JMO4Rep Update - March 2006
Friends and Allies -
First, for those in the St. Louis area, my partner Dorothy and I would like to invite you to our home this Saturday, March 11, 3:30-5:30 p.m. to meet Peter Downs and Donna Jones, candidates for School Board for St. Louis Public Schools.
We'll have refreshments and conversation about how to improve public education. Our home is at 2910 Lemp in Benton Park, two blocks north of the Lemp and Arsenal intersection, very near the I-55 and Arsenal exit by the Anheuser Busch brewery. Please reply to this e-mail or call 314-771-8882 to RSVP.
I speak at a forum on public education that same morning at the Sunnen Room of the University Center at Webster University. The forum is hosted by Women's Democratic Clubs, Second Congressional District, and registration is at 9 a.m. Breakout sessions continue until 12:30 p.m.
On March 6 Rep. Beth Low and I hosted a Tax Justice for a Healthy Missouri Campaign press conference to announce two important tax reform bills: corporate tax disclosure and a progressive overhaul of MO's individual income tax system. The individual income tax reform shifts tax burden more toward those most able to pay (unlike our current system) and provides a refundable tax credit of $150 per person for families making less than $30,000 per year.
Almost a billion dollars in new income is generated, revenue that is much needed by our public schools, healthcare and childcare systems, etc. The tax change is subject to a public vote. See details about the bill at: http://www.house.mo.gov/bills061/bills/HB1960.htm or write me at this address to receive an editorial I wrote about the legislation.
I am pleased that advocacy by legislators and the public seems to have killed House Concurrent Resolution 13 (http://www.house.mo.gov/bills061/bills/hcr13.htm), a bill by Rep. David Sater that I found very troubling because of its singling out of a "Christian God" and its focus on protecting the rights of the Christian majority.
It still appears that we will debate House Joint Resolution 39, a less offensively worded, but so unnecessary resolution in that we have a perfectly good First Amendment now. And it's a fairly transparent move to get voters from the radical religious right (those who feel persecuted as Christians) to the polls in November. Read this resolution at: .(http://www.house.mo.gov/bills061/bills/hjr39.htm).
Finally, on Feb. 28 I filed for re-election for state representative for the 59th district. As of March 9, I am unopposed. Filing closes on March 28.
I welcome your questions or comments about the contents of this e-mail or other legislative matters. Feel free to write or call.
First, for those in the St. Louis area, my partner Dorothy and I would like to invite you to our home this Saturday, March 11, 3:30-5:30 p.m. to meet Peter Downs and Donna Jones, candidates for School Board for St. Louis Public Schools.
We'll have refreshments and conversation about how to improve public education. Our home is at 2910 Lemp in Benton Park, two blocks north of the Lemp and Arsenal intersection, very near the I-55 and Arsenal exit by the Anheuser Busch brewery. Please reply to this e-mail or call 314-771-8882 to RSVP.
I speak at a forum on public education that same morning at the Sunnen Room of the University Center at Webster University. The forum is hosted by Women's Democratic Clubs, Second Congressional District, and registration is at 9 a.m. Breakout sessions continue until 12:30 p.m.
On March 6 Rep. Beth Low and I hosted a Tax Justice for a Healthy Missouri Campaign press conference to announce two important tax reform bills: corporate tax disclosure and a progressive overhaul of MO's individual income tax system. The individual income tax reform shifts tax burden more toward those most able to pay (unlike our current system) and provides a refundable tax credit of $150 per person for families making less than $30,000 per year.
Almost a billion dollars in new income is generated, revenue that is much needed by our public schools, healthcare and childcare systems, etc. The tax change is subject to a public vote. See details about the bill at: http://www.house.mo.gov/bills061/bills/HB1960.htm or write me at this address to receive an editorial I wrote about the legislation.
I am pleased that advocacy by legislators and the public seems to have killed House Concurrent Resolution 13 (http://www.house.mo.gov/bills061/bills/hcr13.htm), a bill by Rep. David Sater that I found very troubling because of its singling out of a "Christian God" and its focus on protecting the rights of the Christian majority.
It still appears that we will debate House Joint Resolution 39, a less offensively worded, but so unnecessary resolution in that we have a perfectly good First Amendment now. And it's a fairly transparent move to get voters from the radical religious right (those who feel persecuted as Christians) to the polls in November. Read this resolution at: .(http://www.house.mo.gov/bills061/bills/hjr39.htm).
Finally, on Feb. 28 I filed for re-election for state representative for the 59th district. As of March 9, I am unopposed. Filing closes on March 28.
I welcome your questions or comments about the contents of this e-mail or other legislative matters. Feel free to write or call.
posted by Joe at
10:07 PM
