Jeff Smith for Missouri

Saturday, April 18, 2009
Harris Stowe State University, Emerson Theatre
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

The forum seeks to engage various community leaders, clergy, elected officials, administrators and others on their perspectives as to the challenges facing education in urban communities. Panelists will present a variety of viewpoints on the issues.

Dr. Kelvin Adams (Superintendent, St. Louis Public Schools)
Mary Armstrong (AFT Local 420 President)
Dr. Benjamin Chavis(Co-Chairman, Hip-Hop Summit Action Network)
Kevin Chavous (National Reform Author and Activist)
Missouri State Representative T.D. El-Amin (57th District)
Aaron North (Exec. Director, Missouri Charter Public School Assn.)
Mayor Alvin Parks (City of East St. Louis, IL)
Rev. Horace Sheffield (Detroit, MI)
Earl Simms (State Coordinator, Children Education Alliance)
Missouri State Senator Jeff Smith (4th District)
Joe Williams (Exec. Director, Democrats for Education Reform)

Radio station Hot 104.1 FM will be broadcasting live from the event.
On- air host Demetrius Johnson will moderate the panel discussion.

On Friday, April 17th, there will be a march of concerned citizens to call attention to the issue of urban education. The march will be led by Rev. Horace Sheffield and DFER chairman Kevin Chavous and include many of the panelists above.

The march begins at St. Louis City Hall at 10:00 AM and proceeds to the offices of St. Louis Public Schools.

Sen. Smith’s Amendment Expands Care to 10,000 Children

JEFFERSON CITY — The Missouri Senate late last night rejected an amendment offered by Sen. Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, which would have expanded health care coverage for an estimated 10,000 Missouri children under the State Children’s Health Insurance program, or S-CHIP. Sen. Smith offered his amendment during debate on House Bill 11, an appropriations bill funding the Missouri Department of Social Services. The amendment failed on a mostly party-line vote, with all present (21 of 23 total) Senate Republicans rejecting the effort to provide health care to thousands of needy children.

“This measure would have cost each family in Missouri about one-half penny a day, or about two dollars each year to provide health care to ten thousand Missouri children,” Sen. Smith said. “We’re debating a 23-billion dollar state budget and I’m asking for less than 6-million dollars to make sure our children don’t fall through the cracks and go without health care. Also, the federal government would send us nearly $3 for every $1 we spend on this. I think this is a wise expenditure, since our federal tax dollars are currently going to subsidize the expansion of children’s health care in states like Massachusetts and New York.”

Sen. Smith’s amendment would have eliminated S-CHIP premiums for families at up to 185% of the federal poverty level.

“I’m trying to give the struggling mom with two kids some peace of mind by making sure her children receive the health care services they need,” Sen. Smith said. “It seems like the compassionate, common-sense thing to do.”

Jefferson City — Senator Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, announced that the Missouri Foundation for Health will provide funding to two groups in St. Louis to help cover their ongoing costs.

Women’s Support and Community Services, a.k.a. Safe Connections, will receive $121,695. The group works to increase awareness of violence against women among college students through campus-wide efforts, interactive group settings and other methods.

“These are both great organizations that provide much-needed services to our community,” Sen. Smith said. “I thank the Missouri Foundation for Health Board of Directors for their commitment to bettering the lives of so many Missourians.”

JEFFERSON CITY — Senator Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, announced that Delta Gamma Center for Children with Visual Impairments, 5030 McRee Ave., St. Louis, has been approved for $125,000 in tax credits from the Missouri Department of Economic Development’s Neighborhood Assistance Program.

The funds will be directed to the renovation of a new facility in St. Louis County for outreach and expansion of services. Delta Gamma provides comprehensive early intervention services for infants and toddlers who are blind or visually impaired and their families, including education and orientation and mobility services; therapy services for children with complex development challenges; and an array of family support services.

Renovations to the facility will include state-of-the-art adaptive classrooms, four libraries for parent education, technology, development toys, and a community meeting room for training, meetings, and family support activities.

The Missouri Neighborhood Assistance Program provides assistance to enable community-based organizations to implement community or neighborhood projects in the areas of community service, education, crime prevention, job training and physical revitalization.

SB 141 Restores Fairness to Questions of Paternity

JEFFERSON CITY — The Missouri Senate today approved a measure sponsored by Senator Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, to provide DNA testing in paternity disputes. Senate Bill 141 requires that any presumed father must be notified of any civil proceedings used to determine paternity, informs him of his right to contest the presumption of paternity and request genetic testing, and eliminates child support arrearage for non-fathers.

“If a man is determined through DNA testing not to be the father of a child, he should not be forced to continue making child support payments,” Sen. Smith said. “We’ve seen several instances where genetic testing proves a man is not the biological father of a child, but the court orders him to continue making child support payments. So this bill is simply a matter of fairness.”

In 2008, the state Family Support Division reported 33,810 children were born out of wedlock in Missouri, accounting for approximately 40% of all births in the state. Seven percent of all cases required action to determine paternity.

“A number of states like Florida, Georgia and Ohio have already passed laws freeing men from financial obligations if they find they were deceived into parenthood,” Sen. Smith said. “If a non-biological father wants to continue supporting the child and wants to maintain that relationship, that’s wonderful, but he should not be forced to support someone else’s child.”

Senate Bill 141 now moves to the House for consideration.

Show-Me Green Sales Tax Holiday to Deliver Energy, Customer Savings

Sen. Smith-Sponsored Energy-Saving Program Runs April 19-25

JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri’s first annual Show-Me Green Sales Tax Holiday — an energy-saving program introduced by Sen. Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, and passed by the General Assembly in 2008 — will be observed this month in conjunction with Earth Day celebrations throughout the state.

The holiday, which runs from April 19-25, allows Missouri businesses and consumers to save money, save energy, and stimulate the economy when they purchase new Energy Star qualified appliances in Missouri. Participation in the sales tax holiday means a savings of at least 4.225 percent, with additional tax savings available in some cities, counties and other governmental entities that opt to participate in the holiday. In some areas, the tax savings jump from 4.225 percent to nearly 8 percent (see a list of participating entities at http://dor.mo.gov/tax/business/sales/taxholiday/green/).

“The Show-Me Green Sales Tax Holiday is an ideal time to buy energy-efficient appliances for a reduced price and to begin saving on future utility bills,” Sen. Smith said. “Using energy-efficient appliances reduces greenhouse gas emissions, which helps the environment, and Missouri families who buy these appliances can also save about 1/3 on their energy bill.”

Energy-Star-certified appliances that qualify for the sales tax exemption are:

• Clothes washers

• Refrigerators

• Freezers

• Dishwashers

• Water heaters

• Furnaces

• Air conditioners

• Heat pumps

The sales tax exemption only applies to the first $1,500 on each appliance. If the appliance costs more than $1,500, the regular sales tax rate is in effect for any of the purchase price above $1,500.

The dates of the tax-free holiday purposely coincide with Earth Day so local communities, schools, and others can help educate consumers on cost-saving, energy-efficient practices.

“Greener homes bring tremendous environmental benefits to our communities and to our state, so I want to encourage all Missourians to participate in the holiday — and to seek other opportunities for making better energy efficient choices,” Sen. Smith said.

From my issues page:

Missouri State Historical Preservation Tax Credit

The Missouri State Historical Tax Credit is one initiative that successfully attracts new industry. The tax credit provides an incentive for the redevelopment of commercial and residential historic structures, a vital aspect of attracting new business. This influx of businesses effectively creates a direct cash infusion into state and local budgets. This point was demonstrated in 2000, a year in which the cost of the credits was $20 million while the direct increase in state and local taxes for that year was $30 million. The credits generated 1 ½ times their cost; it is evident that capping this credit would increase the deficit and worsen the budget crisis. Overall, the total benefits of the Missouri State Historical Preservation Tax Credit far outweigh the direct infusion of monies, resulting in an economic boost to Missouri’s economy by over $1 billion every year. In addition, limitations on this tax program would be detrimental to the tourism industry. The tax credit currently generates $660 million annually in heritage tourism spending while also increasing state revenue and creating over 20,000 jobs. We cannot afford to limit such valuable benefits by placing a cap on the tax credit. Without the Missouri State Historical Tax Credit, developers and homeowners will not invest the necessary amount of capital and urban renewal will be severely hindered. This credit is important not only to the city of St. Louis, but to Missouri as a whole. It creates state revenue, jobs, and redevelopment both for cities and rural communities.

When I ran for the Missouri Senate in 2006, I promised the 4th District I would be in Jefferson City to protect their jobs. One way I promised to do that was to use my ability to talk for long periods to filibuster bills that will hurt the City of Saint Louis.

Yesterday I was doing exactly that. I have never tried to pit the interests of my District against those in other Districts, but I will not stand by as jobs in my District are cut for jobs in other Districts.

Wow. A politician who keeps his promises.