By Bryant Wolfin
Hello again! The House has been busy, busy, busy—committee referrals are rolling in, new legislation is still being filed, and we finally debated and voted on our first bills of the session. Now the real work begins!
Monday: A Busy Day in Committees
While session was slow, my committees were packed with hearings and votes.
Intergovernmental Affairs Committee held hearings on:
HB 290 & 778 – Radioactive Waste
HB 643 – Entertainment Districts
HB 431 & 105 – Conveyance of State Property
HB 106 – Land Reclamation
HB 1193 – Legislative Security Officers
We also voted in executive session:
HCS HB 516 (Matthiesen) – Increases the radioactive waste investigation fund cap & mandates federal reimbursement. (Passed 12-0, I voted YES.)
HCS HB 607 (Lewis) – Liked the original bill, then there were last-minute amendments handed to us 2 minutes before the vote. (Passed 8-4, I voted NO.)
Veterans & Armed Forces Committee voted on:
HB 714 (Griffith) – Expands preferential bidding points to all veteran-owned businesses. I voted NO because it violates Article I, Section 2 of the Missouri Constitution (equal rights under the law). (Passed 19-1.)
That evening, my family & I had a great dinner with Rep. Dale Wright & Scott Sattler (Perryville) discussing economic development. Grateful for their kindness & hospitality!
Tuesday: A Long But Eventful Day
Floor session: We perfected several bills, including:
HCS HB 737 & 486 – Schmidt
HCS HB 594 & 508 – Perkins
HCS HB 595 & 343 – Brown
HCS HB 75 – Loy
Government Efficiency Committee hearings on:
HB 341 – School admin & teacher pay
HB 869 – Audits of state entities
HB 868 – Cost of federal regulations
HB 767 – Fiscal notes
Executive session votes:
HB 563 – Hunting Permits – Loosens restrictions for property owners hunting on their own land. (Passed 11-5, I missed the vote due to a meeting. I would’ve voted YES.)
HCS HB 119 – Tax Levies – Prevents local governments from double-dipping on taxes. (Passed 14-1-1, I voted YES.)
HCS HB 202 – Unemployment Fraud Protections (Passed 11-6, I voted YES.)
Also, I had a meeting with Crystal Jones, Perry County Economic Development Authority’s Executive Director. Thank you Crystal for coming in! Keep up the great work!
Wednesday: Snow Day! The family and I were still in office, and they even joined in for our Prayer and the Pledge!
Thursday: Final Floor Votes
Bills that passed & how I voted:
HCS HB 737 & 486 (Schmidt) – (Passed 149-1, I voted NO.)
Why? The bill violated Article III, Section 23 (single-subject rule). An amendment would have fixed it, but it was withdrawn. Watch my speech here:
https://sg001-harmony.sliq.net/…/20200831/-1/12135…
HCS HB 594 & 508 (Perkins) – (Passed 100-48-1, I voted YES.)
Why? Abolishes income tax on capital gains.
HCS HB 595 & 343 (Brown) – (Passed 104-38-8, I voted NO.)
Why? Though constitutional, this bill implies our rights are only valid if backed by statute—contradicting Article I, Section 10 of the Missouri Constitution.
HCS HB 75 (Loy) – (Passed 106-38-6, I voted NO.)
Why? Similar issue—this bill undermines Article I, Section 5, reinforcing the wrong idea that our rights need state approval.
Watch my speeches on this bill:
Tuesday Speech: https://sg001-harmony.sliq.net/…/20200831/-1/12135…
Thursday Speech: https://sg001-harmony.sliq.net/…/20200831/-1/12146…
A Reminder from Our Founders
Our Founders never intended for the state to micromanage every constitutional injustice. It is not the government’s job to “grant” us rights—it is our duty as We the People to defend them.
Regardless of the level of government, an unconstitutional law is VOID. It is your right NOT to comply.
Final Thoughts
As I’ve said before, I took an oath to uphold & protect our Constitutions, and I will continue to do so to the best of my ability. A priority of mine is to uphold the limited-government principles our Founders stood for. This week, I had the chance to do just that.
I look forward to the next update! If you’d like to receive my Capitol Reports, sign up here:
https://house.mo.gov/CapitolReport.aspx?district=145
For Liberty,
Bryant
Office Information:
Room #111
Email: Bryant.Wolfin@house.mo.gov
Phone: 573-751-5912
Legislative Assistant: Racheal Cunningham
Racheal’s Email: Racheal.Cunningham@house.mo.gov