Pointing to his long record in the House of defending seniors, children and Missourians with disabilities, Harris vowed to be a champion for them as Missouri's next Attorney General. Harris also pledged to work with Attorney General Jay Nixon to restore the immoral cuts Republicans made to Missouri's Medicaid program.
"One of the most fundamental duties of the Attorney General is to be the voice for all Missourians, particularly those who lack the resources and the ability to speak out on their own behalf," Harris said. "When Matt Blunt and Chris Koster cut thousands of our most vulnerable off Medicaid, I led the Democratic fight against them. As Attorney General, I will continue that fight and I will expand on the strong efforts Jay Nixon has made to protect all Missourians."
As a legislator, Jeff Harris has passed significant legislation to protect Missourians. In 2005, he passed legislation that expanded the crime of child endangerment to include producing or selling methamphetamine in the residence of a child. He also passed in 2006 a measure that denies bail to offenders found guilty of sexual or pornographic offenses committed against children.
"I am ready to hit the ground running on Day One as Missouri's next Attorney General," said Harris. "I know the office, and I know what we can do to defend Missouri's most vulnerable."
Harris has developed an ambitious comprehensive agenda, built on the 17 pieces of legislation related to the role of the Attorney General that he sponsored this year in the Missouri House.
Harris' plan to protect Missouri's most vulnerable includes:
* Restoring the Medicaid Cuts: Harris will work with Democrats, including Jay Nixon, to restore Matt Blunt and Chris Koster's immoral cuts to Medicaid.
* Establishing Elder and Disabled Fatality Review Teams: Harris will follow the successful model used in Missouri's child fatality review teams, which have won national acclaim. He will apply this model to cases involving the deaths of the elderly and people with disabilities.
* Cracking Down on Shaken Infant Abuse: Harris will continue his push for legislation to increase the penalty for shaking a baby to death from a minimum of seven years to a minimum of 15 years.
* Increasing Protections for Persons with Disabilities in State Custody: Harris will aggressively go after facilities that do not adequately protect their residents, and will push to terminate contracts with vendors who display a pattern of abuse or neglect.
* Including Age and Vulnerability as Aggravating Factors in Rape Cases: Harris will push to have these factors included in cases of statutory rape and statutory sodomy.
* Protecting Children from Internet Predators: Harris appoint a special counsel in for child exploitation and interdiction to work with Missouri educators to develop a model curriculum to teach Missouri children how to keep themselves safe online.
* Shutting Down Fraud and Rip-Off Artists: Harris has laid out a broad plan to protect Missouri consumers, including seniors who too often are the target for fraud.
Harris' complete plan can be found at this link.
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