Latest news with #BradChrist
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
SLMPD state control bill would also hold sheriff to higher standards
Note: This video is from March 12, 2025. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The bill for the state to take control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is one step away from being put into law by Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe. But one extra line in the bill would force the sheriff to have additional training before taking office. Missouri House Bill 495, sponsored by Rep. Brad Christ, R-Sunset Hills, states that 'the sheriff of any city not within a county shall be required to hold a valid peace officer license pursuant to chapter 590 within two years of being elected as sheriff.' According to the Missouri Department of Public Safety, in order to be eligible for applying, they must meet the following requirements: 21 years of age or older Is a U.S. citizen Holds valid high school diploma or equivalent Graduate of Basic Law Enforcement Training Center Passes the Missouri Peace Officer License Exam No criminal history Applicants must complete a minimum of 600 hours in training in the state of Missouri, but some academies, such as the MSHP, require double the amount, according to Department of Public Safety Communications Director Mike O'Connell. The minimum basic training includes subject areas legal studies, interpersonal perspectives, technical studies and skill development. Family of Riley Strain files wrongful death lawsuit against Delta Chi fraternity Currently, the City of St. Louis has the following requirements to run for sheriff: U.S. Citizen Resident of the city for one year Taxpayer in City of St. Louis No felony convictions This part of the bill comes at a time when new St. Louis Sheriff Alfred Montgomery is facing lawsuits and scrutiny less than four months into his term. Former sheriff's deputy Darryl Wilson was working security at a south St. Louis gas station when he said Montgomery arrived and told him he was under arrest. Wilson said Montgomery also demanded his security license and personal gun. Additionally, attorneys stated last month that Montgomery lied when confronted about making an employee roll dice to keep his job. Most recently, St. Louis Jail Commissioner Tammy Ross filed a lawsuit against Montgomery earlier this month for allegedly detaining Ross for refusing access to an inmate. The sheriff reportedly wanted his department to interview an alleged rape victim, whom police spokesman Mitch McCoy said was off-limits after police had conducted an interview. Kehoe is expected to sign the bill into law on March 24. FOX 2 reached out to bill sponsor Brad Christ and Sheriff Alfred Montgomery for comment, but neither has responded upon publication of this story. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Proposed tax credit boost may be lucrative for Missouri anti-abortion centers, donors
Anti-abortion advocates gathered at the Midwest March for Life in front of the Missouri State Capitol on May 1, 2024, in Jefferson City (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent). When the Missouri House signed off on a $1.3 billion tax cut package last week, it included a provision creating a 100% tax credit for donations to pregnancy resource centers, maternity homes and diaper banks. The credits — allowing up to $50,000 in donations to be accepted in place of taxes owed — are seen by supporters as a way to increase aid to pregnant women in need following Missourians' decision to legalize abortion last November. 'There's no time in the history of Missouri that I can recall where there's a better time to support life,' state Rep. Brad Christ, a Republican from St. Louis, said during a committee hearing last month. But pregnancy resource centers have proven controversial around the country, accused of providing women with inaccurate medical information in an effort to discourage them from seeking abortions. And critics have raised concerns that allowing Missourians to satisfy their entire tax bill by donating to anti-abortion organizations could create significant budget uncertainty. 'Even if you view this totally in isolation and don't pay any mind through the mission of the organizations at hand here, this is egregious policy' said Carl Davis, research director at the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. 'There's no reason to do it this way.' The tax credit for pregnancy resource centers was set at 70% in 2021, up from 50%. Maternity homes also currently sit at 70%, and diaper banks are at 50%. Following the 2022 change, the Pregnancy Help Center of Central Missouri in Jefferson City saw a $100,000 increase in tax credit-eligible donations, its executive director, Leslie Kerns, told the House special committee on tax reform. The original bill's sponsor, state Rep. Christopher Warwick, a Republican from Bolivar, did not respond to an interview request, but during a House hearing he described the legislation as 'a simple bill' that redirects the additional 30% the government has been getting to women in need. 'We need to keep government out of a lot of things, and this is one of them,' Warwick said during the hearing in which he was asked if he would include a provision mandating oversight of how the donations are spent. 'We need to be able to make sure that donors are getting their resources directly to those that need it, and when we're talking about pregnancies and women who are looking for help, this bill allows that and puts donors right in front of those who need it most.' A number of tax credit programs in Missouri are built to incentivize donations to certain causes, including the Developmental Disability Care Provider Tax Credit, Domestic Violence Shelter or Rape Crisis Center Tax Credit and 'Champion for Children' tax credit. But the credit to pregnancy resource centers tends to get the most attention because of its involvement in Missouri's longstanding battle over abortion. Pregnancy resource centers are not medical facilities but rather provide services including free pregnancy tests, prenatal vitamins, parenting classes, ultrasounds and counseling. While 100% tax credits — meaning the donor reduces their tax bill the exact amount they gave — aren't unheard of, they are usually capped. What's different about this year's proposal is that while tax credit claims remain capped at $50,000 per individual contribution, there would not be a cap at the aggregate level, meaning there is no limit to how many people can claim credits. Without an aggregate cap, it would take 200 people donating $50,000 to cut into Missouri's budget by $10 million. If 1,000 people took advantage of the full credit it would cost the state $50 million. The state's total tax revenue in the most recent fiscal year was about $14.2 billion. Missouri Republicans take victory lap as legislative session heads into its home stretch Sam Lee finds any concerns about the fiscal impact overblown. The longtime anti-abortion activist and lobbyist pointed to a January 2024 tax credit analysis by the Missouri Department of Social Services concluding that for every dollar redeemed by taxpayers with the tax credit, the state saves $1.77. The report explained the savings by concluding the donations assist women with unplanned pregnancies 'who may have, otherwise, accessed state assistance.' Last fiscal year, about $7.5 million was claimed under this tax credit. Lee noted there is no aggregate cap for pregnancy resource center tax credits under the current law and donations still remain far below what's directed to other programs that do have a cap, like the private school tax credit program MoScholars. That tax credit program is set at 100% and draws from general fund dollars to pay for private school tuition. It's capped at $75 million annually. But Davis, with the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, said this year's pregnancy resource center proposal has the potential to create significant budget uncertainty because, unlike MoScholars, it would allow for more than just cash donations to the centers. Stocks, bonds and property could qualify as well, which Davis said could lead to a 'glut of donations' to centers as donors use the program to avoid paying capital gains taxes. Davis recently published a brief laying out his apprehensions after a ProPublica story alerted him to the legislation. The credit for stock or other assets that have appreciated in value would be for the market value at the time of the donation. If sold for the same amount, the owner would pay federal tax on the profit of up to 20% as well as state income tax of up to 4.7%, depending on income level. 'What I'm concerned about is that it would be exceptionally easy for taxpayers to pair this 100% match with avoidance of capital gains tax,' he said. 'And then you end up with this scenario of basically personal profiteering off a tax shelter that would be set up in the state.' Davis worries without an aggregate cap on donations in Missouri, the 100% credit could inspire people to game the system. 'This is not good policy. This is not neutral policy. This is very distortionary,' he said. 'It encourages opportunists to come out of the woodwork and to take part in this, not because they care about the cause at the heart of this bill at all, but just because they want to make a buck for themselves.' Pregnancy resource centers, frequently affiliated with religious organizations and sometimes situated right next to the state's handful of Planned Parenthood clinics, are often criticized for their efforts to dissuade or even hinder women from accessing abortions. Supporters say the centers help women uncertain about continuing a pregnancy with the resources to feel more secure in the decision. Kerns, with the Jefferson City center, said during the hearing that her center, like all pregnancy resource centers, is not allowed to perform, induce or refer for abortions. She said they have women mark where they're at on a 'decision guide' to see if they're 'abortion-minded.' If they show an interest in abortion, they're given an information sheet about abortion that includes the procedure's risks. In many cases, however, the information women are provided at pregnancy resource centers is inaccurate and skewed to influence their decision, said Michele Landeau, chief operating officer of Hope Clinic, an Illinois abortion clinic across the river from St. Louis. 'We see a lot of people who have visited these anti abortion centers that receive these tax credits, who are given misinformation,' Landeu said. 'And who essentially end up delaying their care because of the misinformation that they receive from these centers.' Landeau said about half of Hope Clinic's patients are from Missouri. Patients have told her that pregnancy resource centers gave them incorrect gestational ages or told them incorrectly that they weren't allowed to travel for abortions. 'This harm will not only continue, but it will be uplifted, essentially, by these additional tax credits,' said Landeau, who lives in Missouri. For the 2025 fiscal year, there are 82 pregnancy resource centers eligible to benefit from the current tax credit. There are 20 maternity homes and six diaper banks. Lee believes the legalization of abortion in Missouri last fall was a catalyst in the renewed desire by lawmakers to support pregnancy resource centers. A Jackson County judge recently struck down several of the state's abortion regulations, including a law that patients must wait 72 hours before going in for an initial appointment and actually undergoing an abortion. Lee said this puts added urgency on pregnancy resource center staff. 'They realize they need to have staff available, if not 24/7, at least every day to respond to women who in the near future could get an abortion that day,' Lee said. 'And that's not been the situation in Missouri for years and years.' Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe proposed a state budget increase of $4 million to federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds that goes to Alternatives to Abortion. It would earmark $12.6 million for programs that provide services, including counseling, to women 'at or below 185% of the federal poverty level, to assist in carrying their unborn child to term rather than having an abortion.' A 2004 study of more than 1,200 women who had abortions found that 73% said they decided to undergo the procedure in part because they could not afford to have a baby, according to a study by the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights research group. The 'Turnaway Study,' a widely-referenced piece of research published by Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, found that women who were denied abortions, many of whom were already mothers, experienced an increase in household poverty over the next four years. It also found that children born following a denied abortion were more likely to live below the federal poverty line than those born to women who previously had an abortion. The anti-abortion movement in Missouri is not solely focused on regulating the procedure, Lee said. Efforts to help reduce abortions have taken a number of shapes through the years, including by extending post-partum Medicaid coverage. The 100% tax credits, he said, are one more piece. 'There's just not one magic bullet here,' Lee said, 'which will reduce abortions.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State takeover of St. Louis police clears legislature, heads to Missouri governor
State Rep. Brad Christ, a Republican from St. Louis, speaks to reporters in February after the House passed his bill that would give the state authority over St. Louis police (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent). Legislation putting control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department in the hands of a state board is on its way to the governor's desk. On a 113 to 39 vote, the Missouri House gave final approval to a bill to put the city's police department under control of a board made up of the St. Louis mayor and five commissioners appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate. Gov. Mike Kehoe is expected to sign the bill, as he has cited it as a major piece of his policy agenda. If the legislation becomes law, St. Louis would join Kansas City as the only major U.S. cities with a police force under state control. It would go into effect when Kehoe signs the legislation, and he would then have 90 days after that to appoint four of the commissioners. 'This is not the cure all, but it can help ensure that one key piece of the puzzle is in place, funding, staffing and supporting our police department to common sense, adequate levels,' said state Rep. Brad Christ, a St. Louis Republican sponsoring the legislation. A state board of commissioners ran the St. Louis police department from just before the start of the Civil War to 2012, when voters returned the department back to the hands of local leaders. Republican lawmakers argue the return of the department to city control was a failed experiment, citing population loss, rising crime and low police morale as evidence. And they repeatedly argued Wednesday that the governor-appointed board should not be considered a state takeover because commissioners will be city residents. 'We show we have the backs of our police,' said state Rep. Jim Murphy, a St. Louis Republican, 'and that alone is worth a yes vote.' Meanwhile, Democrats point to statistics showing a drop in violent crime in St. Louis under local leadership. They argue Kansas City has fared no better despite being under state control since the 1930s. 'This bill will do nothing to address crime,' said state Rep. Del Taylor, a St. Louis Democrat. 'Taking over the St. Louis police department has nothing to do with reducing crime. The state ran the department for many years, and the people of Missouri voted to return it to local control.' The bill ran into a filibuster by St. Louis Democrats in the Senate. But with overwhelming support from the GOP supermajority and governor — and even some Democrats outside St. Louis — opponents agreed to let the bill move forward with key concessions. Among the provisions removed at the insistence of Democrats was a mandated minimum number of officers required to be on the police force and an immediate requirement for the city to put 25% of its general revenue toward the department. Instead, the size of the force will be determined by the board, while the city's budget commitment will be phased in. The original bill also included a role for the police union in choosing up to four members of the commission, an idea Democrats insisted be removed. Democrats also managed to add provisions banning the shackling of pregnant prisoners, establishing a fund for exonerated prisoners to receive restitution from the state and limiting what jails and prisons can charge inmates for phone calls. Republicans also agreed to remove a provision that broadened the definition of rioting, a change Democrats feared would have wide ranging unintended consequences. But the changes to the bill did little to win over St. Louis Democrats, who decried the state takeover 'The two largest cities in this state with the most African American population are going under state control,' said state Rep. Marlon Anderson, a St. Louis Democrat. 'Do I think that's a coincidence? No, I don't. I see the agenda and it's written on the wall.'
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Missouri House passes bill to shift St. Louis police control back to state board
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri House has passed a bill that would shift control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department to a state-appointed board. The bill now heads to the Missouri Senate for consideration. The bill, House Bill 495, sponsored by State Rep. Brad Christ (R-St. Louis County), grew into a broader public safety measure during the committee process leading up to Thursday's final vote on the House floor. For more than a century, control of the St. Louis Police was under similar oversight proposed by Rep. Christ: A Board of Police Commissioners consisting of the mayor and a group of commissioners appointed by the governor. St. Louis urgent care doctor sentenced for $740k of Medicare, Medicaid fraud That Civil War-era arrangement was overturned by voters during the 2012 election, and the City of St. Louis has retained exclusive authority over the department since 2013. According to HB 495's language, if also approved by the Senate and Gov. Mike Kehoe, a five-person board would take control of SLMPD in August. The board would consist of the St. Louis mayor and four commissioners. To qualify, commissioners must have lived in the City of St. Louis for at least three years and cannot hold any other public office. The governor would have sole discretion over one appointment, while the remaining three would be selected based off recommendations from the mayor's office, St. Louis Police Officers Association and Ethical Society of Police. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones has shared the following statement with FOX 2 on the bill's House approval: 'To this day, no lawmaker who supports state takeover of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department has been able to say how it would make the City of St. Louis safer. They also cannot explain why they are so determined to overturn the will of nearly two-thirds of Missourians who voted for local control. Today's vote is politics at its worst. I'm thankful to Chief Robert Tracy and every member of the SLMPD for all the work they continue to do for the people of St. Louis.' A news conference is scheduled for later Thursday afternoon on the bill's progress. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Missouri House bill for state control of St. Louis police gains momentum
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Missouri House bill that would shift control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department to a state-appointed board is gaining momentum, moving closer to clearing the chamber. SLMPD currently operates under control of the St. Louis mayor's office, though several GOP-backed bills have proposed a board of police commissioners to oversee the department instead. One bill making notable progress is HB 495, sponsored by State Rep. Brad Christ (R-St. Louis County). On Tuesday, the bill won a second round of approval from the Missouri House and moved to the fiscal review stage, where a committee will evaluate its cost impact. If it clears that step, the bill could return for a third reading and final vote in the House. If approved from there, the bill would head to the Missouri Senate. Developer picked to demolish Millennium Hotel, revamp site To take effect, the bill would also need to follow a similar legislative process in the Senate, pass all steps for a final vote, then ultimately be signed by Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe. According to HB 495's language, a five-person board would take control of SLMPD in August. The board would consist of the St. Louis mayor and four commissioners. To qualify, commissioners must have lived in the City of St. Louis for at least three years and cannot hold any other public office. The governor would have sole discretion over one appointment, while the remaining three would be selected based off recommendations from the mayor's office, St. Louis Police Officers Association and Ethical Society of Police. In 2012, voters approved a statewide referendum to give control of SLMPD to the St. Louis mayor's office. Before that, for nearly 150 years, SLMPD was under the control of a state-appointed board, similar to what various bills making rounds have proposed. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now FOX 2 reached out to Rep. Christ's office Wednesday for a comment on HB 494, but did not receive a response on the bill's progress specifically before publication of this article. However, he offered this previous comment in a December 2024 news release: 'This is about solving a public safety crisis in St. Louis that is affecting the entire state. We need to take the politics out of policing and build a stronger foundation for the SLMPD. This legislation is a step toward restoring order and safety in our communities.' FOX 2 also reached out to the St. Louis Mayor's Office, which provided the following statement from spokesperson Rasmus Jorgensen: 'Crime is down in St. Louis across the board, and it has been falling consistently under the local leadership of Mayor Jones and Chief Tracy. Many Republican legislators have admitted that state control will not reduce crime. It's disheartening to see legislators in Jefferson City seek to overturn the will of a significant majority of Missouri voters who gave local control back to the people of St. Louis. We will continue to advocate for proven local leadership.' Missouri Senate Bill 44 and Senate Bill 52 have also addressed similar St. Louis police board changes as part of a broader crime package, as discussed in the video attached above from a January 2025 FOX 2 report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
