January 26, 2008 04:29 pm
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By Alexandra Nicolas
news@joplinglobe.com
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The legislative session essentially is just getting started, but the fall election already is weighing heavy on the minds of both Republicans and Democrats.
After giving every indication to the contrary for months, Gov. Matt Blunt unexpectedly announced Tuesday he would not seek re-election for a second term.
Attorney General Jay Nixon said Blunt’s decision not to seek re-election would not affect his Democratic campaign for the governor’s office.
“Just because the governor decided not to run, does not mean 400,000 people who’ve had their health-care cut have had it restored,” Nixon said.
But a potential scramble for many upper-level offices has been a subject of discussion in both parties since the governor’s announcement.
Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin, said he had been approached about running for a number of different offices “down the hall from the governor.”
“I wouldn’t mind being the governor of the state of Missouri at some point, but I would not identify myself as one of the five Republican candidates most likely to win the general election this year,” he said. “I’m not a candidate for governor this year, while other offices are potentially worth considering, I just don’t see that as a realistic possibility.”
Though election strategy was a popular topic last week in Jefferson City, issues like drunken driving also dominated conversation.
House Bill 1423 mandates the installation of ignition-interlock devices on the cars of those convicted of driving while intoxicated. Present at the bill’s hearing was Joplin resident Kerry Freeman, who appeared on behalf of her daughter, Christina, who was killed in 2006 while riding in a car operated by an alleged drunken driver off South Range Line Road. Freeman now volunteers her time bringing hot food and drinks to police officers working at DWI checkpoints in Joplin.
“If you see 100 cars on your drive home, statistically, three of those cars will have drivers who have DWIs,” said Rep. Neal St. Onge, R-Ellisville, who is sponsoring the bill.
Ignition-interlocks will not allow a driver to operate a vehicle before the driver proves he is within the legal limit for intoxication by breathing into the device. Those that test over the legal limit will not be able to start their cars, and the attempt to do so is logged in the interlock’s internal computer.
Joplin residents can obtain interlocks from TintFX, where the device can be installed for approximately $70 with a regular monthly maintenance fee.
But Debra Coffey, a representative of Smart Start, an interlock provider, says she expects more providers to move into the market to offer interlock installation if the bill passes. Interlocks are an option in Missouri after a DWI conviction, but license-suspension is a more frequent penalty.
“Seventy-five to 80 percent of people keep driving,” said Dr. Richard Roth, who testified as an expert witness after doing extensive work with similar legislation in New Mexico. The goal of the ignition interlock, St. Onge said, is to allow Missourians to drive legally without the possibility of endangering others on the road.
“With the ignition interlock you know whoever gets behind the wheel is not going to be impaired,” said Phaedra Marriott, who is bound to a wheelchair after being hit by a drunken driver in 1996. “It offers them the opportunity to drive, to go to work, to do things with their family, to pick up their kids from day care, so for me it’s a win-win situation.”
Bills on the other half of the Capitol building might offer returning soldiers the opportunity to attend state-funded colleges and universities for a significantly discounted rate up to 10 years after their military duty.
Senate Bill 830, sponsored by Sen. Maida Coleman, D-St. Louis, in its current form would cut tuition for veterans who served after Sept. 11, 2001, to $50 per credit hour, though the bill may be revised to cut the cost to a percentage of the original tuition.
“We support any efforts to integrate our comrades in arms back into society,” said Dewey Rean, member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars who testified at the bill’s hearing.
Coming up
Bills concerning everything from cyber stalking to appropriations for primary and secondary education will be discussed this week by Missouri legislators.
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