Jeff Smith for Missouri

“Derek Collins is a remarkable young man who will be a valuable student representative on the Harris-Stowe State University Board of Regents,” Sen. Smith said. “During his academic career at both Forest Park Community College and Harris-Stowe, he has demonstrated great leadership and academic success and I know will serve his fellow students well.”

Collins is majoring in business administration and expects to graduate next spring. During his college tenure, he has been a member or officer of several student organizations and was named to the Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society in 2008.

The nine-member, non-partisan board provides an independent review of child abuse and neglect determinations and rulings made by the state’s Division of Family Services.

“Nanci Bobrow is an extraordinarily compassionate, knowledgeable and capable person and a tireless advocate for protecting children from child abuse and violence,” Sen. Smith. “I know her immense skills, leadership abilities, and wealth of experience will serve the review board well.”

Bobrow is a licensed psychologist and received her doctorate in counseling psychology at St. Louis University. She is currently the assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at St. Louis University School of Medicine and a psycho endocrinologist in the Department of Pediatrics at St. Louis University Medical Center, which is affiliated with Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis.

In 2008, Bobrow received the World of Children Award in Community Volunteerism presented by the Progressive Youth Connection and a Leadership Award presented by the National Council of Jewish Women — St. Louis section. She is the recipient of numerous awards and has served on several state and national boards. From 1993-2004, she served as the co-chair of the Missouri State Task Force on Children’s Justice and is a former president, board member and advisory board member of Prevent Child Abuse Missouri.

Bobrow will serve a three-year term.

JEFFERSON CITY — Senator Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, announced today (5/7) that the Missouri Department of Economic Development has approved up to $594,464 in remediation tax credits to the City of St. Louis Brownfields Program for the redevelopment of property located at 500 North Kingshighway.

Brownfields are areas whose redevelopment may be complicated by the presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. The tax credits will facilitate redevelopment of the property into a restaurant-entertainment facility and create an estimated 62 new jobs.

“In a time when the benefit of state tax incentives is being questioned by some short-sighted Missouri lawmakers, this beneficial and crucial program only increases my conviction that tax credits — such as these and the state’s Historic Tax Credit program — are working to revitalize city properties and bring economic growth to our area,” Sen. Smith said.

The City of St. Louis Brownfields Program is located within the St. Louis Development Corporation — the city’s economic development agency. The program provides financial incentives for the redevelopment of contaminated commercial or industrial sites that are abandoned or underutilized. Applicants may be approved to receive state tax credits for eligible remediation and demolition costs.

The state of Missouri Brownfields Redevelopment Program is administered by the Missouri Department of Economic Development and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

SB 141 Heads to Governor to be Signed into Law

JEFFERSON CITY — By a vote of 154-0, the Missouri House has given final approval to legislation sponsored by Senator Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, to provide DNA testing in paternity disputes. Senate Bill 141 requires that a man presumed to be the father of a child must be notified of any civil proceedings used to determine paternity, and informs him of his right to contest the assumption that he is the father and to request a genetic test to determine his paternity.

“If DNA tests prove a man is not the father of a child, he should not have to continue making child support payments,” Sen. Smith said. “There have been many cases where genetic testing proves a man is not the father of a child, but is ordered to continue making child support payments anyway. Assuming this bill is signed, if genetic testing proves you’re not the father, you no longer bear financial responsibility for the child.”

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. The Division has a total of nearly 360,000 cases, seven percent of which required action to determine paternity.

Under SB 141, the court is required to grant relief and set aside the previous judgment of paternity and child support if a genetic test disproves paternity. The court also must eliminate all remaining child support payments, wipe out any criminal non-support charges, and order the Department of Health and Senior Services to modify the child’s birth certificate. The bill does not allow the man to be reimbursed for any child support payments made under a previous judgment.

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

Senate Bill 141 will be sent to the governor to be signed into law.