The state House and Senate will hold a joint hearing of their respective budget committees to look at what the governor could do to respond to refugees entering the state of Missouri; specifically to look at how assistance programs for refugees are funded.

 

House Speaker Todd Richardson (left) and Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard (right).

House Speaker Todd Richardson (left) and Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard (right).

In a joint release, House Speaker Todd Richardson (R-Poplar Bluff) and Senator Leader Ron Richard (R-Joplin) said a hearing on November 30 will “thoroughly examine the various programs the governor could utilize to provide assistance to refugees.”

The hearing will be Monday, November 30 at the State Capitol. A live stream of that hearing will be available at Missourinet.com.

Nixon, in a statement earlier this week, said it is up to the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to screen refugees, and said they should use, “the strongest possible safeguards to protect our state and nation.”

House Budget Committee Chairman Tom Flanigan (left) and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kurt Schaefer (right)

House Budget Committee Chairman Tom Flanigan (left) and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kurt Schaefer (right)

In that statement, Richardson wrote, “Our governor has yet to fully articulate a plan or take a stand on this issue that has generated immense concern from the people of Missouri. Our sympathies go out to those who have been impacted by the strife in Syria, but we must place the safety and well-being of Missourians as our top priority. As a result, I have asked chairman Flanigan and Haefner to work with Sen. Schaefer and members of their committees to fully review the various programs that could be used to provide assistance for refugee resettlement within our borders.”

Richard wrote, “Because of our governor’s lack of leadership and this administration’s failed federal foreign policies, we will try to find ways to protect the safety and well-being of the citizens of the Show-Me State. While we are compassionate to the victims of the Syrian Civil War, our first and most important duty as legislators is to keep our people safe from harm’s way.

Several of Missouri’s state and federal lawmakers and gubernatorial candidates have called on Nixon to act to halt refugees coming into Missouri at least until the screening program refugees undergo can be reviewed.