That could change in Missouri. A proposal introduced by Attorney General Jay Nixon and Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, last week would be the most stringent regulation on spam in the country to date.
JEFFERSON CITY - Missouri's Attorney General Jay Nixon and Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, are proposing anti-spam legislation tougher than any in the nation.
Nixon said he will work with Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, and Sen. Wayne Goode, D-St. Louis County, to draft legislation creating a "no-spam" list similar to the state's telephone no-call list limiting who telemarketers may call.
Nixon announced plans to enact No Spam legislation modeled on the state's No Call law. The No Call law makes it illegal for tele-marketers to solicit consumers on the No Call List. Missouri State Representative Chuck Graham and Senator Wayne Goode will introduce legislation making it illegal for companies to send email to consumers on the No Spam list.
Nixon said he will work with Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, and Sen. Wayne Goode, D-St. Louis County, as they draft legislation creating a "no-spam" database similar to the state's No-Call list.
Nixon said he will work with Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, and Sen. Wayne Goode, D-St. Louis County, as they draft legislation creating a "no-spam" database similar to the state's No-Call list.
Many Democrat lawmakers say Reps. Chuck Graham of Columbia and Bill Ransdall of Waynesville are expected to run for floor leader to replace the term-limited Wayne Crump of Potosi.
Columbia Rep. Chuck Graham, who heads the committee that handles the budget for both local schools and colleges, said support for higher education has always been "lukewarm."
House bill sponsor Chuck Graham of Columbia says the legislature must find a way to pay for the foundation formula now that the bill is out of conference committee.
"I very much want to put a ballot issue out to the voters in August," said Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia. "They'll have the summer to drive the roads on their family vacations, and I think they'll realize we need to raise the revenue to fix them."
A bill changing the formula that determines how money is distributed to local districts received final approval from the Missouri Senate on Monday. The change, sponsored by Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, would lower how much it would take to fully fund the formula.
Negotiators agreed to draft a statement to the university explaining the cuts and urging them to take corrective action. Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, a member of the committee, said he wasn't sure exactly what message lawmakers were attempting to send.
Going into Wednesday Kreider had appointed conferees for two budget bills, but refused further appointments until lawmakers agree on a restructuring of the school foundation formula. Kreider backs a bill from Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, that would require $175 million from the state for full funding.
Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia and chair of the Appropriations Committee on Education, said securitization of a portion of the tobacco settlement and use of the so-called Rainy Day Fund are options under consideration. He said withholdings for state agencies are also being looked at, but operating funds for higher education will be spared.
Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, said if the formula is not fully funded, it would have a "disproportionate impact" on Columbia public schools because Columbia has a higher tax base and would therefore receive less state money.
However, the House has passed legislation sponsored by Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, that effectively lowers the full-funding figure by changing how one of the factors in the formula is calculated.
Lawmakers voted to restore $2 million to the state's Liquor Patrol that was cut in earlier committee action. Columbia Rep. Chuck Graham, who proposed the original cut, said many local businesses had complained to him that the patrol went overboard in their enforcement of liquor laws.
During Wednesday night's debate Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia and Chair of the Appropriations Committee on Higher Education, noted that the UM Board of Curators took a position against the policy in October.
"This bill is not in the best interests of higher education," said Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia. "I cannot believe that this is the No. 1 priority bill for higher education this year."
Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, who heads the subcommittee handling higher education funding, said many members are uninformed about what the board does. He said the pressure to cut funding from the budget has resulted in poor decision making.
Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, who heads the subcommittee handling higher education funding, said many members are uninformed about what the board does. He said the pressure to cut funding from the budget has resulted in poor decision making.
Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Boone County, said he was optimistic that spring break would give legislators a chance to think about the budget clearly, away from the pressures of the capitol.
Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, said that last year SMS was the only one of the state's four-year institutions to receive a budget increase. Graham noted the $1.9 million increase came from the Appropriations Committee on Higher Education, which he chairs.
Rep. Chuck Graham, Budget Committee member and chair of the Appropriations Committee on Education, said the Budget Committee's decision indicated to him that people feel higher education has been cut as far as they're willing to go.
Columbia Rep. Chuck Graham, who chairs the House committee that handles higher education funding, said university lobbyists are mainly there to answer questions on complicated subjects. He says it is no different than any other state agency that hires liaisons.
Committee Chairman Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, said he didn't anticipate cuts further than Holden's in his committee, but said anything could happen when the proposal has to compete with other departments for funding.
Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, said he thinks public colleges and universities would be spared any additional withholdings, with other state agencies taking the bulk of the cuts.
Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, said aside from mandated programs and the school foundation formula, he doesn't think any area of the budget is immune from cuts.
Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, said he thinks the request goes too far. Graham said the records don't necessarily reflect members' activity on the Internet. For instance, he allows constituents and interns to use his computer.
Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, said because funding is based on property values, the state is faced with a big jump every two years following county reassessments. Under his plan, those jumps would be averaged over two years.
Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, said because funding is based on property values, the state is faced with a big jump every two years following county reassessments. Under his plan, jumps would be averaged over two years.
Beebe, for example, is running for Arkansas state attorney general. On Wednesday, Reps. Tim Harlan and Chuck Graham, both Columbia Democrats facing term limits during the next few years, announced they are planning to run for the same state Senate seat in 2004.
The bill, filed by Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, would require one of the nine curators to be a full-time student at one the UM System's four campuses. Currently, a student representative serves on the board but does not have a vote.
Reps. Chuck Graham and Tim Harlan, both D-Columbia, said Wednesday that they plan to run for the same Senate seat in 2004, currently occupied by Ken Jacob. Graham has represented the area since 1997, so term limits will make 2004 his last possible year in the House. Harlan has represented the area since 1994, making this his last year in the House.
Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, chairman of the House Appropriations-Education committee said it will be difficult to fund this program. "We've got such a bad budget right now we're having to go in and find $220 million for the School Foundation Formula," he said. "With this budget, it's going to be hard to find that funding."
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