Business Archives - Missourinet

Rehder beats Swan by 141 votes in heated GOP primary in southeast Missouri (AUDIO)

August 5, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A veteran state lawmaker who’s been advocating for prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) legislation for eight years has narrowly won a GOP Senate primary in southeast Missouri, by 141 votes.

State Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Scott City, speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on February 24, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Scott City, defeated State Rep. Kathy Swan, R-Cape Girardeau, in a race that went down to the wire Tuesday night. Rehder had 16,834 votes, compared to Swan’s 16,693 votes.

“Certainly this was a nailbiter and Representative Swan was definitely a tough opponent, and I’m just very thankful for the outcome,” Rehder says.

The race was heated, with Rehder and Swan criticizing each other. They also accused each other of missing hundreds of Missouri House votes.

One of Rehder’s top priorities is addressing Missouri’s opioid epidemic and passing PDMP legislation. Missouri is the only state in the nation without a PDMP, which is an electronic database that collects data on controlled substance prescriptions within a state.

Rehder will face Marquand Democrat Donnie Owens this fall. She tells Missourinet that she’s focusing on November.

“And work just as hard as I have before on trying to find solutions for the opioid epidemic, and then pushing back on bloated government. I think that’s very important for us,” says Rehder.

The traditionally Republican 27th senatorial district has six counties: Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Madison, Perry, Scott and Wayne. Cities and towns in the district include Cape Girardeau, Chaffee, Fredericktown, Jackson, Marble Hill and Perryville.

Cape Girardeau County, which has about 79,000 residents, is the largest county in the district.

The winner of the Rehder-Owens November race will replace term-limited State Sen. Wayne Wallingford, R-Cape Girardeau. He leaves the Senate in December.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s interview with State Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Scott City, which was recorded on August 4, 2020:

State Rep. Mike Moon to replace term-limited Sater in southwest Missouri

August 4, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A conservative state representative who describes himself as the “most conservative, most constitutional and most pro-life legislator in Missouri” will be heading to the Missouri Senate in January, after winning a GOP Senate primary in southwest Missouri.

State Rep. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on February 28, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s office reports State Rep. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, defeated former Missouri Republican Party chairman David Cole. In unofficial results, Moon has 17,761 votes. Cole has 16,077. All 99 precincts have reported.

No Democrats filed for the seat, which means Moon will replace term-limited State Sen. David Sater, R-Cassville. Sater was elected to the Missouri Senate in 2012 and was re-elected in 2016. Sater will leave office at the end of December.

The district includes five counties: Barry, Lawrence, McDonald, Stone and Taney.

Moon, who was elected to the Missouri House in a special election in April 2013, says he’s focused on ending abortions in Missouri.

“I believe that at the point of conception that is a result of a unique human individual with separate unique DNA, and they should be protected by law,” Moon told Missourinet in July.

Moon says the government’s primary purpose is to protect the liberty of the people and to protect their property. His priorities also include eliminating the corporate tax, and ending what he calls burdensome regulations on farmers, businesses and residents.

Three Republicans seeking to replace term-limited Cunningham in southern Missouri (AUDIO)

August 3, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Two current southern Missouri state lawmakers and a former lawmaker are seeking the GOP nomination in Tuesday’s primary, hoping to replace term-limited State Sen. Mike Cunningham, R-Rogersville.

State Sen. Mike Cunningham, R-Rogersville, speaks on the Missouri Senate floor in Jefferson City on February 17, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Jonathan Lorenz at Senate Communications)

State Rep. Robert Ross, R-Yukon, State Rep. Karla Eslinger, R-Wasola, and former State Rep. Van Kelly, R-Norwood, are the three GOP candidates. Ross and Eslinger both spoke to Missourinet about Tuesday’s primary. Missourinet made several unsuccessful attempts to contact Kelly.

The 33rd senatorial district has eight counties: Douglas, Howell, Oregon, Ozark, Ripley, Texas, Webster and Wright. Towns and cities in the district include Ava, Doniphan, Houston, Mansfield, Rogersville and West Plains.

The district is traditionally Republican. The winner of Tuesday’s GOP primary will face Grandin Democrat Tammy Harty in November.

State Rep. Robert Ross is finishing his eighth and final year in the Missouri House, due to term limits. He was first elected in 2012. He chairs the House Special Committee on Government Oversight and the House Professional Registration and Licensing Committee.

Ross says southern Missouri’s values are important.

“My top priority will be making sure that my constituents in southern Missouri, that their voice is heard, and to stop this onslaught on our way of life,” Ross says.

He says there has been an onslaught on conservative values, and says he’s focused on fighting for southern Missourians.

Ross, who also serves on the House Budget Committee, has been critical of the U.S. Forest Service, for their decision to close the Mark Twain National Forest to feral hog hunting. Ross has said that his Texas County constituents support eradicating feral hogs by hunting, and that residents should be allowed to hunt for feral hogs on public land.

Ross’ oversight committee also held several public hearings this year on Missouri’s medical marijuana program, a program that has been controversial.

Karla Eslinger was elected to the Missouri House in 2018, and is finishing her first term in Jefferson City. Representative Eslinger’s top priority is economic development. Her hometown of Wasola is located in Ozark County, which has a high poverty rate.

“I know that looking across these eight counties (in the district), five of those counties are in the top ten poorest counties of the state. So we have to focus on economic development,” Eslinger says.

Eslinger was raised by a single mother, who had three children. She says she learned the value of hard work from her mother. Eslinger has been a teacher, principal and school superintendent.

She’s also focused on workforce issues, rural broadband and infrastructure, including roads and bridges. Eslinger notes many of the roads in Ozark County are gravel roads.

As for former Rep. Van Kelly, he served in the Missouri House from 2001-2008. He was forced out by term limits. Kelly opposed tax increases that were proposed by then-Governor Bob Holden (D).

The GOP primary’s tone has received some media attention. Eslinger tells Missourinet that Ross’ campaign has been negative.

“I can tell you that I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed that he has run a campaign that has been so negative. You’ll notice that I don’t do that,” says Eslinger.

Eslinger is unhappy with a mailer featuring Eslinger and Kelly with an x-ray over their bodies. The mailer was profiled in a July story by Missourinet Springfield television partner KOLR-10.

Representative Ross tells Missourinet that the mailer was sent by a political action committee (PAC).

“It is absolutely illegal for a candidate to direct, coordinate, control or approve anything that a PAC does. And so, I found out about this mailer when it hit our mailbox,” says Ross.

Ross says he wouldn’t have approved the mailer, because of the skeletons. But he also says that Eslinger and Kelly don’t want to talk about the issues raised in the mailer, and says the “feigned outrage is ridiculous.”

Ross and Eslinger both describe themselves as constitutional conservatives, with Ross saying that “in this race, I am the unapologetic constitutional conservative.” Eslinger says south-central Missouri needs a strong constitutional conservative, to protect freedoms.

Ross and Eslinger are both anti-abortion, and support gun rights.

Mike Cunningham was elected to the Missouri Senate in 2012 and was re-elected in 2016. He chairs the Senate Fiscal Oversight Committee.

Senator Cunningham has endorsed Eslinger in the primary, saying “she will be a great senator.” Cunningham praises Eslinger’s work ethic and life experiences, telling Missourinet that she had been homeless at one time.

Cunningham leaves the Senate in December.

Ross notes that he has been endorsed exclusively by Missouri Right to Life, the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, the Missouri Hunting and Working Dog Alliance and Americans for Prosperity. He’s also supported by the Missouri State Trooper’s Association.

Former State Sen. Chuck Purgason, R-Caulfield, is treasurer of Ross’ campaign. Purgason served in the Senate in that district from 2005-2012.

Polls are open Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with State Rep. Karla Eslinger, R-Wasola, which was recorded on July 31, 2020:

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with State Rep. Robert Ross, R-Yukon, which was recorded on August 2, 2020:

Despite earlier plans, GM has been able to keep third shift at eastern Missouri plant

August 3, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s top economic development official says despite earlier plans, General Motors (GM) has been able to keep the third shift open at its massive plant in eastern Missouri’s Wentzville.

State Department of Economic Development (DED) Director Rob Dixon briefs Missouri Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on July 14, 2020 (file photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

In July, the company said it planned to temporarily eliminate its third shift, due to COVID-19. The “St. Louis Post-Dispatch” reported in July that the United Auto Workers (UAW) said 23 plant employees had the coronavirus.

State Department of Economic Development (DED) Director Rob Dixon told Missourinet on Monday that GM’s Wentzville plant has been able to keep its third shift, despite earlier plans to the contrary.

Dixon says the issue was related to concerns about absenteeism, due to the pandemic. He says General Motors is able to keep the shift open with workers from other plants.

“This is obviously good news, but it certainly highlights the challenges we continue to face as a result of COVID-19,” Dixon says.

He also reiterates what he told Capitol reporters in mid-July: that the company still plans to invest about $1.5 billion into the plant, which produces the GMC Canyon and the Chevrolet Colorado.

Director Dixon says GM’s Wentzville plant supports about 12,000 jobs across Missouri. DED says out of Missouri’s 227 automotive suppliers, 178 supply GM.

Sen. Blunt is optimistic a compromise can be reached this week on stimulus package

August 3, 2020 By Ashley Byrd

The Senate is scheduled to leave Washington, D.C. after Friday for its annual August recess.

-BRENT MARTIN, KFEQ

United States Senator Roy Blunt is optimistic a compromise can be reached this week on another economic stimulus package in the battle against COVID-19 and its impact on the economy.

Blunt, a Republican involved in the negotiations, insists Senate Republicans and House Democrats are not that far off, even if the Senate approved a $1 trillion package to counter the House $3 trillion measure.

“We’re never going to outspend Democrats in the House,” Blunt told reporters during a weekend stop in St. Joseph. “They put $7 ½ billion for child care subsidies, I put $15 (billion), they say, maybe we need $40 (billion). Now, this is the number they thought should be $7 ½ billion 90 days ago. So, part of this is just politics. It’s election-year politics. We’re 90 days from a presidential election.”

After a visit to Mosaic Life Care, a medical center in St. Joseph, Blunt told reporters there are three sticking points: how much federal unemployment assistance should be allocated, whether state and local governments should be provided assistance, and whether COVID-19 liability protection should be extended for businesses and groups.

An additional $600 weekly federal payment to unemployed workers ended at the end of July. House Democrats included nearly $1 billion of aid to state and local governments; the Senate did not. Senate Republicans included liability protections to businesses and groups which reopened during this coronavirus pandemic; the House did not.

Both and Senate and House include another round of $1,200 stimulus checks.

Some deadline pressure is growing for negotiators. The Senate is scheduled to leave Washington, D.C. after Friday for its annual August
recess. Blunt doesn’t see that as a problem though, saying negotiations over such proposals normally come together in a 72-hour period.

“You just need to decide when that 72 hours is, so you can do whatever’s necessary to finally bring these bills together,” Blunt said. “They’re different
in money, but they’re not different in much else.”

Blunt said many of his fellow Senate Republicans question the need for the bill and he says if one is to pass, it will need bipartisan support.

“So, this will be done by some number of Republicans and enough Democrats to get to 60 in the Senate,” according to Blunt.

Though Senate Republicans backed the last $1trillion-plus package, Blunt expects some to vote against this latest round of
relief.

“Well, I think Senate Republicans are probably reverting back to a normal pattern where some of my Republican colleagues never vote for
anything that spends money,” Blunt said, “That’s actually a workable strategy as long as somebody else will vote for what spends money.”

Reps. Rehder and Swan hope to replace term-limited state senator in southeast Missouri (AUDIO)

August 2, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Two veteran Republican state lawmakers are facing off in a GOP primary on Tuesday in southeast Missouri, hoping to replace term-limited State Sen. Wayne Wallingford, R-Cape Girardeau.

State Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Scott City, is facing State Rep. Kathy Swan, R-Cape Girardeau. Both chair key committees: Rehder chairs the House Rules Committee, while Swan chairs the House Workforce Development Committee.

State Sen. Wayne Wallingford, R-Cape Girardeau, presides over the Missouri Senate on May 15, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Jonathan Lorenz at Senate Communications)

Both GOP primary candidates were elected to the Missouri House in 2012 and are finishing their eighth and final year in the chamber, due to term limits.

The 27th senatorial district has six counties: Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Madison, Perry, Scott and Wayne. Cities and towns in the district include Cape Girardeau, Chaffee, Fredericktown, Jackson, Marble Hill and Perryville.

Cape Girardeau County, which has about 79,000 residents, is the largest county in the district.

The winner of the Rehder-Swan primary will face Marquand Democrat Donnie Owens in November.

Representative Swan is focusing her campaign on many issues, including education and workforce.

“I’ve been successful in passing over 30 different pieces of legislation regarding not only education and workforce, but parenting,” Swan says.

Swan describes education as the largest economic driver we have, to support the state itself.

She also says she’s focused on issues that have happened in Cape Girardeau. She notes she passed legislation to keep registered sex offenders out of Cape Girardeau’s Discovery Play House, which is a children’s museum.

Swan also emphasizes the importance of protecting and supporting law enforcement, and the Second Amendment. She is critical of St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner for filing felony charges in July against Mark and Patricia McCloskey.

As for Representative Rehder, one of her top priorities is addressing Missouri’s opioid epidemic and passing prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) legislation. Missouri is the only state in the nation without a PDMP, which is an electronic database that collects data on controlled substance prescriptions within a state.

While both the Missouri Senate and House approved PDMP this year, they passed different versions. The bill died on the final day of session in May. Rehder has sponsored the bill for eight years. She notes her daughter was an addict, but is doing well now.

In addition to getting PDMP passed, Rehder says she will focus on reducing the size of government, if elected to the Senate. She says Missouri needs a smaller government, and is opposed to tax increases.

“Push back on these things like the $18 million going to free college for adults. We have got to get back to what government is supposed to do. We need to be more efficient with our monies,” Rehder says.

Rehder also emphasizes the importance of protecting and supporting law enforcement.

During separate phone interviews with Missourinet late last week, Swan and Rehder also criticized each other’s records.

Swan tells Missourinet that she has a record as a small business owner and nurse, while she says Rehder was a lobbyist for 17 years.

“She has skipped 801 votes, she skipped 29 pro-life votes, voted five times no and took money from the human cloning industry,” says Swan.

Swan notes she has been endorsed by Missouri Right to Life. She says she sponsored and co-sponsored seven abortion-related bills and passed two of them.

In response, Rehder notes all legislators miss votes, especially during Senate committee hearings on House bills. Rehder says that Swan has missed hundreds of votes, adding that Swan doesn’t have a record that southeast Missourians want.

“You have me, smaller government, lower taxes,” says Rehder. “You have her, who’s voted for every single tax increase, who sponsored the bill for $18 million going to free college for adults.”

Rehder is referring to Missouri’s “Fast Track” program. It’s primarily taught at community colleges, technical schools and colleges and universities. It is aimed at allowing Missourians to receive advanced training in high-demand areas.

Despite their differences, the two candidates have similar positions on small business, and have called for more jobs in rural Missouri.

Wayne Wallingford serves as the Missouri Senate’s Assistant Majority Floor Leader. He was elected to the Senate in 2012 and was re-elected in 2016.

He also served one term in the Missouri House, after being elected in 2010. Wallingford, who will leave the Senate in December, is running for Representative Swan’s House seat, in Tuesday’s primary.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with State Rep. Kathy Swan, R-Cape Girardeau, which was recorded on July 30, 2020:

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with State Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Scott City, which was recorded on July 31, 2020:

August 10th groundbreaking set for major Bicentennial bridge project in Jefferson City

July 31, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A well-known Jefferson City family is donating $75,000 to a bridge project that will link the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City to the riverfront. It’s a project that’s been discussed in Jefferson City for more than 25 years.

This is an artist’s rendering of part of the planned $3.75 million Bicentennial bridge project in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of bicentennialbridge.org

The Naught family from Naught-Naught Insurance Agency made the contribution.

Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin tells Missourinet that a groundbreaking ceremony for the $3.75 million project is set for Monday August 10 at 8:30 a.m. It will take place at the State Capitol.

Mayor Tergin describes the project as a “game changer,” as well as an amazing legacy gift for Missouri’s Bicentennial in 2021. She has said it’s the most exciting news that that’s ever announced as mayor.

The project will provide a pedestrian and bike linkage from the Capitol to the Missouri River, an area known as Adrian’s Island. Tom Naught says the Bicentennial bridge will enhance the Capitol grounds, and will bring more tourists to Jefferson City. The 12-foot wide pedestrian and bicycle bridge will connect the Capitol complex to a 30-acre parkland located north of the Union Pacific Railroad.

The island will have trails that allow visitors to hike through the wooded area. Click here to view artist renderings of the project, and also a video.

“The entrance to the bridge will honor our veterans and when the Naught family learned of this, they knew they wanted to be a part of it. Thank you to the Naught’s for having a place in your heart for the Bicentennial Bridge and for veterans, and we deeply appreciate your support of this project,” Mayor Tergin says, in a statement.

Mayor Tergin tells Missourinet that she expects construction to begin in late summer or this fall, and for clearing work to begin in September. The project is expected to be done in August 2021. The mayor says the 830-feet bridge will span over railroad tracks.

Bridge supporters note more than 400,000 people visit the Missouri Capitol Complex annually, and that there’s no current way to access the riverfront without crossing Union Pacific’s railroad tracks.

Missouri’s Hawley says U.S. Senate has not acted on his duck boat legislation

July 31, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s junior senator is calling on his U.S. Senate colleagues on Capitol Hill to approve his legislation aimed at preventing a repeat of the deadly 2018 duck boat tragedy on southwest Missouri’s Table Rock Lake.

Missouri State Highway Patrol crews assist the U.S. Coast Guard during the duck boat recovery efforts on July 23, 2018 (file photo courtesy of the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Twitter page)

17 people were killed in the incident, including nine from one family. The victims drowned when the vessel sank quickly, during a storm. The second anniversary of the tragedy was last week.

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R) tells Missourinet that the Senate has not acted on his bill.

“It is more vital today than ever. It would help prevent exactly the kind of tragedy that we saw on Table Rock Lake,” Hawley says.

Hawley’s legislation would require amphibious passenger vessels to be equipped to stay afloat, in the event of flooding. The legislation would also require duck boats to remove canopies, and would require additional life preservers.

Hawley describes the legislation as tough and important.

“It would impose new security requirements on every single duck boat in our state and nationally. It would require new inspections, it would require new reporting efforts and standards, and put those in place,” says Hawley.

He says the tragedy never should have happened, because the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) made several recommendations to the U.S. Coast Guard after a similar 1999 tragedy in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R) has introduced the same bill as Hawley. During last week’s second anniversary, he called for the bill’s passage.

“Today we remember the 17 victims who lost their lives in the duck boat tragedy at Table Rock Lake, and the loved ones who are missing them every day. We owe it to these families to do everything we can to make sure a tragedy like this one never happens again,” Senator Blunt’s statement reads, in part.

Northern Missouri food bank leader testifies before Congress about hunger needs, during pandemic

July 29, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

The chief executive officer of a northwest Missouri food bank testifies the response and recovery effort from COVID-19 will be the largest relief assistance program in American history, by far.

Second Harvest Community Food Bank serves 15 northwest Missouri counties, along with four Kansas counties (2020 photo courtesy of Second Harvest’s Facebook page)

Second Harvest Community Food Bank CEO Chad Higdon testified Tuesday before a congressional subcommittee on emergency management. The food bank is headquartered in St. Joseph.

“We have seen a tremendous increase in need as a result of COVID-19,” Higdon testifies. “This past fiscal year, Second Harvest distributed 9.9 million pounds of food, up 31 percent from our record distribution the year prior.”

Higdon says that translates to about 8.25 million meals to needy families. He also says the food bank distributed about one million pounds of food in July.

“We understand that low-income families in general are vulnerable. One vehicle emergency or unexpected home repair can set a family back financially for months, and we know that low-income seniors often must choose between needed prescriptions and a nutritious meal,” Higdon says.

Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill are praising the St. Joseph food bank for its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Second Harvest serves 15 northwest Missouri counties: Andrew, Atchison, Buchanan, Caldwell, Clinton, Daviess, DeKalb, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Holt, Livingston, Mercer, Nodaway and Worth. Towns include St. Joseph, Chillicothe, Bethany and Trenton.

It also serves four Kansas counties.

Second Harvest employs a staff of 24 full-time employees, with an annual operating budget of $3.7 million. Mr. Higdon testifies that prior to the pandemic, they were serving about 45,000 individuals. He says that number is now about 64,000, about 18 percent of the population in those counties.

He testifies about 26 percent of the children in that area are food insecure.

Higdon praises the members of the congressional subcommittee for their support of food banks. He testified at the request of U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, who says Higdon’s testimony highlights how disasters impact vulnerable populations like the elderly.

Higdon testified from Congressman Graves’ St. Joseph office, because witnesses were encouraged to participate remotely due to the pandemic. He also submitted written testimony.

Second Harvest Community Food Bank’s website says its mission “is to provide nourishment and hope to the hungry in northwest Missouri and northeast Kansas, while engaging and empowering the region in the fight to end hunger.”

Missouri congressman introduces bill aimed at keeping America’s struggling rural hospitals afloat

July 29, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Southeast Missouri Congressman Jason Smith says he wants to save the nation’s rural hospitals at risk of closing. He is proposing to let the U.S. Health and Human Services Department secretary forgive all Medicare accelerated payments for rural hospitals experiencing severe money problems. His legislation would also extend the timeline for hospital repayment or lower the payment interest rate if there is a serious chance of closure, bankruptcy, large-scale layoffs, or any other situation the secretary deems appropriate.

U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, speaks to a community member at Mercy Hospital Jefferson in Festus in 2016 (file photo courtesy of Congressman Smith’s office)

Smith, a Republican from Salem, represents 30 counties across southern Missouri. According to data from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Missouri has had seven hospitals shutter their doors since 2014 – five are in Smith’s district.

“Put simply, this bill will help to keep our rural hospitals open by allowing the Secretary of HHS to give hospitals the flexibility they need to remain financially viable,” says Smith. “Last year was the worst year since 2010 for hospital closures in rural communities. Yet, due to increased financial hardships inflicted by the coronavirus, this year could be even worse.”

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill data shows 18 rural hospitals closed last year. So far this year, 12 have called it quits.

“Any future federal responses to the coronavirus must include this legislation to ensure our rural hospitals do not emerge from this pandemic in a worse position than they were before it began,” Smith adds.

The plan also requires HHS to decide within 30 days of receiving a request from a hospital experiencing hardship.