Historical February–March 2011 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
We are all familiar with the old refrain, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” It’s something I occasionally repeat to myself when I become frustrated by the slowmoving legislative process, but our system, and the state Senate in particular, is designed to slow down the process and ensure we thoroughly consider an issue before voting on it.
We often see the same bills filed year after year; some of those bills gain traction for whatever reason and make it to the floor for debate, while others don’t even receive a committee hearing. Sometimes, though, persistence pays off.
With that in mind, I am sponsoring two pieces of legislation again this year that I strongly believe would benefit the citizens of St. Louis. Senate Bill 23 would allow the City of St. Louis to control its police force through the passage of a local ordinance.
The St. Louis Police Department is currently controlled by the St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners. Four of the five commissioners are appointed by the governor and the fifth member of the board is the Mayor of St. Louis.
The citizens of St. Louis clearly support returning control of our police department to the local level.
On November 2, 69% of St. Louis voters approved Proposition L, the measure that asked voters if they want authority over the police department to return to local control.
I think those results send a strong message to Missouri lawmakers that the time has come to end this antiquated arrangement.
My proposed legislation would not alter the current police pension system for members of the St. Louis Police Department, which will continue to be governed by state statute.
The move to local control would not affect any officer benefits or residency requirements and it would allow for collective bargaining of uniformed officers.
I am hopeful the results of the November 2 election will be the catalyst that finally passes this important legislation so the City can start to save money and resources by combining duplicative services.
The other important legislation I am sponsoring this year addresses school attendance in St. Louis for five-year-old children. Just 45% of St. Louis public school students graduate from high school, and we know this problem begins at an early age. Too many children are falling through the cracks and are not consistently attending school.
The bill I plan to file this week would ensure we are doing everything we can to get them to stay in school.
The legislation I am proposing would require parents or guardians residing in the St. Louis School District to enroll their child in a public, private, parochial or parish school by the age of five.
This will ensure children are receiving their education during a crucial time in their development. Starting school at age five instead of age seven will help identify students with special needs and prepare children for future success.
The 2011 legislative session promises to be a difficult one due to an estimated budget shortfall of $500-million. Protecting education, higher education and the services and programs Missourians rely upon will not be an easy task, but I believe if we all work together we can meet these challenges and move our state forward.
Original photograph caption
State Senator Joe Keaveny. Photographer not credited.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, February–March 2011.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times2011_02.pdf, printed page(s) 7; PDF page(s) 7.
