Saying that there is still CARES Act funding that needs to be distributed to Missourians, Governor Mike Parson has called a special session on a supplemental budget bill that will start on November 5. The governor announced the special session call, during Wednesday’s briefing with Capitol reporters in Jefferson City.
Missouri Governor Mike Parson speaks at Truman Medical Center in Kansas City on October 15, 2020 (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)
“The supplemental budget contains funding for several items, including school nutrition service programs, job training grants, emergency solutions grant program for the homeless prevention,” Parson says.
The governor says the supplemental budget will also include funding for a domestic violence grant and child support payments.
“We look forward to working with the General Assembly to make sure these funds are distributed across Missouri as soon as possible,” says Parson.
Governor Parson says he’s spoken to legislative leaders in both chambers, about the special session. Both House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, and Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, say they’ve spoken to the governor about the special session.
House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, told Missourinet Wednesday evening that the amount of the supplemental budget has yet to be determined.
The governor says since the Legislature approved the $35 billion state operating budget in May, additional CARES Act funding has been made available to the state. Parson says the funding will provide additional resources to respond to COVID-19.
Click here to read Governor Parson’s special session call.
Meantime, Governor Parson says he’s disappointed about the news that 11 more veterans living in state veterans homes have died from COVID-19 in the past week. The governor reiterates to Missourinet that he acted immediately when he learned about the spike in deaths at veterans homes, ordering an external review.
“We definitely are continuing to put a stop to the spread of that COVID-19 in those veterans homes, and we’re aware of that situation. There was an investigation that was looking into that, and is looking into that,” Parson says.
The Missouri Veterans Commission (MVC) says 67 veterans at veterans homes have died due to COVID since September 1, with 29 of those deaths at the Cape Girardeau home. St. Louis-based Armstrong Teasdale is conducting the investigation, and is doing staff interviews at the homes.
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