Latest news with #JimMurphy
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill funding newborn rescue boxes heads to Missouri governor
Rep. Jim Murphy, R-St. Louis (Photo courtesy of Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications) A bill that would help fund the installation of rescue boxes for parents in crisis to anonymously relinquish newborns to the state is headed to Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe. State Rep. Jim Murphy, a St. Louis Republican and the sponsor of the 'Safe Place for Newborns Fund,' called his legislation 'a pro-life bill that everybody agrees with.' That was nearly true. The bill faced no opposition until it reached the Senate, where state Sen. Mike Moon, a Republican from Ash Grove, voted against it Wednesday when it passed 31 to 1. When the bill returned to the House for final approval on Thursday evening, it passed 136 to 1, with state Rep. Bryan Wolfin, a Republican from Ste. Genevieve, as the lone dissenting vote. The legislation was amended in the Senate where lawmakers tacked on an increased tax credit allowance for maternity homes from 70% to 100% and raised the ceiling from $50,000 to $100,000 per taxpayer per year. The Senate also extended the expiration date on the diaper bank tax credit to 2031. The amended bill also establishes the 'Zero-Cost Adoption Fund,' which would go toward helping Missourians pay for adoption costs, giving priority to those adopting children in foster care. The fund would be administered by the Missouri Department of Social Services and also provide financial support for community-based interventions to help prevent children from entering foster care. 'Any time we can make not only the adoption process smoother and more cost-efficient and also put supports in place to ensure that the adoption is successful, that's an easy yes for me,' state Rep. Melissa Schmidt, a Republican from Eldridge, said Thursday. But the 'newborn safety incubators' remained the focus of the bill. These boxes are increasingly popular around the country, allowing parents to anonymously relinquish their infant to the state without criminal consequence for abandoning the child. Under state law, parents who relinquish their infants still have an opportunity to ask the state for custody of their child again in the future. 'Really horrifying': Missouri draws scorn over treatment of teen mom in foster care Six of these safe boxes have been installed around Missouri with four more on the way, all thanks to private donors, Murphy said. One child has been safely relinquished through this method, he said. The first box was installed in August 2023 at the Mehlville Fire Protection District in south Saint Louis County. Exactly six months later, the box's silent alarm went off. Inside the box, first responders found an hours-old newborn. In early February, while testifying in support of the bill, Hendricks said he planned to attend the little girl's 1st birthday later that month with her adoptive family. 'There is no reason in the world we live in that babies end up in dumpsters,' Hendricks told state representatives in February. 'We can do better. But the funding is an issue.' The fire chief said he receives at least three calls a month from other fire departments and law enforcement agencies interested in installing their own boxes. But in most cases, funding is a major barrier. The cost of installing each box is roughly $20,000, Murphy said. This includes equipping the box with temperature controls, alarms to notify first responders the box has been activated and a feature that dials 911. Some are also outfitted with video cameras that show a live feed of the baby. The current budget earmarks $250,000 for the program, which would put up to $10,000 toward each box, thus contributing to the installation of 25 more boxes in the next fiscal year. Murphy told his colleagues that the interest in the boxes spans the state. In Kansas City, for example, one councilman is looking to install six boxes, he said. During the House hearing on the bill, state Rep. Raychel Proudie, a Democrat from Ferguson, told Hendricks that she was texting the fire chiefs in Berkeley and Ferguson in north Saint Louis County about the technology. 'I want that box,' said Proudie, who suggested extending the relinquishment period to six or 12 months. In 2002, Missouri passed a safe haven law that allowed mothers to surrender babies within the first weeks of their lives to staff at hospitals, fire departments, ambulance services, law enforcement agencies, maternity homes or pregnancy resource centers. Since then, Murphy said, 'many, many babies were still found in dumpsters and alleys and places like that,' adding: 'The safe haven bill didn't work as planned.' The National Safe Haven Alliance, a nonprofit that advocates for 'infant abandonment protection,' reports that in 2021, 73 infants were relinquished through Safe Haven laws around the country. That same year, the nonprofit reports, 31 babies were found abandoned in dangerous locations like dumpsters around the country. Of those 31 infants, 22 were found dead. During Senate debate Wednesday, state Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern, a Kansas City Democrat, expressed her support for the bill as she addressed Republican state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman of Arnold, who handled the legislation in the Senate, acknowledging both their roles as adoptive mothers. 'My son was placed in my arms at 13 days. I can't imagine what his birth mom was going through during those days, but I am so grateful that after 13 days, she was able to place him in my arms,' Nurrenbern said. 'That's what we want for all birth parents in that situation, to recognize that there is a safe place for their baby.' On Thursday, state Rep. Bridget Walsh Moore, a St. Louis Democrat, accused Senate Republicans of hypocrisy for passing the baby box legislation then leading a filibuster the evening prior to kill legislation that would have created a child care tax credit. 'These baby boxes are all well and good,' Walsh Moore said. 'But if we invested in our families and our working families making sure that mothers are healthy and cared for and that children are safe in child care, then maybe people wouldn't have to hand their children over to the government.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Daily Record
08-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Annual John Hartson Charity Golf Day at Bathgate Golf Club raises an impressive £13,500
The event was coordinated by Walker Group's contract manager, Jim Murphy, his wife Angela, and daughter Amy Jane, with invaluable help from the Seafield Sportsman Charity volunteers. The sixth annual John Hartson Charity Golf Day, held at Bathgate Golf Club, raised an impressive £13,500 for The John Hartson Foundation, taking the total donation to over £120,000 to date. The event was coordinated by Walker Group's contract manager, Jim Murphy, his wife Angela, and daughter Amy Jane, with invaluable help from the Seafield Sportsman Charity volunteers. It continues to be a major fundraiser for the foundation set up by former Celtic, Luton, Arsenal, West Ham and Wales footballer, John Hartson, inspired by his own battle against testicular cancer. The charity is committed to raising awareness of early symptoms, supporting those who are affected by the disease and their families with counselling and assisting in the provision of medical facilities. Jim Murphy said: 'I'm thrilled that we've raised such a fantastic sum for The John Hartson Foundation. The charity is on hand to support people affected by the disease and campaigns to raise awareness of testicular cancer as well as other types of cancer - their work makes a huge difference to people who need it most. 'I'm especially thankful to the Springfield Group, including Walker and Dawn Homes, for their continued support, and to the many local businesses who generously donate raffle prizes year after year. 'It's always great to see so many familiar faces coming back to support the cause, and just as encouraging to welcome new teams getting involved for the first time.'
Times
23-04-2025
- Business
- Times
How a former FedEx man became a self-help guru
In the first 11 days of this year Jim Murphy estimates that Inner Excellence, his meditation on high-performance strategy, sold 'about 25 copies''. That may sound bad, but it's actually decent, considering the book was first (self) published in 2009, and then reissued, largely rewritten, five years ago in 2020. The book had garnered some respectful reviews, praised by a couple of successful pro golfers, albeit on the back nine of their careers. Yet it was a long, long way from a hit, ranking as of January 11 at 523,497 on Amazon's bestseller list. It looked as though Murphy, 58, who since childhood had considered future fame, wealth and glory as inevitable, was destined to be disappointed again. But then that night, January 12, something
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former St. Louis sheriff, senator Jim Murphy dies at 88
ST. LOUIS – The sheriff who was elected six times in the City of St. Louis and served as a Missouri legislator, Jim Murphy, passed away over the weekend. An obituary says that Murphy died Saturday. He was 88. Murphy took office with the Missouri Senate in 1976, filling the role for two terms after serving as a committeeperson for the city's 12th Ward. Later in 1989, he became the sheriff for St. Louis, where he would go on to keep the role for 28 years before deciding to not seek re-election. He was deemed Missouri's sheriff of the year in 1994. On This Date: Tri-State Tornado devastates the Midwest, killing nearly 700 Beyond the politics and official titles, Murphy was also a decorated soccer player as he was on the field with the U.S. Men's World Cup Soccer team in addition to several other local groups, according to his obituary. He was inducted into St. Louis' Soccer Hall of Fame the same year he became sheriff. Our partners at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch say Murphy died at a nursing home in Shrewsbury. A visitation will be held Wednesday at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. in addition to Thursday at 9 a.m. His funeral will follow at 10 a.m. Thursday at Interment at Resurrection Cemetery. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Broadvoice Receives Industry-Leading Net Promoter Score® for Customer Loyalty and Satisfaction
Broadvoice's CCaaS Platform, GoContact, Rates 50% Higher than SaaS Average LOS ANGELES, February 13, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Broadvoice, a leading global customer experience technology provider, announced today that its CCaaS solutions, which includes the GoContact platform, received a Net Promoter Score® (NPS®) of 60 from its customers. NPS measures the likelihood of a customer recommending a company, product or service and is a key metric for measuring customer satisfaction. A score of above 50 demonstrates "Excellent" customer loyalty. The average score in the SaaS sector, including CCaaS, is 40. "Differentiating ourselves through a stellar customer experience is how we broke into the business," said Jim Murphy, Chief Executive Officer at Broadvoice. "But now that we are in the business of providing customer experience software to our customers, this is really validation that CX drives success." GoContact is Broadvoice's breakthrough cloud-native contact center that combines advances in computing—the cloud, containers, microservices, AI, Advanced Analytics and more—into an affordable and agile omnichannel solution. It delivers the personalized and optimized experiences customers expect by unifying interactions into a single solution and providing access to omnichannel data and analytics to optimize customer and agent satisfaction. Controlling the customer journey and experience is critical for businesses today. However, stitching together a solution through a myriad of vendors is beyond the capabilities of most mid-market businesses. Unique among its competitors, Broadvoice provides an out-of-the-box solution with a suite of products, including UCaaS, CCaaS, Data Analytics and AI, that easily integrates with most systems used today. Along with the high NPS score, Broadvoice's latest customer satisfaction rating (CSAT) is 93%, 20 points above the industry average. Its Customer Orientation and Customer Success scores are 100%. "You're only as good as your customers say you are," said Murphy. "Our high NPS score is a testament to our unwavering commitment to their success with our portfolio of AI-powered solutions and unparalleled support." About Broadvoice Broadvoice simplifies communications for mid-market businesses with cutting-edge, customer-centric cloud-based UCaaS and CCaaS solutions, enabling seamless, personalized CX across digital channels at every touchpoint. With a network of assets and customers spanning four continents, Broadvoice drives global collaboration and commerce by focusing on customer outcomes rather than just technology. For more information, visit View source version on Contacts Media Contact Kimberly Way Director, Marketing Strategy and Operations Broadvoice 970.289.0854 kimberlyw@ Sign in to access your portfolio
