House Speaker Rod Jetton hears a lot to like in Governor Blunt’s State of the State speech, especially since the governor endorsed one of his pet proposals. Jetton jokes that “It’s amazing what happens when the budget turns around and you have money.” Jetton says he’s excited about the proposals Blunt put forward in his speech; one in particular. During the State of the State address, Blunt said “I urge you to take up, pass, and allow me to sign Speaker Jetton’s legislation to stop cutting people’s Social Security.” Jetton says the governor has discussed expanding the tax cut to include teachers and others who didn’t contribute to Social Security. Jetton says the House will view favorably the proposal to replace Medicaid with MO HealthNet, a big task for one session. Jetton says the program has progressed more than he had thought, which makes the prospects for its passage brighter. Jetton says the legislature needs to tackle Medicaid reform this year, well before the June 30th, 2008 deadline for the current Medicaid system.
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