language. Share the information you get with your friends and family. Write down the date, what they said & hold them accountable.
Missouri law makers should not be law breakers
Looks like it was going to be swept under the rug, until The Missouri Independent published an article yesterday (10/23/23) exposing the shenanigans of Missouri Speaker of the House, Dean Plocher.
I can't say that I'm surprised. Plocher has been quite a character while he's been in the House. I'm not sure why our reps elevated him to Speaker status in the first place. Frankly, they need to take some of the heat themselves. They voted him in, knowing his character.
Well...that's not entirely true. He was tapped for the position while he was still Majority Floor Leader - a full year and a half before the official vote in January 2023 was taken. By that time, the new freshmen representatives who got to vote and weren't part of the tapping, were bullied into believing he was the only choice and they'd better go along to get along. Which they always do.
lack of morals and near zero ethics
Plocher has been in hot water lately because the truth is coming out. So far, in the last few weeks we've had two major issues arise and I have a feeling we're not done yet.
1. Plocher was pushing for an $800K purchase of software for the Mo House - which was wasteful and not necessary at all. He had personal connections to the lobbyists pushing the buy. That's a No-No.
He also apparently was threatening staff who were pushing back and trying to protect Missouri tax dollars. I recorded a podcast about that about that a few weeks ago.
The end result is that his Chief of Staff got fired & the grapevine talk is that he was threatening other jobs as well.
He's certainly not been a morale builder since he took his position as Speaker. Just ask around and the legislative assistants will tell you the tyrannical rules he's put into place. He's treating them like they are kindergarteners.
2. He's a thief. This is a pretty basic principle...."Thou shalt not steal. Ex 20:15" If we could just get our elected officials to follow the 10 Commandments - what a difference that would make.
The latest drop of information which includes documentation obtained via Sunshine request show that he's been double dipping and stealing from Missouri taxpayers to line his own personal pockets.
I heard that the FBI was in the building when the whole situation with the software went down. I assumed that is as far as it would go but now it looks like Plocher has broken Missouri law more than once and could possibly be facing federal charges, depending on the amount of dollars that was taken.
plocher needs to be removed!
If they can do it in Washington, I don't see why we can't do it in Missouri! Our House Speaker is as corrupt as they come and he needs to be removed from his office. In fact, I personally feel he needs to be removed from the House altogether. At the very least, he should NOT be holding the most influential seat in Missouri politics!
House Ethics Committee Is Meeting
Friday, October 27, the Missouri House Ethics Committee is meeting at 10:00am in House Hearing Room 4.
That meeting will be closed, but every committee member needs to be getting calls & emails from across the state from now until then that are asking for Plocher's removal from the Missouri House.
And even though the meeting will be closed, if you're free on Friday it might be a great day to have a grassroots meeting. Who wants to have brunch in the Capitol basement Friday around 9:30am?? I'll bring the donuts!
what you can do
1. Call & email each committee member listed below. Request they remove Dean Plocher from his House seat entirely at their meeting Friday. Rep Hannah Kelley will be the one in charge and leading the group.
Committee Chair, Rep Hannah Kelley 573.751.2205 hannah.kelley@house.mo.gov
Vice Chair, Rep Richard Brown 573.751.7639 richard.brown@house.mo.gov
Rep Jerome Barnes 573.751.9851 jerome.barnes@house.mo.gov
Rep John Black 573.751.1167. john.black@house.mo.gov
Rep Paula Brown. 573.751.0100 paula.brown@house.mo.gov
Rep David Evans 573.751.1455 david.evans@house.mo.gov
Rep Rick Francis 573.751.5912 rick.francis@house.mo.gov
Rep Robert Sauls 573.751.5701. robert.sauls@house.mo.gov
Rep Marlene Terry 573.751.6845. marlene.terry@house.mo.gov
2. Pray. Pray God removes Plocher from this office and brings whatever it takes to drain this part of the Missouri swamp.
Remember that Nehemiah prayed AGAINST his enemies. We have Biblical standing to pray that Plocher is removed and his efforts to harm Missourians are turned back onto his own head.
Be sure to subscribe if you haven't already - there's more to come on this front, I'm sure.
