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Parson on gas tax: We’ve added 6,000+ new highway miles since last gas take hike

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Missouri’s governor has been barnstorming across the state, campaigning for a November ballot measure that would increase the state gasoline tax. Governor Mike Parson has traveled to Springfield, Hannibal, St. Joseph, Sedalia and other towns during the past two weeks, campaigning for Proposition D. The Bolivar Republican says Missouri can’t keep kicking the can down the road.

Kansas City Mayor Sly James (left), Missouri Governor Mike Parson and St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson listen as SBA Administrator Linda McMahon briefs them at T-REX in St. Louis on September 7, 2018 (File photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI)

“We haven’t done anything for our transportation system for over two decades, for over 20 years,” Parson says. “And we’ve added 6,000 miles of new highway systems since that time.”

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

During a visit last week to the Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) headquarters in Jefferson City, Governor Parson told Missourinet the state’s transportation system is underfunded.

“And you know, I’ve never been out in front of taxes or use fees hardly ever in my career. But this is one that I really think sometimes you just got to step up and do what’s right for Missouri,” says Parson.

If Proposition D is approved, the state’s gasoline tax would be increased by ten cents a gallon. It would be phased in over four years, at 2.5 cents annually.

The Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, Missouri Pork Producers Association and the Missouri Farm Bureau are among the commodity groups backing Proposition D.

Parson says agriculture and transportation are linked.

“When you think of all the products in this state and it’s the number one industry, whether it be pork, whether it be beef, whether it be rowcroppers, of all the transportation that’s involved in that, it’s a huge deal,” Parson says.

Cattle producer Patty Wood in west-central Missouri’s Pettis County says Proposition D “means getting from farm to market without delay,” and says Missouri must invest in transportation.

Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) Director Patrick McKenna also says Proposition D’s passage is crucial.

Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe, a Republican, who also supports the measure, told the Columbia Chamber of Commerce last week that there is no organized opposition to Proposition D.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

Missouri Ag Director meets with Trump and Perdue in D.C.

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Missouri Agriculture Director Chris Chinn has returned from agriculture meetings in Washington, D.C. with President Donald Trump and later with Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue.

Missouri Ag Director meets with Trump and Perdue in D.C.

“That was a great honor to carry the story of agriculture to the Oval Office. We talked about a lot of the challenges that rural America faces. We thanked the president for bringing attention to rural America,” she tells Brownfield Ag News.

Chinn says she also thanked Trump for funding to expand rural broadband internet access, tax cuts that are helping farmers and ranchers, for the expansion of E15 gasoline and the new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico.

She says she also had the opportunity to thank Perdue for his help with Missouri’s drought issues.

“He was really quick to identify that we needed the natural disaster declarations so that we could release those federal funds,” she says.

Chinn says she also thanked the Secretary for “the deregulation that’s happening across this administration and the benefit that it’s had for agriculture, especially Missouri farmers and ranchers.”

Chinn says it’s vital to farmers and ranchers that the administration “saw the harm” in the Waters of the U.S. rule (WOTUS), rescinded it and is working on a replacement.

By Julie Harker of Brownfield Ag News

McCaskill and Hawley clash at Missouri U.S. Senate debate

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Missouri’s two major U.S. Senate candidates clashed over international trade tariffs, tax cuts, the minimum wage and gun regulations during a televised debate Thursday night in St. Louis. Democratic U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill and GOP Senate nominee Josh Hawley debated before a live studio audience of Missourians at the KETC-TV studios.

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill and Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley debate at KETC-TV in St. Louis on October 18, 2018, as people watch in an outdoor public viewing area. (Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI)

Some analysts believe Missouri’s race could determine which party controls the U.S. Senate beginning in January.

The Trump Administration’s tariffs highlighted a key difference between the two candidates, a difference both highlighted during separate August presentations to the Missouri Farm Bureau in Jefferson City.

Senator McCaskill said tariffs are “brutal” for Missouri and the state’s bean farmers will not break even this year.

“Our economy is so dependent on the exporting of agricultural goods,” McCaskill said. “These tariffs have killed commodity prices.”

McCaskill added that tariffs have hurt manufacturers. She said Mid-Continent nail factory in southeast Missouri’s Poplar Bluff is “hanging on by a fingernail”.

Hawley, the Attorney General, noted that he’s been endorsed by the Missouri Farm Bureau and McCaskill won’t return President Blake Hurst’s phone calls.

“We are in a trade war,” said Hawley. “It’s a trade war that we did not start. Certainly our farmers didn’t start it, China started it many years ago. But if we’re going to be in the war, I’m for winning it.”

Hawley also praised President Trump’s recent trade deals with Canada and Mexico and says 75% of America’s ag exports go to the countries.

The two candidates agree on one key issue: both oppose cutting Social Security and Medicare.

That was the first issue that PBS Newshour’s Judy Woodruff, the moderator, asked about during the debate. Hawley says Americans have paid into the system.

“I don’t support any changes to those programs for anyone who is currently receiving benefits or who is going to be receiving benefits,” Hawley said.

Hawley told the audience that Senator McCaskill voted to cut $716 billion from Medicare in order to pay for the Affordable Care Act. McCaskill responded by saying that was not a Medicare cut, but instead was a cut to the profits of health insurance companies.

“And what did we do with that $715 billion, we filled the donut hole for Medicare prescription program part D,” said McCaskill.

McCaskill said Missouri seniors can now enjoy more prescription benefits.

While both say they support the Second Amendment, McCaskill and Hawley also disagree about the issue of guns during the debate.

McCaskill noted she was raised in rural Missouri, and that her father was a hunter. She said she supports universal background checks and a ban on bump stocks, which make semi-automatic weapons fire more rapidly.

“But what the NRA (National Rifle Association) has peddled for years is that you can’t support the Second Amendment and gun safety at the same time, and you can,” McCaskill said.

Hawley favors legislation to include health records in the background check system, and said McCaskill voted against that.

“I think we need to fix the national background check system,” said Hawley. “We have a background check system, a national system, but it doesn’t work that well because there’s a giant loophole right in the middle of it. And that is, it doesn’t include mental health records.”

Hawley also called for guns to be kept out of the hands of criminals and “dangerous people.”

The two candidates also clashed on the federal tax cut and on the minimum wage. Neither the U.S. Supreme Court nor the Brett Kavanaugh hearings came up during the debate.

The “Missouri 2018 Senate Debate” was presented by KETC, St. Louis Public Radio KWMU and KSDK Channel 5. KETC is St. Louis’ PBS affiliate.

In addition to facing questions from Woodruff, KSDK’s Mike Bush and KWMU’s Jo Mannies, McCaskill and Hawley also took questions from the audience.

McCaskill and Hawley also debated near St. Louis in September, at the Missouri Press Association’s candidate forum.

(audio is courtesy of St. Louis Public Radio, KWMU)

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

Chinn: high-speed internet crucial to attract next-generation Missouri farmers (AUDIO)

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The Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) director says technology is important in attracting young farmers.

State Rep. Curtis Trent, R-Springfield, speaks in committee on May 23, 2018 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

MDA says the average age of a Missouri farmer is 58.

“Two of the top priorities the governor has is workforce development and infrastructure,” MDA Director Chris Chinn says. “And I think those play in very nicely to how we bring that next-generation back home.”

Chinn says high-speed internet is crucial to attracting those next-generation farmers.

She says the entire Cabinet is working closely with Governor Mike Parson, a Bolivar farmer, on getting high-speed internet to rural areas.

U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R) told lawmakers in April that 51 percent of rural Missourians lack access to broadband. During that address to the Missouri House in Jefferson City, Blunt predicted that broadband will be just as important during the next 50 years as the telephone was over the past 50 years.

“We need to make sure that they (next-generation farmers) have the tools and the skills that they need to come back to the farm prepared and ready. The infrastructure is all about, you know, the high-speed internet,” says Chinn.

She says the aim is to make Missouri the best place for businesses to grow and to relocate.

Missouri lawmakers approved a bipartisan bill this year from State Rep. Curtis Trent, R-Springfield, which enables the state’s rural electric cooperatives to make unused capacity available for residential and commercial purposes.

The bill also declares that the expansion of broadband service is in the best interests of Missourians.

Outgoing House Speaker Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff, noted earlier this year that Missouri ranked 40th in the nation in access to broadband service.

 

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) Director Chris Chinn and Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Brownfield’s Tom Steever, which was recorded on October 15, 2018 at MDA headquarters in Jefferson City:

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

Missouri’s proposed gas tax increase receives support from business and labor (AUDIO)

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Missouri Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe told business leaders in Columbia on Tuesday that a proposed gasoline tax increase is receiving bipartisan support.

Missouri Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe addresses the Columbia Chamber of Commerce about Proposition D on October 16, 2018 (Brian Hauswirth photo)

Missourians will be casting ballots in November on Proposition D, which is a ten-cent gasoline tax increase.

Kehoe delivered a presentation to the Columbia Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, noting the measure has support from groups ranging from the Teamsters Union to the Missouri Chamber of Commerce. He says roads are not a Democratic or Republican issue.

“Trying to keep our roads safe and trying to make sure our bridges are intact for our school buses and families to drive over, that’s a non-partisan issue,” Kehoe says.

Governor Mike Parson, a Republican and U.S. Sens. Claire McCaskill, D, and Roy Blunt, R, are among leaders in both parties supporting Proposition D.

If approved, the tax increase would be phased in over four years, at 2.5 cents annually. Kehoe says Proposition D would mean more than $2 billion in new state funding for roads and bridges.

He says there’s a contractor in southwest Missouri’s Joplin who goes to Texas and Arkansas to work because there aren’t enough projects in the Show-Me State.

“The estimate is after full funding in ten years it puts about an additional 20,000 Missourians to work,” says Kehoe. “And those are the people you go to church with, those are the people you see in the grocery store.”

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

Proposition D would also establish an “emergency state freight bottleneck fund”. Columbia Chamber of Commerce President Matt McCormick notes the bottleneck fund would address locations like heavily-congested I-70 and Highway 63 in Columbia.

“It is a massive bottleneck in our community and it’s probably one of the worst, I would say it’s probably one of the worst on I-70 right now,” McCormick says.

Traffic is especially heavy on I-70 and Highway 63 during morning and afternoon rush-hour traffic and during Mizzou football Saturdays.

Kehoe tells the audience there’s also a major bottleneck at Interstates 70 and 64, near Wentzville.

Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) Director Patrick McKenna says Proposition D is crucial for Missouri, adding that MoDOT has about $8 billion in unfunded needs.

The Columbia Chamber of Commerce has endorsed Proposition D.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe, which was recorded on October 16, 2018 at the Drury Plaza Hotel Columbia East:

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

Missouri’s governor hopes to see more young people get involved in agriculture

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Governor Mike Parson proclaimed October as Missouri Pork Month during a Monday ceremony in Jefferson City, to recognize the commitment of the state’s pork producers.

The Pork Place restaurant at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia (2017 file photo courtesy of the Missouri Pork Association)

Parson presented the proclamation at the state Department of Agriculture (MDA) headquarters in Jefferson City. Missouri Pork Association (MPA) Executive Vice President Don Nikodim says the state’s pork industry contributes $1 billion annually to the state’s economy.

“Agriculture we know is the backbone of the state when you think about who the economic driver is,” Nikodim says. “And the pork industry is a big part of that. We rank seventh nationally in pork production here in Missouri.”

Nikodim praises Parson, saying he understands what happens in rural Missouri. MDA Director Chris Chinn and Missouri Pork Association President Francis Forst of Lamar joined Parson and Nikodim for Monday’s ceremony.

MDA says the average age of a Missouri farmer is 58.

Governor Parson hopes to see more young people get involved in agriculture. The Bolivar Republican tells Missourinet this ties-in with his workforce development efforts.

“Ag (agriculture) is going to play a role in that, and how do we make sure that we’ve got young men and women in school and high school for example, that understand agriculture and what all those jobs are out there,” says Parson.

The governor notes Missouri pork producers raise more than 3.4 million hogs in the state, and tells MDA employees that agriculture has changed for the better.

“The reality of it is today we can’t farm like we used to, we just can’t,” Parson says. “And do you what’s going to be the new thing to all of us that’s going to have a little hard time accepting that, but technology is going to play a huge role.”

Agriculture Director Chinn says high-speed internet is crucial to attract next-generation farmers, adding that they want to come home and use it on the farm and ranch.

U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R) addressed the Missouri House in April in Jefferson City, telling them that 51 percent of rural Missourians don’t have access to broadband.

Chinn also notes this is the first time her staff can remember a governor personally coming for the October proclamation. Nikodim tells Missourinet he believes Governor John Ashcroft was the last governor to do it.

Parson says it’s important for him to support the state’s top industry.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

Lieutenant Governor’s program showcases Missouri-made items to buy

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During this first annual Buy Missouri Week underway, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe wants the public to “support our own backyard folks” and purchase Missouri-made goods the state has to offer. He says the Buy Missouri program, which includes about 150 companies both large and small, aims to boost the state’s economy and businesses. They are promoted for free on the website Kehoe’s office runs – BuyMissouri.net – with the hope of getting many more.

Buy Missouri Week is underway

“It’s very exciting. All across Missouri, there’s somebody down some road that nobody even knew about maybe in the community that says ‘Hey did you know they make whatever down that road? They make pontoon boats, they make sausage.’ It’s fascinating to find all those places out,” Kehoe says. “When you buy Missouri-made products, you’re likely helping somebody that you go to church with, that’s on the soccer field with you or the parents of somebody that your kids go to school with.”

It’s not even Halloween yet, but some Missourians are already thinking about the holidays. Kehoe, a Republican from Jefferson City, says the website is a good place to go shopping and find gifts.

“If you want a consumable, outdoor equipment, building supplies, or whatever it is you’re looking for, you can look and find a company that manufactures one of those products and then you might want to consider that as you go out and shop,” Kehoe says.

The list of goods goes on and on. BuyMissouri.net promotes all sorts of items, like automobiles, clothing, tool boxes, food and beauty products, agriculture goods, adult beverages, windows, and various candies.

“Missouri products are everything from GM cars and trucks built in Wentzville, Ford cars and trucks in Kansas City, Quaker windows in Freeburg, which is one of the nation’s largest window manufacturers, all the way down to someone who manufactures charcoal,” he says.

Kehoe says the most unique product he’s encountered is Cherry Mash – a popular sweet treat made for the past 100 years in northwest Missouri’s St. Joseph.

“Most people are familiar with it, have seen it on the shelves, have eaten it, have bought it,” Kehoe chuckles.

Gov. Mike Parson, R, pioneered the Buy Missouri Initiative as lieutenant governor. Kehoe sponsored Senate Bill 891 establishing Buy Missouri Week. It was signed into law having received overwhelming bi-partisan support in both legislative chambers.

To sign up for the program or browse the different products, click here.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

Missouri drivers urged to be alert on roadways during fall harvest season

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The Missouri Highway Patrol is trying to alert motorists about seasonal dangers on the state’s roadways. The fall harvesting season, which is currently in progress, brings farm machinery into traffic lanes across Missouri.

There were 174 accidents involving farm equipment in 2017. In those crashes, five people were killed and 50 were injured. So far in 2018, there have been at least 100 collisions involving farm vehicles, resulting in three fatalities.

Highway Patrol Sergeant Jason Pace thinks most of the crashes are the result of drivers misreading the intentions of farmers behind the wheel of a tractor.

“I think a lot of those collisions that we see throughout the state are whenever those drivers are attempting to pass that tractor, that farm machinery, while it’s attempting to make a left turn,” says Pace. “Often times it may appear they’re pulling to the shoulder, when in reality they’re making a left-hand turn, maybe taking a wide turn. That’s where we see a number of crashes throughout the state.”

The Highway Patrol says it’s important for motorists to watch the farmer’s hand and light signals closely when following from behind. Sergeant Eric Brown says motorists can avoid a mishap by simply being patient when traveling behind slow-moving farm equipment.

“Be aware that they are going to move off the roadway and let you by as soon as they can,” says Brown.

The Highway Patrol also sets guidelines for agriculture machinery operators, calling for them to drive as far to the right as possible and pull off the side of the road on a level area when there’s a traffic buildup behind so that vehicles can pass.

A law passed by the Legislature in 2017 allows farm equipment to travel on roads 24 hours a day, instead of the daylight hours they were previously restricted to. Such machinery must have a white light on the front, a red light in the rear and must be able to be seen from at least 500 feet away.

The Highway Patrol suggests that farmers try to avoid traveling on roads at dawn or dusk when it’s more difficult for other vehicles to see, and advises drivers to pay special attention when traveling at those times.

ATVs being used for farming can only travel on highways during daylight hours and must be equipped with lights, a bicycle flag, and a “slow-moving vehicle” emblem.

Farm vehicles are prevalent in rural Missouri where agriculture contributes a major portion to the state’s economy. According to figures compiled by the state Department of Agriculture, the industry has an $88.4 billion economic impact on Missouri.

(Missouri media partner KOLR-TV and affiliate KWIX radio contributed to this report)

Backers and critics of “Clean Missouri” view Amendment One differently

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Supporters of a November ballot measure they call “Clean Missouri” say it would increase transparency and accountability, while opponents say it would mean more regulation.

Attorney Chuck Hatfield (standing at right), who represents intervenor Clean Missouri Incorporated, addresses Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green on August 31, 2018 in Jefferson City(file photo from Mark Wilson/News Tribune)

You’ll be voting next month on Amendment One, which has five main components. The most controversial provision would require a state demographer to draw state legislative maps.

Missouri Chamber of Commerce President Dan Mehan tells Missourinet that Amendment One should be defeated.

“This really should be called ‘Fleece Missouri’ because they’re (supporters) trying to confuse the voters with five or so different categories on the same measure,” Mehan says.

Amendment One would also ban gifts worth more than five dollars from lobbyists to lawmakers and would lower the current campaign contribution limits for state legislative candidates.

Former State Sen. Bob Johnson, R-Lee’s Summit, who also served in the Missouri House, supports Amendment One, particularly the requirement of a state demographer.

“I think they (districts) should be compact, contiguous and competitive,” says Johnson. “No longer do we want to see a group of voters on one side, three blocks separating for a mile or so and pick up another group of voters. No, we want them squares and rectangles and that kind of thing.”

Amendment One backers say a citizen commission would review the legislative maps drawn by the state demographer.

Opponents include the Missouri Farm Bureau, which says Amendment One “would mandate extensive gerrymandering” in an attempt to balance each district with an equal number of Democratic and Republican voters.

In September, the Missouri Court of Appeals in Kansas City reversed Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green’s decision to remove Amendment One from the November ballot.

Judge Green issued a 13-page ruling in early September that the measure violates the Missouri Constitution’s “single subject” requirement.

The Appeals Court reversed that on September 21.

Attorney Chuck Hatfield, who represented intervenor Clean Missouri Incorporated, argued the measure doesn’t violate the single subject clause because every provision mentions and involves the Legislature.

Mehan and Johnson spoke to Missourinet separately after a recent court hearing at the Cole County Courthouse in Jefferson City.

While supporters of Amendment One say it would take power back from special interests, critics say it would ensure that political parties and consultants gain even more power.

“This is something that really should be defeated,” Mehan says. “And we don’t have a problem. This is a solution searching for a problem.”

But former Senator Johnson disagrees, telling Missourinet that Amendment One would eliminate most lobbyist gifts to lawmakers.

“I think folks back home in the districts, and I don’t represent a legislative district any longer, are tired of $900,000 a year being expended on gifts and ballgames and other social activities. They (Missouri lawmakers) ought to spend a little more time representing folks back home,” says Johnson.

Amendment One would also require state lawmakers to wait two years before becoming lobbyists. It’s currently one year.

Election Day is November 6.

Copyright © 2018 · Missourinet

Hartzler and congressional committee work on differences to replace expired farm bill

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The 2014 Farm Bill has expired, however the bulk of the programs authorized by that bill continue. The Farm Bill is a five-year reauthorization of agriculture programs, conservation, nutrition, trade, credit, and other programs important to rural America. West-central Missouri Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler, a Republican serving as a farm bill conference committee member, says the primary disagreement is the food stamp benefit work requirements favored by House Republicans.

Rep. Vicky Hartzler

“We should be investing in individuals who are work-capable, who are currently receiving food assistance, so that they can get the job skills needed to help fill part of the 6.9 million open jobs right now in this country,” Hartzler tells Brownfield Ag News.

Some lawmakers, both Republican and Democrat, oppose the worker requirements.

Hartzler says there are also differences between House and Senate versions of the Conservation Reserve Program. In exchange for a yearly rental payment, farmers enrolled in the program agree to remove environmentally sensitive plants and land from production to improve environmental health.

“The House expanded the number of acres to 29 million acres for CRP, but lowered the rental rates,” says Hartzler. “The Senate did not increase the number of acres by that amount.”

Hartzler a Republican serving on the committee, says Democrats are stalling.

“They may be viewing that they may have the opportunity to be a majority party in either the House or the Senate next year and re-write the Farm Bill according to their wishes,” Hartzler says.

She says conference committee members agree about the importance of crop insurance.

Tom Steever of Brownfield Ag News contributed to this story.