Brian Nieves Says His Anti-Sharia Law Bill Not About Sharia, Forgets About the Interwebs

Brian Nieves accused us of lying about his SB267 legislation today, because we sad it was about banning Sharia law.  "ProgressMo falls for the false and foolish LIE that the legislation bans Sharia! Read it!!," Nieves wrote. 

So we re-read his bill.  And Nieves' bill is based directly on model legislation by David Yerushalmi, who has "has written privately financed reports, filed lawsuits against the government and drafted the model legislation that recently swept through the country — all with the effect of casting Shariah as one of the greatest threats to American freedom since the cold war."

In fact, on the very page on Yerushalmi's website where he publishes his full model, we find the following:

The essence of this draft legislation is to provide a baseline law that provides a statutory framework for precluding constitutionally objectionable foreign laws and legal systems from finding their way into the state judicial system.  One example of an offending transnational law is sharia—authoritative Islamic law that is applied as the law of the land in many countries around the world.  Sharia is patently offensive to U.S. and state constitutional law because it criminalizes apostasy (violation of Free Excersise of Religion) and blasphemy against Islam, Mohammed, and sharia itself (violation of Free Speech).  Sharia also violates principles of due process and equal protection by discriminating against non-Muslims and women.

Read the head to head comparison below.

Refreshing Honesty from Americans for Prosperity

Earlier today, the Executive Director of the Koch Brothers-backed Americans for Prosperity unit for Missouri tweeted that the Rep. Eric Burlison’s paycheck deception bill (HB64) is the “first step in #mortw [Missouri ‘right to work’].”

He has also tagged messages about Sen. Dan Brown’s paycheck deception bill (SB29) with #RTW, shorthand for so-called ‘right to work’ proposals.

This refreshing honesty about the true intention of paycheck deception bills fits squarely with statements made earlier this year by Speaker Tim Jones, who called paycheck deception bills "a way to get to the ultimate goal of right to work."

You may recall that Speaker Jones met with Americans for Prosperity on the very first day of the 2013 legislative session, where he revealed that he has been coordinating with Michigan legislators who just passed so-called ‘right to work’ legislation about how to message and sell these attacks to Missouri voters. 

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a corporate front group founded and funded by billionaire industrialist David Koch. The Kochs also fund smaller right-wing think tanks around the Midwest, as well as the American Legislative Exchange Council, which drafted the so-called right to work legislation also sponsored by Rep. Burlison and co-sponsored by the Speaker.

Tim Jones + Eric Burlison + Dan Brown = ALEC

Who's behind all the anti-worker attacks in the Missouri General Assembly, pushing so-called ‘right to work’ and ‘paycheck deception’ bills? The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), among others. Check out all these connections between sponsors and co-sponsors and ALEC:

  • Speaker Tim Jones is ALEC’s state co-chair, and has enjoyed numerous ALEC junkets. He is the first co-sponsor of HB64, HB77 and HB91.
  • HB77 and HB64 sponsor Eric Burlison has been an ALEC member
  • SB71 Sponsor Mike Parson has been an ALEC member
  • SB238 sponsor Ed Emery is a former ALEC chairman
  • HB95 sponsor Bill White has been an ALEC member
  • SB134 sponsor David Sater has introduced other ALEC legislation as his own, even forgetting to remove “{insert state}” placeholders when filing in the Senate
  • HB91 sponsor Donna Lichtenegger has been an ALEC member
  • House Workforce Development and Workplace Safety Chairman Bill Lant has been an ALEC member
  • Senate Majority Floor Leader Ron Richard has been an ALEC member
  • HB95 sponsor Bill White has been an ALEC member
  • HB95 co-sponsor Rick Brattin has been an ALEC member

Moreover, all of the following so-called ‘right to work’ bills lift mirror ALEC’s model directly, and are not written by Missourians or for Missourians: SB 76, SB 134, SB 238, HB 77, HB 91 and HB 95. A head to head comparison of the bills may be found here.  Morever, there are at least five amendments to Burlison's paycheck deception bill (HB64) that would add ALEC's exact right-to-work language. See amendments here by ALEC member Rick Brattin, Holly Rehder, Kurt Bahr, Kenneth Wilson, and ALEC member Bill White. 

Statement on Senate's Passage of Paycheck Deception Bill (SB29)

The Missouri Senate tonight passed paycheck deception legislation (SB29), a bill that is part of concerted national attack by conservative extremists on the working people who protect our homes and communities, teach our children, plow our roads and keep us safe.  

In response to the vote, Progress Missouri issued the following statement:

Paycheck deception and so-called 'right to work' bills are designed by and for radical ideologues who want even more control over our political system. The targets of SB29 are the everyday heroes who keep us safe, protect our neighborhoods, teach our children and care for our veterans.  

These bills are just wrong, and do nothing to move Missouri's economy forward.  

Extreme politicians like Speaker Tim Jones are ramming paycheck deception bills through the General Assembly because, in the Speaker’s own words, they are "a way to get to the ultimate goal of [so-called] right to work."

We need our leaders in Jefferson City to stand up for Missouri's everyday heroes -- not attack them.  The out-of-state special interests can look out for themselves.

NEW POLL FINDS 85 PERCENT IN MISSOURI FAVOR MANDATORY BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR ALL GUN BUYERS

Survey Released Today By Mayors Against Illegal Guns Finds Overwhelming Majority of Missouri Residents Favor Background Checks for All Gun Buyers

Polling data released today by Mayors Against Illegal Guns shows that likely voters in Missouri overwhelmingly support expanding the gun background check system to include all gun buyers.  The data is the first to be released from a survey conducted in more than 60 states and congressional districts by Schoen LLC for the bipartisan coalition of more than 850 U.S. mayors. 

ALEC Member Bill Lant Introduces ALEC 'Right-to-Work' Amendment

House Workforce Development and Workplace Safety Chairman Bill Lant has been an ALEC member.  Today, he distributed an amendment to HB34, an anti-prevailing wage bill by birther Casey Guersey, that would attach ALEC's entire 'right-to-work' proposal to the bill.  

ALEC Model Legislation
http://j.mp/alec_rtw		 Bill Lant Amendment to HB34
http://j.mp/YAdmyB

Section 3. {Labor organization.}

The term "labor organization" means any organization of any kind, or agency or employee representation committee or union, that exists for the purpose, in whole or in part, of dealing with employers concerning wages, rates of pay, hours of work, other conditions of employment, or other forms of compensation

290.590. 1. As used in this section,

the term "labor organization" means any organization of any kind or agency or employee representation committee or union which exists for the purpose in whole or in part of dealing with employers concerning wages, rates of pay, hours of work, other conditions of employment, or other forms of compensation.

 

Who’s Financing Missouri’s Radical Right? The Humphreys Family (for Starters)

When Republican legislators met for a secret meeting in the Capitol basement in early February 2013 to develop their strategy for advancing anti-worker legislation in the General Assembly, attendees were given a simple message: “If you don’t take on [so-called ‘right to work’ and similar bills]…you’re going to start losing donors.”

So who are the donors who are financing anti-worker politicians and efforts in Missouri?   At the top of the list of suspects are the members of the Joplin-based Humphreys Family, who have given millions upon millions to right-wing causes across the country. Just check out these huge donations to right-wing candidates and campaigns across the country from David Humphreys, Sarah Humphreys Atkins and Ethelmae Humphreys:

And these are only the disclosed contributions.  Corporations organized as 501c4 nonprofits are not required to publicly disclose their donors.  Indeed, the Humphreys Family was recognized by billionaire industrialist Charles Koch in 2011 for donating "more than a million" to the Koch Brothers network’s campaign efforts.

How would sequestration impact Missouri?

The White House has released state-by-state reports on some of the programs and services that would be impacted under the sequestration cuts that are scheduled to go into effect on March 1. Here is their breakdown by program for Missouri:

Teachers and Schools
Missouri will lose approximately $11.9 million in funding for primary and secondary education, putting around 160 teacher and aide jobs at risk. In addition about 17,000 fewer students would be served and approximately 60 fewer schools would receive funding. In addition, Missouri will lose approximately $10.8 in funds for about 130 teachers, aides, and staff who help children with disabilities.

Work-Study Jobs
Around 1,280 fewer low income students in Missouri would receive aid to help them finance the costs of college and around 750 fewer students will get work-study jobs that help them pay for college.

Head Start
Head Start and Early Head Start services would be eliminated for approximately 1,200 children in Missouri, reducing access to critical early education.

Military Readiness
In Missouri, approximately 8,000 civilian Department of Defense employees would be furloughed, reducing gross pay by around $40.3 million in total. Army: Base operation funding would be cut by about $56 million in Missouri. Air Force: Funding for Air Force operations in Missouri would be cut by about $14 million.

Law Enforcement and Public Safety Funds for Crime Prevention and Prosecution
Missouri will lose about $298,000 in Justice Assistance Grants that support law enforcement, prosecution and courts, crime prevention and education, corrections and community corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, and crime victim and witness initiatives.

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