Plaintiff naming bill passes comittee

Religious freedom won another victory this week when House Bill 728 passed the House Judiciary Committee. The legislation requires plaintiffs to be named when bringing a lawsuit involving the separation of church and state. I filed this bill after seeing groups like the Freedom from Religion Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union threaten cities for displaying religious symbols, like crosses, in their public spaces or holiday displays. These cases are often filed on behalf of unnamed plaintiffs. I think that if groups are going to threaten lawsuits on the behalf of others, they should be forced to disclose who they are representing.

I also was proud to join my colleagues in the House by passing the strongest pro-life bill in the country. Missouri is demonstrating to the nation that there still exists a place in America where we value and stand for the dignity for each and every human being. We strongly believe that every person is a gift from God and the House continues to pass policies that will protect the lives of the innocent unborn. While other leaders revel in the collapse of their humanity, we will renew our commitment to stand for every single Missouri citizen, including the innocent, the infirm, the born and the unborn.

I both co-sponsored this legislation and also spoke in favor of it on the House floor. In my remarks, I recalled my own family’s story. I believe my mother suffered throughout her life after deciding to have an abortion, as abortion punishes not only the child who perishes, but everyone involved. As a result, I will never have the chance to meet my sibling on earth, though I look forward to a reunion in Heaven. Because my brother or sister will never have the right to vote, I chose to stand up for them and vote for life.

House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith unveiled a spending plan this week that makes a significant investment in state transportation infrastructure without raising taxes or incurring new debt for the state. Smith rolled out the committee substitutes for the appropriations bills that make up the Fiscal Year 2020 state spending plan, which includes a $100 million appropriation to pay for road and bridge improvements.

Smith said the $100 million in general revenue will be dedicated to the State Road Fund for bridge projects in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, which sets the transportation projects the Missouri Department of Transportation will undertake. Smith emphasized the importance of crafting a plan that provides adequate funding for Missouri’s transportation needs without putting the state further into debt.

“Our state transportation department already has a heavy debt load and has paid more than $700 million in debt payments in just the last two years. The solution to fix our roads isn’t to go further into debt, but instead to invest wisely and responsibly in our transportation network with the funds we have available,” said Smith, who noted that the department’s 5-year average debt payment is $313 million per year.

Smith added, “Missourians need and deserve roads and bridges that are safe and reliable, and it’s our duty as the crafters of our state budget to provide a plan that doesn’t raise their taxes or force them to make payments on debt we didn’t need to incur. This $100 million investment is the most fiscally responsible solution for Missouri taxpayers.”

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Hardy Billington represents the 152nd District. Contact him at hardy.billington@house.mo.gov or by calling 573-751-4039.