One of the hottest issues on the Missouri ballot is the stem cell initiative. Its origin and future in the Missouri Senate hinges on one man, Senator Matt Bartle.
"This bill is a major step forward in modernizing and strengthening Missouri's sex offender laws, but the message remains - the primary responsibility remains in the hands of moms and dads and caretakers," said Sen. Matt Bartle, R-Lee's Summit. Bartle pointed to the fact that the majority of sex offenders know their victims.
Jackson County Republican Matt Bartle says half of the MOHELA sale - nearly a quarter-billion dollars - should be set aside for future fiscal emergencies. Bartle says this reserve fund is in response to the growing costs of Medicaid.
Not every lawmaker was pleased with the increase, but for different reasons. Conservative Republican Matt Bartle, from Lee's Summitt, disagreed with the boost in revenue, claiming the state was spending too much on the program.
Sen. Matt Bartle, R-Jackson County, suggested that spending the $432 million in one fell swoop could be fiscally reckless, citing a "grey foreboding" and "gut worry" he has about Missouri's fiscal prospects.
"I have a very fundamental concern about our ability to continue to finance programs like this that we put in place that cost 10 million this and 10 million next year," said Sen. Matt Bartle, R-Lee's Summit.
Opposition was led by the Senate's Judiciary Committee Chairman -- Sen. Matt Bartle, R-Jackson County -- who warned that because of the lower mileage ratings for ethanol, it would drive up costs for motorists.
Republican Senator Matt Bartle is proposing a bill that would take money from the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement and put it into stem cell research. 75 percent of the money would fund projects involving non-embryonic sources. Bartle says the money will be put to good use.
The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, Matt Bartle, sponsored the bill with the provision that raises McCulloch's objections. Bartle, R-Lee's Summit disagreed with claims that his bill is unconstitutional, but said new laws are often challenged in court.
The committee chair, Sen. Matt Bartle, R-Jackson County, said the wording of the bills needed to be clarified to ensure courts uniformly apply the proposed law.
In a rare move for the Missouri legislature, Senate Judiciary Chairman Matt Bartle has called for a round-table meeting to coordinate the legislator's efforts in regards to punishing sex offenders and protecting Missouri's children from sexual preditors.
But the Senate Judiciary Chair Matt Bartle, R-Jackson County, questioned whether some of the more than a dozen sex offender bills filed this session go too far.
Sen. Matt Bartle says if Missourians reject the proposal to create a constitutional right for stem cell research, he'll renew his legislative efforts to restrict stem cell research.
Sen. Matt Bartle says if Missourians reject the proposal to create a constitutional right for stem cell research, he'll renew his legislative efforts to restrict stem cell research.
JEFFERSON CITY - Republican Senator Matt Bartle is proposing a bill that would take money from the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement and put it into stem cell research.
JEFFERSON CITY - Senate Judiciary Chair Matt Bartle, R-Jackson County, questioned whether some of the more than a dozen sex offender bills filed this session go too far.
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