Brian Hauswirth, Author at Missourinet

Parson wants Missouri to be a national leader in preventing Medicaid fraud

December 10, 2018 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri Governor Mike Parson, R, has announced the creation of a Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Task Force. He says safeguarding the integrity of the state’s Medicaid program is vital.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson (at podium) announces the creation of a Medicaid fraud task force on December 7, 2018. Incoming Attorney General Eric Schmitt (left) and State Medicaid Director Todd Richardson (right) joined him (Brian Hauswirth photo)

The governor was joined at the Statehouse announcement on Friday by incoming Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican, who says the program is intended for Missouri’s most vulnerable.

“Whether it’s the elderly veteran that’s receiving those (Medicaid) benefits or a disabled individual, it’s intended for them and it’s not intended for fraudsters. It’s not intended for criminals,” Schmitt says.

Missouri’s Medicaid program involves more than $10 billion of Missouri’s $28 billion operating budget.

Schmitt is expected to take over as attorney general on January 3.

The program, which is officially known as MO HealthNet, has a new director. Former House Speaker Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff, was appointed by Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS) Director Steve Corsi, and began the new job on November 1.

Richardson says Governor Parson wants the Show-Me State to be a national leader in addressing Medicaid fraud. Richardson, who also participated in Friday’s announcement, says this will be an important part of his office’s efforts.

“Our responsibility as stewards of taxpayer dollars is to make sure that every single one of those tax dollars is being treated like we would treat our own,” says Richardson.

He reiterates his focus is on having a sustainable program that produces better health outcomes, rather than expanding the program. Richardson also emphasizes that preventing Medicaid fraud is a top priority.

“We intend to lead the nation in making sure that our Medicaid program has integrity, and that we are preventing and prosecuting every bit of fraud that happens in the system,” he says.

Missourinet asked Richardson if his office has enough investigators to look for Medicaid fraud. Richardson says they’ll be examining their resources, both in terms of people and technology.

Parson says task force members will work to find ways to prevent fraud through data analytics and deterrence measures.

About 935,000 Missourians are currently on Medicaid, and there are about 60,000 MO HealthNet-enrolled healthcare providers.

Outgoing Attorney General Josh Hawley says Medicaid fraud investigations have led to criminal charges in 29 cases during the past two years.

The Missouri Attorney General’s office has a Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. You can report Medicaid fraud to that unit by calling 1-800-286-3932.

President Trump addresses hundreds of law enforcement officers at national conference in Kansas City (AUDIO)

December 7, 2018 By Brian Hauswirth

President Donald Trump speaks at the Project Safe Neighborhoods conference in Kansas City on December 7, 2018 (photo courtesy of Joyce Boghosian at the White House)

President Donald Trump spoke to about 650 law enforcement officers and prosecutors Friday in Kansas City, at a national conference about violent crime. Acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker was also on-hand, and former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft also made an appearance. Organizers say the Project Safe Neighborhoods conference brings people from across the country together to coordinate strategies for reducing violent crime.

Click here to listen to President Trump’s remarks:

Outgoing Missouri AG Hawley and incoming AG Schmitt hold joint press conference

December 7, 2018 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s incoming attorney general says he’s been conducting interviews with staff members of outgoing Attorney General Josh Hawley (R).

Outgoing Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley briefs incoming AG Eric Schmitt on December 6, 2018 in Jefferson City (Brian Hauswirth photo)

Hawley and Republican Eric Schmitt, who’s currently the State Treasurer, held a joint press conference Thursday in Jefferson City, after Hawley’s senior staff briefed Schmitt in front of reporters.

Schmitt is expected to be sworn-in as attorney general on January 3.

“We anticipate that, by and large, a lot of the great people that are working here (the Missouri attorney general’s office) today will be working here in January,” Schmitt says.

Schmitt tells the Capitol Press Corps there’s many great people working in Hawley’s office. He also says a website has been established for people to send their resumes and to apply for positions.

A reporter asked Schmitt about the multi-state lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Schmitt says it’s inappropriate for him to comment on pending cases, until he’s fully briefed on them.

Hawley told Schmitt and reporters that investigations into opioid manufacturers and opioid distributors continue. He also says investigations into Google and Facebook continue.

Attorney General Hawley also says the investigation into the nonprofit organization “Mission Continues” is ongoing.

Both Hawley and Schmitt were asked by reporters about the Confide App, after a recent report in the “Kansas City Star” that a former top Hawley staffer had used it.

Hawley says there’s a policy in the attorney general’s office that Confide is not to be used for public business. He says he takes it seriously and expects all of his staffers to abide by it, adding that using Confide would be considered a clear violation of office policy.

As for Schmitt, he says no one in government should be using Confide for public business.

Hawley also addressed several other big cases he’s been involved in during his two years as attorney general.

He says it’s time to restructure Missouri’s legal expense fund, which is used to make payments that stem from lawsuits against the state.

“My own view is that it is time to require (state) agencies, all agencies, to pay at least a portion of the judgments and settlements against them, out of their own budgets,” says Hawley.

Hawley says that when he took office in January 2017, there were about $450 million in pending claims against the fund. He says it’s now down to about $400 million.

Missouri lawmakers this year approved legislation from then-House Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty, D-Kansas City, that requires the Missouri attorney general to submit a monthly report to lawmakers about the state legal expense fund.

While Hawley had already been doing that, Beatty wanted it to be state statute. She emphasized transparency, and her bill had wide, bipartisan support.

In a response to a Thursday question from Missourinet, Hawley says a popular recreational lake in southeast Missouri which has seen multiple deaths remains closed.

Mr. Hawley’s office filed a lawsuit in late July against “The Offsets“, which is a former quarry near Fredericktown. Hawley says the facility has been the site of at least nine deaths and numerous serious injuries.

“If ever there’s a public nuisance, this is it,” Hawley says. “And people think of barking dogs as public nuisances, this is people dying. It’s a very serious matter.”

The quarry is surrounded by 40-foot bluffs, where people jump in a lake. Hawley has called on the owners to fence off the highest bluffs and to place a dock on the water.

Hawley, who unseated Senator Claire McCaskill in November, will resign as attorney general on January 3.

Jefferson City’s mayor describes Bicentennial Bridge as a “game changer” (AUDIO)

December 6, 2018 By Brian Hauswirth

Jefferson City’s mayor says enough private funding has been secured to start construction of a “Bicentennial Bridge” that will link the Missouri State Capitol Complex to the riverfront at an undeveloped piece of land called Adrian’s Island.

This is an artist’s rendering of the proposed $4 million Bicentennial Bridge in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of bicentennialbridge.org)

Mayor Carrie Tergin spoke to Missourinet outside the Governor’s Mansion during Friday night’s Christmas tree lighting ceremony.

“Because we know that right over that overlook here (near the Mansion) as we look to the river that we will be able to access the river,” Tergin says. “So here in a couple of years, that will be an added part of our festivals.”

Bridge supporters note more than 400,000 people visit the Missouri Capitol Complex annually, and there’s no current way to access the riverfront without crossing Union Pacific’s railroad tracks. Thousands of children travel to the Capitol annually during the legislative session, as part of school groups.

Tergin says this is the most exciting news that she’s ever announced as mayor. Tergin says the 830-feet bridge will span over railroad tracks and will provide pedestrian and bicycle access to the Missouri River.

“We’re really excited that it’s going to even be built all with private funds,” says Tergin. “So it shows that we have a giving community and we have those that really want to see this happen.”

This is a December 2018 photo looking at the Missouri River and Adrian’s Island in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin)

The Jefferson City News-Tribune reports businessman B.J. DeLong, who owns a Jefferson City steel fabrication company, has donated $3.2 million to the project.

“And it (the project) will be definitely a game changer for not only our city but our state and definitely an amazing legacy gift for the Bicentennial in 2021,” Tergin says.

The project is expected to be finished before Missouri’s 200th birthday in 2021.

Project supporters say the bridge and Adrian’s Island will be “icons” for generations, celebrating Missouri and the river of Lewis and Clark.

Backers say you’ll be able to fish on Adrian’s Island, as well as walk on trails. Several railcars with interactive exhibits are also planned for the bridge.

You can see more artist renderings of the project here.

The Jefferson City News-Tribune published a Wednesday editorial about the project, noting that the project has been a dream of several past leaders/organizations in the community, including former First Lady Jean Carnahan, a Democrat, and former News-Tribune owner Betty Weldon.

Click here to listen to the conversation between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin, which was recorded outside the Governor’s Mansion on November 30, 2018:

Former Missouri Senator Bond reflects on President George H.W. Bush’s legacy

December 3, 2018 By Brian Hauswirth

A former Missouri senator who spent 24 years on Capitol Hill praises former President George H.W. Bush, who died Friday in Houston at the age of 94.

Former Missouri Governor and U.S. Senator Kit Bond (file photo)

Former U.S. Sen. Kit Bond describes his Republican colleague, President Bush, as a “special person.”

“We lost a true statesman, an outstanding president, a brave war hero and a great communicator,” Bond says.

Mr. Bush served eight years as President Ronald Reagan’s vice president from 1981 to 1989, before being elected president in 1988 and serving one term. Bond tells Missourinet he introduced Vice President Bush, when he spoke at Westminster College in mid-Missouri’s Fulton in 1986.

“It was a great opportunity to bring in a vice president of the United States and talk about his tremendous record,” says Bond. “Very few people have ever had the preparation for the office of presidency that he had.”

Bond notes Mr. Bush served as a Texas congressman, ambassador and CIA director, before becoming vice president and president.

Mr. Bush, who served as president from 1989 to 1993, made numerous trips to Missouri during that time. He rode in the Fourth of July parade in southwest Missouri’s Marshfield in 1991, and spoke at the Show-Me State Games in Columbia in 1992.

Vice President Mike Pence describes former President Bush as a great leader who made a “great difference in the life of this nation.” Senator Bond also emphasizes that Bush was a war hero.

“Shot down in the Pacific, he enlisted just as soon as he was old enough, youngest team leader,” Bond says.

Bond notes Mr. Bush landed in the Pacific Ocean during that World War II incident, before being rescued by a submarine.

Bond says he first met Bush in 1968 in Washington, when Bond unsuccessfully ran for a U.S. House seat in northeast Missouri. Congressman William Hungate, a Democrat, beat Bond that year with about 52 percent of the vote.

Kit Bond was elected governor in 1972 and served his first term from 1973 to January 1977. He lost a 1976 re-election bid to “Walking Joe” Teasdale, but defeated Teasdale in 1980.

Bond was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986 and served four six-year terms until he retired in January 2011. He was in the Senate for the entire Bush presidency from 1989 to 1993.

The Washington Post reports Wednesday morning’s funeral is set for 11 at Washington National Cathedral, a request of the Bush family. The newspaper reports Bush will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington until Wednesday morning at 7.

Missouri prescription drug monitoring program legislation to be filed Monday by Rehder (AUDIO)

December 2, 2018 By Brian Hauswirth

A southeast Missouri lawmaker who has championed prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) legislation for years thinks it will “make it over the finish line” in 2019.

State Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Sikeston, speaks on the Missouri House floor on March 15, 2018 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Sikeston, will make the drive from southeast Missouri to Jefferson City on Monday morning to pre-file PDMP legislation. Rehder says she and State Sen.-Elect Tony Luetkemeyer, R-Parkville, will pre-file the same bill on Monday.

“We are really looking forward to getting this passed this year. We have leadership in both houses (Missouri House and Senate) being excited to get it done,” Rehder says.

A PMDP is an electronic database that collects data on controlled substance prescriptions within a state. Missouri is the only state in the nation without a PDMP.

The Missouri House and Senate approved different versions of the bill in 2017, but the Senate version contained a prescriber mandate provision, which the Missouri State Medical Association opposed. The House approved Rehder’s bill by a bipartisan 102-54 vote that year.

Rehder worked on the final day of the 2017 legislative session to come up with a compromise, but ran out of time. She choked-up when she told a Missourinet reporter that day that her bill was dead.

“There’s so many families that just really need this, and, I’m sorry- but, I’m not giving up, I’m a fighter, and I know that we need to get this done,” Rehder said on the final day of the 2017 session.

Rehder told Missourinet Friday afternoon that PDMP legislation is needed because of the toll the opioid epidemic is taking on families.

“When physicians, when your medical professionals don’t have this information about their patients, they’re literally operating with half of the skills that they need,” says Rehder.

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill (D) and U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville, have both called on Missouri lawmakers to approve a PDMP, saying it would help prevent drug-shopping.

Senator McCaskill addressed the issue with Missourinet, after a July 2017 town hall meeting in Ashland. She urged then-Governor Eric Greitens (R) to call a special session for PDMP.

“I’m astounded that we are the only state in the union that has put out a welcome mat for heroin dealers,” McCaskill told Missourinet that evening. “I do not understand it. It is really mind-bending. It is the biggest public health crisis this country has faced in many years.”

Congresswoman Hartzler says the topic came up recently when she met with Walmart pharmacy management and staff in western Missouri’s Butler. Hartzler says there have been several documented cases of individuals from other states visiting Missouri Walmart pharmacies to take advantage of the lack of monitoring in Missouri.

Pre-filing for the 2019 session begins Monday morning in Jefferson City.

Rehder tells Missourinet that House Speaker-designee Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, has always supported PDMP.

“He actually brought it up to me a couple of months ago and said ‘Hey I would really like to get this out of the House early,'” Rehder says. “To of course my excitement, but it’s important to him.”

She also notes that Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, has been a sponsor of PDMP legislation.

Rehder says while about 87 percent of Missouri’s population is currently covered by county PDMP’s, only about 60 to 70 counties have it. She says many small, rural counties that lack PDMP are suffering because of the opioid crisis.

Click here to listen to Missourinet news director Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with State Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Sikeston, which was recorded on November 30, 2018:

Kolkmeyer: Missouri transportation talks are happening behind scenes (AUDIO)

December 2, 2018 By Brian Hauswirth

One of the GOP leaders in the Missouri House is disappointed that voters rejected a ten-cent gasoline tax increase in November.

State Rep. Glen Kolkmeyer, R-Odessa, presides over the Missouri House on March 26, 2018 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Rep. Glen Kolkmeyer, who is the outgoing House Majority Caucus Chair, tells Missourinet talks are happening “behind the scenes.”

“I’ve been talking to some of the people in the (transportation) coalition about what is possible down the road,” Kolkmeyer says. “Some people want to wait, some people want to file something right away.”

Kolkmeyer supported Proposition D, saying it would have provided the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) with additional money, and would have provided the Missouri State Highway Patrol with a dedicated funding source.

Despite backing from Governor Mike Parson (R), Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe (R), the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and the Teamsters and other labor organizations, Proposition D failed by about 173,000 votes statewide on November 6.

Kolkmeyer, who served for 20 years as chief of the Wellington-Napoleon Fire Protection District in western Missouri, says MoDOT needs additional funding. He says a snow-related crash last week in Bates City highlights how many people drive Interstate 70.

“We had to transport crossways in the middle of I-70 and also blocking an on-ramp of I-70 at Bates City, the 31-mile marker,” says Kolkmeyer. “And traffic was backed up over five miles for that.”

A Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) crew plows snow on Highway 59 near northwest Missouri’s Oregon on November 25, 2018 (photo courtesy of MoDOT)

Kolkmeyer notes MoDOT has dealt with several rare November snowstorms.

“MoDOT, they’re doing a great job getting our highways cleaned as fast as they can. In our area we had five inches of snow on top of a thick layer of ice,” Kolkmeyer says.

Missouri’s 17-cent gasoline tax has remained the same since 1996. Proposition D supporters say that because of inflation, Missouri’s 17-cent gasoline tax is worth just seven cents of the value it had 22 years ago.

Kolkmeyer, who represents Jackson, Johnson and Lafayette Counties, was re-elected to his fourth and final House term in November. He received about 69 percent of the vote to defeat Democratic challenger Connie Simmons.

While he will return to the House in January, Kolkmeyer will not be part of the House GOP leadership team in 2019. The new Majority Caucus Chair will be State Rep. Sonya Anderson, R-Springfield.

One southwest Missouri lawmaker who’s leaving office at the end of December because of term limits predicts Missouri lawmakers will tackle the transportation issue again in January.

State Rep. Charlie Davis, R-Webb City, told Missourinet the day after the November election that lawmakers will have to make a decision about additional funding for road repairs for MoDOT.

“Because the last thing we want to do is have to do a lot of work after an accident happens and a bridge collapses etc.,” Davis said on November 7. “So I think the Legislature this next year is going to do some good things for transportation in Missouri.”

One possibility is a proposal that House Speaker-designee Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, pushed in 2018. His bill would have indexed vehicle user fees to the cost of inflation.

Haahr testified before a House committee in March, saying that his plan to index those fees would generate about $174 million annually for the state’s road fund.

Haahr has noted that Missouri’s current vehicle license and registration fees haven’t changed in more than 30 years.

The 2019 legislative session will begin on Wednesday January 9 in Jefferson City.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and State Rep. Glen Kolkmeyer, R-Odessa, which was recorded on November 28, 2018 at the Statehouse in Jefferson City:

Missouri Congressman Smith will be part of House GOP leadership team again (AUDIO)

November 30, 2018 By Brian Hauswirth

A Missouri congressman who’s been unanimously re-elected as the House GOP Conference Secretary wants to see Republicans retake the U.S. House in 2020.

U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, speaks to a farmer at Peterson Farms in Mountain Grove on July 20, 2018 (file photo courtesy of Congressman Smith’s office)

U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, was also re-elected earlier this month to his third full term in Congress. He represents 30 counties across southeast and south-central Missouri.

“I’m very excited to be trusted by my colleagues to be elected as the Conference Secretary with the expectations to gain back the majority,” Smith says.

Republicans have lost control of the U.S. House, because of the November midterm elections. Democrats will control the chamber 235-200 in January.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-California) tweeted Wednesday that House Democrats will work to create a more open, transparent Congress committed to fighting corruption and rebuilding America’s infrastructure. She also says House Democrats will work for lower prescription drug costs.

As for Congressman Smith, he says it’s critical for Republicans to stand with President Donald Trump (R), if they want to retake the House in 2020. He notes Trump carried Smith’s district by 56 points in 2016.

“Everyone in this (House GOP) Conference knows that I’m a defender of the president and I stand by the policies of the president, and I think that we need to continue to do so,” says Smith.

President Trump campaigned for Republican Josh Hawley in Cape Girardeau on the night before this month’s election. Cape Girardeau is in Smith’s district, and Hawley unseated Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill in the election.

Smith’s sprawling district stretches from Ava all the way to Perryville and Sikeston. The 8th district also includes Rolla, St. James and Eminence.

Smith tells Missourinet he’s worried, now that Democrats will control the House for the first time since 2010.

“Because the other side (Democrats) has been campaigning on reversing a lot of the policies that we’ve been pushing forward, such as the Tax Cut and Jobs Act (of 2017) and reducing various regulations,” Smith says.

He says the federal tax cut has created about 1.5 million new jobs.

Smith’s colleague, U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City, disagrees. Cleaver has said the bill provides tax cuts to billionaires and millionaires and not enough for working families.

Republicans will control the U.S. Senate 53-47 in January.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, which was recorded on November 16, 2018:

Missouri House Ethics Committee meets behind closed doors again

November 28, 2018 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri House Ethics Committee met Wednesday morning in Jefferson City for the second time this month, but it’s still unclear what they discussed.

State Rep. Kevin Austin, R-Springfield, testifies before the House Judiciary Committee on September 11, 2018 in Jefferson City (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

While the committee hearing took place at the Statehouse, most of the Ethics Committee members who participated in the meeting were on the phone. Committee chairman Kevin Austin, R-Springfield, vice-chair Gina Mitten, D-St. Louis, and three other committee members called in.

After a roll call vote, the committee voted to close the hearing and met for about 90 minutes in closed session, before re-opening the hearing.

Committee Chairman Austin then announced to the two reporters in the Capitol hearing room that they adjourned, pending further investigation by the committee and its legal counsel.

While a complaint has been filed, it’s unclear what it involves and who it’s against.

State Reps. Glen Kolkmeyer, R-Odessa, and Pat Conway, D-St. Joseph, the only two House Ethics Committee members who attended in-person today, told reporters they cannot comment.

A Missourinet reporter did not see any other lawmakers enter or exit the hearing room, while the committee met in closed session.

The House Ethics Committee also met on November 7 at the Capitol, to discuss a complaint. It’s unclear if today’s meeting is related to the November 7th meeting.

Galloway to audit Missouri DPS director’s office; Parson and Karsten called for audit

November 28, 2018 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway (D) announced late Tuesday afternoon in Jefferson City that she will audit the administrative practices of the Missouri Department of Public Safety (DPS).

Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway
(2017 file photo)

DPS includes the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Missouri National Guard, Capitol Police, the Missouri Veterans Commission, the Missouri Gaming Commission and the State Fire Marshal’s office.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson (R) wrote a letter on Tuesday to Galloway, requesting that the Columbia Democrat audit the DPS Director’s office.

Governor Parson appointed then Highway Patrol Colonel Sandra Karsten as DPS director in late August. At the time, Parson spokeswoman Kelli Jones told Missourinet the governor replaced Drew Juden at DPS because he “wanted to go in a different direction.”

The governor’s letter to Galloway says Karsten recently finished an internal review of the DPS Director’s office, and that the internal review “raised concerns about questionable use of taxpayer dollars.” Parson’s letter says those concerns “warranted her (Karsten’s) recommendation that the State Auditor conduct an independent review of DPS at the administrative level.”

The letter does not provide specifics about the questionable use of taxpayer dollars. You can read the full letter here. Governor-Parsons-Letter-to-Auditor-Galloway-November-2018

Karsten describes the internal review of the director’s office as concerning. She says an initial review “raised concerns that warranted a more in-depth examination of past public safety administration practices.”

As for Galloway, she’s issued a statement, which notes that as with any review, her office will determine the audit’s scope to appropriately address any concerns brought forward throughout the process.

Auditor Galloway is encouraging anyone with information about questionable use of tax dollars by DPS to call her office’s whistleblower hotline at 1-800-347-8597.

The governor notes the DPS Director’s office hasn’t been audited since 2013.

Drew Juden served as the police chief in southeast Missouri’s Sikeston, before being appointed DPS director by then-Governor Eric Greitens (R) in 2017. Greitens resigned as governor on June 1.

After being dismissed, Juden spoke in early September to Missourinet Cape Girardeau television partner KFVS Channel 12. Juden criticized Governor Parson in that KFVS interview, which Missourinet reported on at the time.

“The message it sent to me is that is doesn’t really matter,” Juden told KFVS. “It’s about politics. It’s about somebody I owe a favor to or a job to. And so you need to move on and make room so I can put them in there.”