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Friday, May 16, 2008

Senator Matt Bartle Sounds - Last Day of Missouri Senate

2008 Legislative Session Winds Down

When the gavel slams down on the Senate podium at 6 p.m.
this Friday, the 2008 legislative session will be one for the history
books. At that time, any bill that still has not been passed in the
identical form by both the Missouri House of Representatives and the
Missouri Senate will be automatically dead and will need to be revived
next year for a chance at passage. Of the more than 1,700 bills
proposed this session, only a small percentage will have been passed
by the Legislature and sent to the governor for his approval by the
time we adjourn for the year.

In the coming weeks, I will highlight some of the most
important pieces of legislation to be delivered to the governor this
session. We have debated a wide variety of issues and while fewer
bills were passed this session than during a typical year, many
important topics were addressed. It is important to note that a
legislative session should not be judged by the volume of bills
passed. Sometimes victories are measured by bills that were prevented
from passage.

One of the important pieces of legislation we passed was
Senate Bill 830. This bill encourages veterans to attend college.
Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars risked their lives to
protect Americans and rebuild important strategic partners in the
Middle-East. This bill is a small way we can say "thank you" to
Missouri veterans by helping to make the goal of pursuing higher
education less of a financial burden. Senate Bill 830 reduces tuition
rates by limiting the amount a Missouri public university or college
may charge to certain combat veterans to no more than $50 per credit
hour for programs where the student will eventually earn a
certificate, or an associate or bachelor's degree. For veterans to be
eligible to participate in the program, they must have served in
combat after September 11, 2001, been Missouri residents when they
first entered the military, and been discharged from their service
under honorable conditions. Veterans with lowered tuition rates must
also maintain at least a cumulative 2.5 GPA during their time in
school.

At the time of this writing it is too early to tell
whether many bills still awaiting final votes will clear the last
hurdle by 6 p.m. on Friday. Several bills still have a realistic shot
at passing, even if it happens to be at the last minute. By next week
the dust will have settled and we'll have a better idea what bills the
Missouri General Assembly will be forwarding on to Governor Blunt for
his approval.

If you have any comments or questions about this week's
column or any other matter involving state government, please do not
hesitate to contact me. You can reach my office by e-mail at
matt_bartle@senate.mo.gov or by phone at (888) 711-9278. My web
address is http://www.senate.mo.gov/bartle.

Sent on behalf of:

Senator Matt Bartle

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http://www.bransonedge.com
http://www.bransonmissouri.blogspot.com

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