March 17, 2015
Please take a few minutes to both pray and take action on these important issues.
Last Week in Review
Tuesday, March 10
Life
Tuesday was Pro Life Action Day at the Missouri State Capitol. There were hundreds of pro-life Missourians who came dressed in red to show their support for the sanctity of human life and their support of legislation that is filed to further protect it. Gina Allen, Missouri’s Pro Life Coordinator, graciously manned our table at the event. She was able to greet and introduce many of the attendees to CWA of Missouri and what she does to head up our effort to promote human life at every opportunity. Thank you, Gina, for your excellent representation of CWA of Missouri!
Encouraging Office Holders to Do the Right Thing Though Unpopular at Times
Concerned Women for America of Missouri hosted a movie night for the members of the Missouri General Assembly. We showed Sophie Scholl – The Final Days. This movie is the true story of Germany’s most famous anti-Nazi heroine Sophie Scholl. During the peak of the Third Reich, Sophie Scholl along with her brother Hans and other students in Munich, formed a resistance group called the White Rose and distributed anti-Nazi leaflets. We showed this movie hoping to encourage the office holders to be ready to do the unpopular thing at times.
Wednesday, March 11
The Truth Project
Missouri Alliance for Freedom (MAF) and CWA of Missouri have teamed up to sponsor breakfast and the showing of the weekly DVD study The Truth Project. The Truth Project is a twelve-subject world view study and is held on Wednesday mornings at 7:00 a.m. in Hearing Room 4. Our topic was Science: What is True? This Wednesday’s lesson will be History: Whose Story?
Take Action: If you live close to the Capitol, make plans now to attend and bring a friend. Contact your state representative and state senator and encourage them and their staff to attend The Truth Project on Wednesday mornings. Click here to find out who your state representative and state senator are as well as their contact information.
Life, Liberty, Property and the Pursuit of Happiness
Legislative Liaisons Sherry Kuttenkuler and Linda Laird, Bev Ehlen and Jefferson City Prayer/Action Chapter member Lora Tipton attended the monthly Center to Right meeting held at the Capitol in the morning. They were encouraged by the good attendance. Most of the individuals attending the meeting were individuals who are new to working in the public policy arena. They are Missourians who are concerned about life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness being protected at the local, state and federal level.
Education
The legislative liaison team attended the hearing for HB42 in the Senate Education Committee. HB42 is sponsored by Rep. David Wood (R-48). HB42 establishes a system of school accreditation by building rather than by district making it too easy to close buildings through non-accreditation. The Department of Elementary and Second Education (DESE) has too much power as it is, and this bill, if passed into law, would give them even more power. DESE assumes it will need at least 24 full-time employees as the system will expand from the current 519 public school districts to include 41 charter LEAs, 2,074 public schools and 64 charter schools. The new accountability system would go from accrediting 519 entities to 2,698 entities. The fiscal note shows that it could cost $29,865,000 over the next three years. That much cost to the taxpayers of Missouri and not one additional teacher is placed into the classroom. CWA of Missouri opposes HB42.
Action Item: Please contact your state senator and ask him/her to oppose HB42. Click here to find out who your state senator is as well as their contact information.
Representing You
The ladies spent the remainder of the day attending hearings, visiting with members of the Missouri General Assembly (MOGA) and delivering the weekly handouts which contain inspiration, comedy and principles of good government. They also personally invited each member of the MOGA, who are within a 30 minute drive, to attend one of the stops on the Liberty First 2015 Tour.
Legislation and Events Needing your Prayers and Action This Week
HB190, sponsored by Rep. Kathryn Swan (R-147), and SB33, sponsored by Sen. Wayne Wallingford (R-27), would require the Department of Health and Senior Services to inspect and investigate abortion facilities no less than once a year. The bill specifies inspection and investigation reports must be made available to the public. HB190 is currently in the Senate Veterans’ Affairs and Health Committee. CWA of Missouri supports HB190 and SB33.
Action item: Contact Sen. Dan Brown (R-16), Chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs and Health Committee, and ask him to support HB190 and to give it top priority, moving it through his committee quickly. Then contact each member of the committee and ask them to support HB190.
HB113, sponsored by Rep. Bill E. Kidd (R-20), establishes “Simon’s Law”, which changes the laws regarding life-sustaining or non-beneficial treatment policies of health care facilities for the better. CWA of Missouri supports HB113.
Action item: Contact Rep. Keith Frederick (R-121, Chairman of the Health and Mental Health Policy Committee and ask him to bring up HB113 in Executive Session and then to turn in for perfection in the House.
HB1033, sponsored by Rep. Mike Moon (R-157), removes the statutory restriction on the interpretation and construction of state law regarding unborn children which makes it subject to the federal and state constitutions and contrary court decisions. This would make our state statutes’ definition of human life only subject to what the Missouri General Assembly decides-not the federal or state courts. CWA of Missouri supports HB1033.
Action item: Contact Speaker John Diehl (R- 89) and ask him to please assign HB1033 to the Health and Mental Health Policy Committee right away.
Next Week’s Activities
Liberty First 2015 Tour
Next week the Missouri General Assembly will be on Spring Break, and we will be conducting another Liberty First 2015 Tour featuring KrisAnne Hall.
Action Item: We urge our members and friends who live within thirty minutes of each seminar to make plans to attend and then contact their state representative and state senator and ask them to attend the three-hour seminar. This seminar will be very helpful to those state and local office holders in understanding the history of our republic and their role as a public office holder. Click here to find out who your state representative and state senators are as well as their contact information.
Partner with Us
We ask for your prayers, financial support and participation. We are an all-volunteer organization. Each of the ladies travel to the Capitol, pay for gas for their cars and overnight stays, food away from home, etc. It would be great to have some individuals step up and “Sponsor a Legislative Liaison.” This money could go directly to reimburse a Legislative Liaison for some of her expenses. Think about it, pray about it and contact us should the Lord move you to “Sponsor a Legislative Liaison.”