Bill White offers updates on redistricting, veterans legislation

By Sen. Bill White, R-Joplin)

We closed the last full week of the opening month of session with some productive committee hearings, one of which sent the House and Senate bills for congressional redistricting to the Senate floor for consideration. 

Congressional districts contain approximately 750,000 people, adhere to the Voting Rights Act and are intended to be as contiguous and compact as possible to keep communities, cities and counties intact. 

The proposed map outlined in Senate Bill 663 and House Bill 2117 make a few, minor changes to southwest Missouri’s District 7, adding Webster County in its entirety and removing the eastern portion of Taney County.

On Jan. 26, the Senate Seniors, Families, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee heard three bills, one of which was Senate Joint Resolution 40. 

If passed by the Legislature and approved by voters, SRJ 40 will exempt all veterans with a total service-connected disability from paying personal property taxes. Currently only those who were prisoners of war and deemed totally disabled qualify for the exemption. Due to the late start of the hearing, the committee will continue to hear testimony on these proposals next week.

Additionally, this committee unanimously voted to “do pass” Senate Bills 698 and 639 to extend Medicaid coverage to postpartum women to one year. We also advanced Senate Bill 667 and Senate Joint Resolution 35 with a do pass vote. Senate Bill 667 better equips the Department of Social Services to restrict and handle contracts with abortion providers and their affiliates, and SJR 35 creates the Missouri Department National Guard, pending voter approval.