Tag: Michael Davis

VIDEO: House sends Governor a Bill to Block Landfill near Kansas City-area Neighborhoods

The state House has voted to send to the Governor a bill that would prevent the construction of a landfill in a residentially zoned area near the Kansas City border.

House Bill 1751 would require approval of nearby municipalities within a one-mile radius of a proposed solid waste processing facility, demolition landfill, or sanitary landfill, in addition to already proposed restrictions on solid waste disposal areas.

The issue has been a top priority for several years for Pleasant Hill Republican Mike Haffner, who said today’s vote is a victory for the property rights of Missourians.

“I am thrilled that HB 1751 has cleared the Missouri House and is one step closer to becoming law,” said Representative Haffner. “This legislation is a victory for the people of Missouri, who have spoken loud and clear about the need to defend their property rights and preserve the well-being of their communities.”

Majority Floor Leader Jonathan Patterson, a Lee’s Summit Republican, expressed pride in the work of Haffner and other colleagues in the House and Senate in at last guiding this issue through the legislature.

“The business owners that worked to build this landfill are decent, well-intentioned people who want to better their community and provide a service. I commend their actions to work with the community, the City of Raymore, and the legislature to come to an amicable agreement to draw this issue to a close,” Patterson said.

The House voted 121-25 to send that legislation to the governor, who can sign it into law, veto it, or allow it to become law without any action.

Plan to flatten rates for inmate phone calls endorsed by House panel

      A House committee has advanced a proposal to set a flat rate on how much inmates are charged to make phone calls home from the state’s jails and prisons, to promote family communication even during times of incarceration.

Representatives Aaron McMullen and Michael Davis (Photos: Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

      “Right now there’s no set standard,” according to Independence Republican Aaron McMullen.  “It’s just a patchwork of whatever the county or local [government bids] it at.”  

      According to data presented to the House Committee on Corrections and Public Institutions, some facilities are charging more than $1 a minute for a phone call, and on average, a 15-minute phone call costs $5.74.  One study found that more than one-third of families with incarcerated relatives went into debt due to the costs of keeping in touch with those loved ones. 

      McMullen and Kansas City Republican Michael Davis are sponsors of a proposal to cap the cost to inmates at $.12 per minute.  Davis said their plan for facilities in Missouri is based on how the federal government regulates calls from correctional centers that cross state lines.

      “The federal government can regulate interstate calls, but they don’t have the ability to regulate intrastate calls,” Davis explained to the Committee.  “What our bill does is, we apply the regulation that the federal government is applying … to interstate calls at the rate for correctional centers, which is $.12.” 

      The pair said their goal is to keep families in contact even during periods of incarceration.  They said children who have limited contact with incarcerated parents have an increased risk of self-harm and suicide, and incarcerated parents who have contact with children are less prone to substance abuse or reoffending, upon release. 

      “There’s just a lot of good data that suggests that this is the right way to go and reduces recidivism, and increases and protects the families,” McMullen said. 

      They said many families with incarcerated loved ones are poor, and high phone rates over the course of a year can amount to a third or more of a family’s income at a time when one of its providers is already absent.  

      A similar bill last year was approved by the committee 9-0.  Committee members discussed possibly adding a cap on the cost of inmate email communications to this proposal.

      Their proposals are House Bill 1679 (Davis) and House Bill 2169 (McMullen).