REAL ID Update for Missourians Planning to Travel in 2018
For Missourians wanting to fly and those wishing to visit military bases and federal facilities in 2018, it’s important to know that Missouri continues to await word from the Department of Homeland Security for an extension of the existing grace period that lasts until January 22. During the 2017 legislative session, the Missouri General Assembly approved legislation to allow residents to obtain a photo ID that is compliant with the federal REAL ID Act. Because the current version of the Missouri driver’s license is not compliant, DHS announced in January of 2016 that Missourians would not be able to enter federal facilities and would not fly domestically beginning in 2018. With the legislation approved this year, the federal government granted an extension to allow Missourians to continue to use their existing IDs for these purposes.
Now, state officials are hopeful the federal government will allow Missourians to continue utilizing their existing IDs for travel until the new compliant IDs are readily available. However, DHS has yet to make an announcement regarding a possible extension, and Missouri may not receive word from the department until the end of the month. For now, Missourians should know their existing driver licenses will work to fly and to visit military bases and federal facilities until January 22, 2018. The hope is that DHS will extend that deadline until March 2019 so that Missourians will continue to be able to travel without issue until they are able to obtain the new REAL ID-compliant driver licenses. For now, Missourians who anticipate needing to travel by air or visit a federal facility next year are encouraged to apply for a passport to ensure their travel plans will not be impeded in the event DHS does not grant an extension.
800 New National Guard Jobs Coming to Missouri
Governor Eric Greitens recently joined Missouri National Guard Adjutant General Stephen Danner to announce hundreds of new jobs coming to Missouri. The two officials held a press conference at the Jefferson City Memorial Airport to reveal plans to grow the Guard with 800 new jobs. The new jobs include transportation units, military police units, and cyber units. Some of the units are being transferred from other states into Missouri. The governor says the new jobs are expected to have an economic impact of $15 million.
The new jobs include a new Transportation Battalion in southeast Missouri’s Fredericktown and a new Transportation Company in southwest Missouri’s Anderson and Monett. The new units also include the 1231st Transportation Company in Bridgeton and Columbia and the 1136th Military Police Company in Lebanon and Rolla. In addition, by the end of 2019, the new 1251st Transportation Company in Farmington and Perryville is expected to be in place, along with the 529th Trial Defense Team in Jefferson City and the 1135th Maintenance Company in Kansas City.
Missouri currently has approximately 9,300 Army National Guard soldiers.
Planned Parenthood Continues to Challenge Missouri’s Pro-Life Laws
Despite Missouri being a strongly pro-life state with an overwhelmingly pro-life legislature, organizations like Planned Parenthood continue to file lawsuits to challenge the laws put in place to protect the lives of the innocent unborn and the health of women. Most recently, Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union sued the state over a portion of the new law put in place by the legislature and the governor during a special session held this summer.
The two organizations are trying to block a provision of the bill (SB 5) that would require the doctor who will perform an abortion to give information about the procedure to the woman 72 hours before it is performed. Current Missouri law allows any “qualified professional” to discuss the information with the patient. Planned Parenthood and the ACLU believe the new requirement would place “extreme and unprecedented” requirements on women seeking abortion and would “unduly restrict” their access to the procedure.
Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley has said his office will vigorously defend the law. His office said the new law enacts “sensible regulations that protect the health of women in Missouri.” The challenged provision is one of several stronger safety regulations included in the bill that are meant to address a court ruling that struck down Missouri’s previous law that required abortion providers to abide by the same regulations imposed on ambulatory surgical centers. The court also did away with a law that required a doctor providing an abortion to have privileges at a nearby hospital. Supporters say the new regulations are necessary to ensure the safety and health of women using the facilities.
Lawmakers will now wait to see what happens with the lawsuit. The previous laws that were struck down by the courts have already paved the way for Planned Parenthood to seek licensing to perform abortions in Columbia, Springfield, and Joplin. For years Missouri has had only one abortion-providing facility in St. Louis. The Attorney General is now contesting this ruling as well in an effort to prevent the expansion of abortion providers throughout the state.
World Mental Health Day
October 10 marked World Mental Health Day, which is meant to raise awareness about mental health issues around the world. The day is also meant to help encourage and organize efforts to support mental health. The theme for this year is mental health in the workplace with an emphasis on looking at ways to improve the workplace experience to promote mental health and wellbeing.
Around the world more than 300 million people suffer from depression, and 260 million suffer from anxiety disorders. A study by the World Health Organization found that such disorders cost the global economy $1 trillion in lost productivity each year.
Some statistics of note regarding how mental health issues affect Americans include:
• 1 in 5 (or 43.8 million) adults experience mental illness in a given year.
• 1 in 25 (or 10 million) adults experience a serious mental illness.
• 1 in 100 (or 2.4 million) live with schizophrenia.
• 2.6% (or 6.1 million) of Americans have bipolar disorder.
• 6.9% (or 16 million) suffer from severe depression.
• 18.1% (or 42 million) live with an anxiety disorder.
• 90% of those who die by suicide have an underlying mental illness.
Despite the prevalence of mental illness, only 41% of adults with a mental health condition received help and less than 50% of children 8-15 received mental health services. Furthermore, only 36.9% of those suffering from anxiety receive treatment, and less than 20% of Americans with moderate depressive symptoms sought help from a medical professional.
Despite less than encouraging statistics, there are a number of ways to get help if an individual or a loved one is struggling with a mental health condition. This year, Google launched a depression screening test that appears alongside search results for depression-related queries. Many companies offer Employee Assistance Programs, which provide support or benefits to employees with personal and/or work-related issues. Additionally, the National Alliance on Mental Illness provides a number of ways to seek support, including helplines, programs, and fact sheets. For more information, visit www.nami.org.
In Missouri, the legislature appropriated $157 million in funds for the Excellence in Mental Health Pilot Project. Missouri is one of a handful of states participating in the program to increase access to community mental health and substance abuse treatment services. The effort is part of the federal Excellence in Mental Health Act that was signed into law in 2014 to put certified community behavioral health clinics on a more equal footing with other health centers.