Missouri House Majority Leader Tim Jones, R-Eureka, was quoted in a Kansas City Star article published Monday morning saying there had been “a lot of give and take” among legislators, and he hopes workers’ compensation issues are resolved this week before the session ends Friday. He reportedly said uncertainty in employment was been caused in large part to workers' comp issues.

A group of parents in St. Albans, among the Wildwood area, support a bill that would allow children to attend a school district other than the one in which the family lives, if the driving distance to an in-district school is at least 17 miles, whereas another district’s school is at least seven miles closer.

Eight St. Albans' children live closer to a Rockwood School District school and want to attend it instead of a Washington School District school, according to the Kansas City Star article. The article stated that parents hired lobbyist David Klarich to shepherd the bill through the final stages. It emerged from a Senate committee last week.

The bill 1789 about travel hardships is sponsored by Rep. Rodney Schad, R-Versailles. A St. Albans' bus ride to Washington middle and high schools is calculated to be 18.5-plus miles, which becomes a 45-minute to 1 hour drive. Contrast that to the other consideration that the nearest Rockwood's school is 8 to 10 miles away. The families' current alternative is to pay to send children to Rockwood schools or private schools. 

The bill's proposed effective date would be Aug. 28.

Local residents indicate Sen. Brian Nieves of Washington and Sen. Jane Cunningham of Chesterfield are big supporters of the bill. Sen. David Pearce is the chair of the Education Committee receiving this bill.

Klarich serves as the attorney and lobbyist of Christian Home Educators Fellowship of Missouri. He was elected to the Missouri Senate (1994-2002) where he served as the chairman of Judiciary; chairman of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules; vice-chairman of the Committee on Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions & Ethics; and member of Judicial Resources; Ways and Means; Pensions and General Laws; and Local Government and Economic Development. He was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives (1990-1994).

Another item being debated this week in Jefferson City is the possible induction of Cape Girardeau native Rush Limbaugh into the Capitol’s Hall of Famous Missourians. Do you think Limbaugh will be commemorated in such a fashion?