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Politics & Government

Haefner Holds First Town Hall Meeting

The economy, jobs and rising drug use were among topics discussed at last night's town hall meeting held at the Cliff Cave Branch library.

Missouri State Representative of the 100th district, Marsha Haefner, held her first town hall meeting in front of about 60 constituents Monday at .

She discussed drug testing for recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or TANF. Formerly referred to welfare, this bill is less restrictive than she originally hoped, saying that it was a “watered down version” of the original content.

“In a perfect world, I would have every recipient drug tested every single time they pick up a check,” Haefner said.

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Still, the legislation allows TANF caseworkers to order drug testing if they feel there is just cause. If the recipient tests positive, they can undergo rehab.

Haefner said one of her proudest accomplishments was the ban on late term abortions in the state of Missouri. This bill passed through both the house and the senate by a huge majority.

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“I did not know that you could have a viable baby and have an abortion in the state of Missouri. I think that is barbaric,” she said.

Now, Missouri has one of the toughest laws against late term abortion in the United States.

Gov. Jay Nixon made his stand by choosing to neither sign nor veto the bill. Instead, he let the allotted time a bill can be vetoed or enacted run out, thereby making it law by default.

In terms of strengthening Missouri’s economic base, Nixon signed a bill that will phase out corporate franchise tax over the next five years. The hope is that eliminating this tax will make Missouri a more viable option for companies who have the capabilities to bring jobs to the state.

On job creation, Haefner said Missouri is “not faring well in the job market right now.”

Haefter gave her opinion on the Amy Hester Student Protection Act, the law pertaining to student and teacher communication on Facebook. The bill was corrected in this last special session to eliminate the “unintended consequence of teachers being able to communicate with their students.”

School districts will now be able to individually make their own rules on how to govern this kind of communication.

Haefner said her personal beliefs on this issue are that anytime a teacher has contact with a student, whether via email or Facebook, parents must be copied on the transmission.

The final big issue addressed was Senate Bill 113, known as the puppy mill compromise.  

“I can assure you, there are no puppy haters in Jefferson City,” she said.

Changes were made to the bill because there were no accommodations for funding.

issue remains in the balance. There have been major tax credit changes made to the legislation, causing it to be delayed.

Based on the opinions of her constituents, Haefner said has not voted in favor of the bill.

Also present at the town hall meeting was St. Louis County Police Officer Mike Schira. Schira shared news of recent crime in Oakville and St. Louis County, in general.

He stated that one of the biggest problems facing Oakville residents now is the and the crime associated with it.

He warned against leaving car doors unlocked and garage doors open.

“Right now, we’re having a large amount of overdose deaths due to heroin,” he said. “It’s becoming a younger drug with use among ninth, tenth and 11th graders.”

Schira said that the police department has issued some new strategies designed to track where both usage and sales are coming from to predict a pattern for heroin traffic in the county.

“From now on, anytime we handle anything that’s related to heroin, we have to enter it into a computer system. We try to cross reference who is getting what from where,” he said.

In the meantime, Schira said to use common sense. If residents see suspicious activity, report it. Anonymous tips can be made by calling 314-863-DOPE.

When drug usage goes up, Schira said, so does petty crime committed from those looking for a fix.  

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