Bureaucratic rules burden us

To the Editor:

Entering the second year as your Senator, I am proud to report the promises made in my campaign still hold true today. I pledged to use my 43 years of business experience to bring accountability to the functions of government that affect all of us on a daily basis.

We should all be alarmed and aggravated by the actions, rules and regulations imposed upon us by unelected bureaucrats from the state and federal government. These actions should be as unacceptable to us now as taxation without representation was to our forefathers.

The following are some recent examples of state and federal agencies that have overstepped and imposed rules that have damaged our economy and society. The pursuit of happiness, in my opinion, has never been challenged more than it has been over the last few years.

Let's start with rule making that affects our local area:

The new General Management Plan (GMP) of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways is in the final stages of being implemented. These rules will negatively impact our citizens' access, enjoyment and use of the rivers and parks.

All retail and family owned businesses depending on tourists such as restaurants, hotels, grocery stores, fuel stops and outfitters will feel the effects first. Then schools, city and county governments will be next to experience a loss of revenue. Fishing, boating, canoeing, camping, hunting and horseback riding will all be curtailed for decades. This will also harmfully affect our timber and livestock industry. Senator Mike Cunningham and I sponsored and passed SCR 22 that opposes this GMP plan.

The Missouri Department of Revenue last year totally disregarded Missouri law by implementing the Federal Real ID Act by scanning birth certificates and performing retina scans when people renewed their driver's license and CCW permit. Subsequent release of personal information to an out of state vendor has subjected our citizens with the potential of identity theft for many years to come.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) jointly contributed to the Doe Run Company in Herculaneum, MO closing the last ammunition-grade lead factory in the United States. This resulted in several hundred people losing their job. The Doe Run Company has spent millions of dollars on environmental cleanup and continues to spend and is delaying a proposed new factory, while awaiting a final settlement with the EPA and DNR. This action has undermined our national defense, adversely affects American hunters, and raises the price of auto parts such as batteries, etc. Doe Run lead mines here in Missouri now have to rely on China to finish this processing of lead.

Recently the EPA proposed the elimination of wood burning stoves that don't meet their new stringent criteria. Research shows no current stoves are capable of meeting this requirement. Many of our families are already having a hard time heating their homes, and will be forced to depend on higher cost energy, such as propane gas and escalating electric bills caused by the EPA attack on coal fired electrical plants.

The Missouri Department of Labor, by its rule making, has and continues to inflict a serious burden on our businesses both large and small. These aggressive actions force companies to prove their innocence from frivolous legal action, contrary to our belief of innocent until proven guilty.

All of the above actions were derived and implemented by bureaucrats who are politically appointed and don't have to stand for election. Enhancing oversight is a needed precaution to keep from permanently damaging our way of life and the security of our country.

Currently there are many important bills before the legislature. Senate Joint Resolution 42 (SJR 42), if approved, would require that department rule changes be sent to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) for oversight, of which I am not a member. This committee made up of (5) Senators and (5) Representatives would address the legality and impact of the changes on Missouri citizens. This bill requires passage in the Senate and House, then on to Missouri voters as a constitutional amendment before becoming law. This would allow our citizens to have the last word.

As we await SJR 42 to reach the Senate floor for debate, one of many discussions going on right now is whether to exempt the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) from this legislation. There are (4) MDC commissioners that manage a yearly budget over $147 million. Their board meetings establish a quorum with only (3) members present. My experience with this agency has been good, however, a concern of mine would be the possibility of a vote of only (2) commissioners that could make dramatic changes to this department, affecting your tax money that supports this agency, and your rights to fish, hunt and utilize conservation property. It is important to note that all of these commissioners are political appointees of the Governor.

With this being said, I listen to debate in the (5) committees I serve on plus each bill upon reaching the Senate floor with all of its potential amendments/changes. There are now 509 Senate Bills and 60 Resolutions being considered, and it is my duty to perform due diligence before taking a position on a bill.

The 170,000 plus citizens of the 25th district are my oversight committee.

Senator Doug Libla

25th District

(EDITOR'S NOTE: A quorum is defined as the number (as a majority) of officers or members of a body that when duly assembled is legally competent to transact business. As you know senator, official business is conducted when only a majority of those are present, regardless of the size of the body. Your rambling about unelected bureaucrats applies to elected bureaucrats as well. I sense from your response you lean in favor of SJR 42, which, if approved, would require that Missouri Department of Conservation rule changes be sent to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) for political oversight. I'm still waiting, along with thousands of other outdoorsmen, for a simple answer of yes I do or do not support SJR 42. Pretty simple, huh? - Publisher Don Schrieber)