Heap of the Week

On the NorthEast News website, I found an entertaining page. The Heap of the Week shows photos of particularly egregious littering!

Abortion Bill Stalls

The House and Senate couldn't come to an agree on the before mentioned abortion bill causing Rep. Bryan Pratt, a Blue Springs Republican to give up on it.

Bill Designates December 25th as Christmas

Representative Mike Cunningham(R) of Rogersville, MO introduced a bill in the house that designates December 25 of each year to be known as Christmas and requires state agencies, public schools and colleges, and political subdivisions to use the traditional names of holidays.

Read the bill -HB 128

Rural Empowerment Zone

A bill going through the MO House and Senate currently deals with the interesting topic of the Rural Empowerment Zone. The Rural Empowerment Zone is an tax-exempt area a rural area with high levels of poverty and unemployment. This bill makes it illegal to have two Rural Empowerment Zones in one county, and allows Rural Empowerment Zones to exist in any county with 18,000 or fewer residents

Click on what you would like to see - more details about the bill, Rural Empowerment Zones, or just what taxes they are exempt from.

Bill in Jefferson City to Limit Abortion Rights

Going through the Missouri House and Senate is a bill regarding consent requirements for obtaining an abortion and creates the crime of coercing an abortion. It is already a crime to coerce anyone into having an abortion, and the rest of the bill details what a physician would be required to do before performing and abortion:

• provide printed materials detailing the risks of abortions
• provide the mother with the age of the unborn child
• give the mother the opportunity to view the ultrasound and hear the heartbeat
• past 22 weeks through pregnancy, provide the mother with info about the pain caused to fetus
  
• Prominently display statements encouraging a pregnant woman seeking an abortion to contact agencies that help women carry an unborn child to full term and that no one can coerce a person to have an abortion

For more info click here

Council Votes to Do Citizen Surveys More Often

Currently the citizens of Kansas City are given a survey once a year to voice their opinions of elected leaders. The City Council on Thursday voted to increase the number of times the citizen satisfaction survey is completed to four times a year. Councilmembers Marcason, Riley, Circo voted against the measure with the remaining members voting for it, and Councilmember Gottstein was not present. Marcason argued against the measure on the grounds that people would be swayed by different concerns during various seasons, like conditions of roads in the winter, skewing the results. She also voiced her concerns about the price of bumping up the amount to four times a year instead of one. Mayor Funkhouser did not believe there would be an increase in cost of doing four surveys.

Click here to read the resolution: 090340

American Jazz Museum To Still Get Funding

The American Jazz Museum will get $550,000 from the city for its 18th and Vine Project to fund its management and operations.

Read the resolution here 090302!