Jeff Smith 2006

Jefferson City — Sen. Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, will visit kindergartners at the Confluence Academy, South City Campus, at 4235 Compton Ave., St. Louis, on Friday, April 11, to participate in a Reading Assembly designed to encourage students to read through adult participation.

Sen. Smith will read to kindergartners from six classes, beginning at 2 p.m. Sen. Smith and other special guests were invited to participate in the newly created program, which promotes reading for learning and pleasure. His visit was rescheduled due to inclement weather that occurred during a scheduled February visit to the school.

Jefferson City – Sen. Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, today asked residents in the 4th District to submit the names of Missourians from the private sector who have achieved, accomplished or overcome something remarkable in their lives. Some of these remarkable Missourians from throughout the state will be featured in the Missouri Senate’s 2009 Calendar.

Dear Friends,

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. And sometimes, you lose really, really badly. This is a story of a bad loss (on campaign finance legislation), a great win (on early childhood education), and the roller coaster that is life in the Missouri Senate.

When I last wrote, I told you about my efforts to transform the way political campaigns are run in Missouri. I filed Senate Bill 1071, which creates a system for voluntary public financing of Missouri campaigns, thereby eroding the role of special interests.

Jefferson City — State Sen. Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, today testified before the Senate Commerce, Energy and the Environment Committee in support of Senate Bill 1117, dubbed the “green building” bill. Smith notes his legislation contains many of the environmentally-friendly ideas developed by the Missouri Energy Task Force and mentioned by the governor during his State of the State address in January; Committee Chairman Kevin Engler (R-Farmington) has expressed support for the ideas within the bill.

Jefferson City – The Senate Ways & Means Committee heard testimony this week and is considering a proposal forwarded by state Senator Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, which would offer a state earned income tax credit to benefit lower-income Missourians by reducing their tax liability and, in some cases, providing refunds to help them keep more money in their pockets to meet everyday expenses.

The bill would provide support to full-time workers by providing a refundable state earned income tax credit (EITC), equal to five percent of a qualifying allowable federal EITC, and double the amount every two years until it reaches a cap of 20 percent in 2013.

Dear Friends,

I apologize in advance for the length of this missive, but last Wednesday was probably the most interesting day of my first session. I want to explain why, because I think it’s important for you to know why I make the decisions I make.

Near the end of session, once each chamber of the Legislature has passed numerous bills, the Senate leadership decides to hear a handful of House bills, and the House leadership decides to hear a select few Senate bills. Except for passing the budget, neither body is bound to take up legislation passed by the other.

Dear Friends,

I know I haven’t written for a while. I try not to bombard you with emails – especially the ones asking for money. And I know you’ve probably heard all you can take about Scooter Libby, Alberto Gonzales, and David Vitter to last you for a while. So I won’t pile on.

Instead, I’d like to invite you to the 2nd Annual Jeff Smith 3-on-3 Basketball Tournamentand Community Fairon July 28th at Fairground Park.

Dear Friends,

Thanks to so many of you who attended the second annual Jeff Smith 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament recently. For those who couldn’t attend I wanted to let you know that the event was a huge success, and we’ve already started planning for next year. We added several new components this year: a community service fair, a variety of health screenings, and the distribution of hundreds of books and bags of school supplies to kids in attendance.

Dear Friends,

I hope this note finds you well. Let me give you a sense of what I’ve been up to lately.

First, I’ve been getting around the district. I’ve attended functions throughout the city, from the St. Louis Hills neighborhood’s Art in the Park to annual fall festivals in The Hill, Clifton Heights, and The Grove. I’ve visited dozens of non-profits across the city, touring the new homes sprouting in the historic Ville neighborhood thanks to Northside Community Housing, discussing potential legislation to address the sub-prime loan crisis with leaders from Beyond Housing, serving lunch to the clients at Food Outreach, and meeting volunteer doctors with Gateway to Hope (GTH), an unprecedented initiative by doctors to treat (at no charge) breast cancer victims who otherwise would have no other option. (If you are a medical professional who can donate time or supplies, please reply to this email and let me know how you can help. This is an exceptional program, but it will only flourish through the generosity of people like you.)

Dear Friends,

Wow. We’re back in session and it’s been hectic.

Once I finish filing all of my legislation in the next few weeks, I’ll send a more comprehensive explanation of my priorities for the session (funding early childhood education, raising teacher salaries, and providing incentives for energy conservation). And I’ll try to give you the skinny on some of the negotiations surrounding a few important bills.

But for this week’s newsletter I’d like to describe an interesting dilemma I recently faced involving an opportunity I had to appear on Comedy Central’s “Colbert Report,” a humorous late-night political talk show.