Oct. 27, 2006

In Missouri, a majority of state lawmakers have sided with special interest groups that have deep pockets.

On Nov. 7, we have the opportunity to rate their performance by casting a vote. This is an opportunity we should not pass up.

Our biggest issue in 2005 was included in the state's overhaul of the work comp system. We sought legislative language that plainly stated that owner-operator truckers are not considered employees for purposes of work comp statutes and hence cannot be charged back for the cost.

While lawmakers professed to have the same goal, what they really had in mind was further muddying the water in this area while covering the backside of at least one big Springfield, MO, motor carrier.

The principal entities providing money and motivation on the other side were the Missouri Motor Carriers Association, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and New Prime.

House lawmakers most involved with making this happen were Reps. Steve Hunter, R-Joplin; Jay Wasson, R-Nixa; Bryan Stevenson,R-Webb City; and Shannon Cooper, R-Clinton.

The most telling vote on where state House members stood on the issue happened on March 22, 2005, in House Amendment 7 introduced by Rep. Tim Meadows, D-Imperial. A "yes" vote was for the amendment we proposed.

Those voting "yes" were:

Rep. Joe Aull, Dist. 26

Rep. Brian Baker, Dist. 123

Rep. Judy Baker, Dist. 25

*Rep. Frank Barnitz

Rep. Craig Bland, Dist. 43

Rep. John Bowman, Dist. 70

Rep. Rachel Bringer, Dist. 6

Rep. Sharon Sanders Brooks, Dist. 37

Rep. Michael R. Brown, Dist. 50

Rep. John P. Burnett, Dist. 40

Rep. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, Dist. 72

Rep. Ron Casey, Dist. 103

Rep. Michael George Corcoran, Dist. 77

Rep. Melba Curls, Dist. 41

Rep. Bruce Darrough, Dist. 75

Rep. Michael Daus, Dist. 67

Rep. Bill Deeken, Dist. 114

Rep. Margaret Donnelly, Dist. 73

Rep. Curt Dougherty, Dist. 53

Rep. Yaphet El-Amin, Dist. 57

Rep. Barbara Fraser, Dist. 83

Rep. Thomas E. George, Dist. 74

Rep. Belinda Harris, Dist. 110

Rep. Jeff Harris, Dist. 23

Rep. Esther Haywood, Dist. 71

Rep. Wayne Henke, Dist. 11

Rep. Theodore Hoskins, Dist. 80

Rep. Rodney R. Hubbard, Dist. 58

Rep. Leonard Hughes, Dist. 42

Rep. Robert Thane Johnson, Dist. 47

Rep. Connie Johnson, Dist. 61

Rep. Rick Johnson, Dist. 90

Rep. Cathy Jolly, Dist. 45

Rep. Van Kelly, Dist. 144

Rep. Gayle Kingery, Dist. 154

Rep. Fred Kratky, Dist. 65

Rep. Will Kraus, Dist. 48

Rep. J.C. Kuessner, Dist. 152

Rep. Paul LeVota, Dist. 52

Rep. Albert Joseph Liese, Dist. 79

Rep. Beth Low, Dist. 39

Rep. Jenee' M. Lowe, Dist. 44

Rep. Bob May, Dist. 149

Rep. Tim Meadows, Dist. 101

Rep. Kate Meiners, Dist. 46

Rep. Jeanette Mott Oxford, Dist. 59

Rep. Sam Page, Dist. 82

Rep. Bryan Pratt, Dist. 55

Rep. Brad Robinson, Dist. 107

Rep. Jeff Roorda, Dist. 102

Rep. Marvin T. Rucker, Dist. 29

Rep. Ray Salva, Dist. 51

Rep. Sue Schoemehl, Dist. 100

Rep. Selby

Rep. Wes Shoemyer, Dist. 9

Rep. Trent Skaggs, Dist. 31

Rep. Michael Spreng, Dist. 76

Rep. Rachel Storch, Dist. 64

Rep. Terry Swinger, Dist. 162

Rep. Michael Vogt, Dist. 66

Rep. Wes Wagner, Dist. 104

Rep. Regina Walsh, Dist. 69

Rep. Juanita Head Walton, Dist. 81

Rep. James Whorton, Dist. 3

Rep. Edward Wildberger, Dist. 27

Rep. Terry L. Witte, Dist. 10

Rep. Robin Wright-Jones, Dist. 63

Rep. Patricia M. Yaeger, Dist. 96

Rep. Brian David Yates, Dist. 56

Rep. Terry Young, Dist. 49

Rep. Clint Zweifel, Dist. 78

Those voting "no" were:

Rep. Jim Avery, Dist. 95

Rep. Carl Bearden, Dist. 16

Rep. Walt Bivins, Dist. 97

Rep. Lanie Black, Dist. 161

Rep. Jason Brown, Dist. 30

Rep. Mark J. Bruns, Dist. 113

Rep. Byrd

Rep. Kathy Chinn, Dist. 8

Rep. Shannon Cooper, Dist. 120

Rep. Robert Wayne Cooper, Dist. 155

Rep. Nathan Cooper, Dist. 158

Rep. Mike Cunningham, Dist. 145

Rep. Jane Cunningham, Dist. 86

Rep. Cynthia Davis, Dist. 19

Rep. David Day, Dist. 148

Rep. Tom Dempsey, Dist. 18

Rep. Charles Denison, Dist. 135

Rep. Mike Dethrow, Dist. 153

Rep. Bob Dixon, Dist. 140

Rep. Edgar G. H. Emery, Dist. 126

Rep. Doug Ervin, Dist. 35

Rep. Sally Faith, Dist. 15

Rep. Kathlyn Fares, Dist. 91

Rep. Barney Joe Fisher, Dist. 125

Rep. Timothy Flook, Dist. 34

Rep. Ward Franz, Dist. 151

*Rep. Jack Goodman

Rep. Jim Guest, Dist. 5

Rep. Steve Hobbs, Dist. 21

Rep. Steve Hunter, Dist. 127

Rep. Allen Icet, Dist. 84

Rep. Jack Jackson, Dist. 89

Rep. Kenneth Jones, Dist. 117

Rep. Brad Lager, Dist. 4

Rep. Jim Lembke, Dist. 85

Rep. Scott A. Lipke, Dist. 157

Rep. Tom Loehner, Dist. 112

Rep. B.J. Marsh, Dist. 135

Rep. Michael McGhee, Dist. 122

Rep. Danielle Moore, Dist. 20

Rep. Brian Munzlinger, Dist. 1

Rep. Scott Muschany, Dist. 87

Rep. Peter Myers, Dist. 160

Rep. Bob Nance, Dist. 36

Rep. Brian D. Nieves, Dist. 98

Rep. Jerry Nolte, Dist. 33

Rep. Sherman Parker, Dist. 12

Rep. Michael Parson, Dist. 133

Rep. David Pearce, Dist. 121

Rep. Susan C. Phillips, Dist. 32

Rep. Darrell Pollock, Dist. 146

Rep. Charles R. Portwood, Dist. 92

Rep. John Quinn, Dist. 7

Rep. Rex Rector, Dist. 124

Rep. Ron Richard, Dist. 129

Rep. Brad Roark, Dist. 139

Rep. Edward Robb, Dist. 24

Rep. Marilyn Ruestman, Dist. 131

*Rep. Scott Rupp

Rep. Therese Sander, Dist. 22

Rep. David Sater, Dist. 68

Rep. Robert Schaaf, Dist. 28

Rep. Rodney Schad, Dist. 115

Rep. Charles Schlottach, Dist. 111

Rep. Vicki Schneider, Dist. 17

Rep. Tom Self, Dist. 116

Rep. Joe Smith, Dist. 14

Rep. Todd Smith, Dist. 118

Rep. Stepfanick

Rep. Neal C. St. Onge, Dist. 88

Rep. Bryan P. Stevenson, Dist. 128

Rep. Mike Sutherland, Dist. 99

Rep. Kevin Threlkeld, Dist. 109

Rep. Steven Tilley, Dist. 106

Rep. James Viebrock, Dist. 134

Rep. Thomas Albert Villa, Dist. 108

Rep. Maynard Wallace, Dist. 143

Rep. Jay Wasson, Dist. 141

Rep. Don Wells, Dist. 147

Rep. Raymond Weter, Dist. 142

Rep. Kevin Wilson, Dist. 130

Rep. Larry Wilson, Dist. 119

Rep. Dennis Wood, Dist. 62

Rep. Billy Pat Wright, Dist. 159

Rep. Mark Wright, Dist. 137

* Denotes member of the House who is now in the Senate

Our efforts didn't fare any better in the Senate. Working against us were Sens. John Loudon of St. Louis and Dan Clemens of Marshfield.

The most telling vote happened in the Senate on Feb. 9, 2005, when Sen. Rita Heard Days of St. Louis offered Amendment 21 on our behalf.

This amendment was defeated by the full Senate. A "yes" vote was the correct vote.

Those voting "yes" were:

Sen. Matt Bartle, Dist. 8

Sen. Joan Bray, Dist. 24

Sen. Maida Coleman, Dist. 5

Sen. Rita Heard Days, Dist. 14

Sen. Pat Dougherty, Dist. 4

Sen. Kevin Engler, Dist. 3

Sen. Chuck Graham, Dist. 19

Sen. Tim Green, Dist. 13

Sen. Harry Kennedy, Dist. 1

Sen. Delbert Scott, Dist. 28

Sen. Charles Wheeler, Dist. 10

Sen. Yvonne Wilson, Dist. 9

Those voting "no" were:

Sen. Victor Callahan, Dist. 11

Sen. John Cauthorn, Dist. 18

Sen. Norma Champion, Dist. 30

Sen. Dan Clemens, Dist. 20

Sen. Jason Crowell, Dist. 27

Sen. Dolan

Sen. Michael R. Gibbons, Dist. 15

Sen. John Griesheimer, Dist. 26

Sen. Chuck Gross, Dist. 23

Sen. David Klindt, Dist. 12

Sen. John Loudon, Dist. 7

Sen. Rob Mayer, Dist. 25

Sen. Gary Nodler, Dist. 32

Sen. Chuck Purgason, Dist. 33

Sen. Luann Ridgeway, Dist. 17

Sen. Charlie Shields, Dist. 34

Sen. Bill Stouffer, Dist. 21

Sen. Taylor

Sen. Carl Vogel, Dist. 6