Legislature Archives - Missourinet

Missouri Congressman says Mississippi River model for flood control

August 22, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Southeast Missouri Congressman Jason Smith says the Missouri River needs the infrastructure that the Mississippi River has to prevent severe flooding. Smith’s district includes more than 200 miles of the Mississippi River which he says was at flood stage for 150 days this year, between Cape Girardeau and Cairo, without activation of the levees.

Congressman Jason Smith (Photo courtesy of Brownfield Ag News)

“You look at the effects of the flooding that we had south of Cape Girardeau and it could have been SO much worse than it was but it was because of the infrastructure that was brought forward through the MRT project, the Mississippi Rivers and Tributaries project,” says Smith.

That project was authorized by the flood control act of 1928 after devastating flooding in 1927. Smith says Missouri’s Bootheel showed the country how to manage a river.

“We drained our swamps. And those seen Bootheel Counties, after we drained them, now produce more than a third of all the ag commodities of this entire state,” he says.

Smith, a Republican, says fixing the Missouri River will benefit Missouri farmers.

“If we have that on the MISSOURI River, you can see a phenomenal step in our navigation, in getting our richest commodities from Missouri to feed the world. And, to help our farmers, help our commodity prices,” he says.

Smith says the Missouri Congressional delegation will work to make sure the Missouri River management is about flood control, not about environmentalism. Gov. Mike Parson continues to meet alongside his fellow governors in Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska with the Corps of Engineers officials with that very goal.

Smith made his comments at the Missouri Farm Bureau Building at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia.

Galloway wants armed officers in Missouri schools. How does she suggest paying for it?

August 22, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

State Auditor Nicole Galloway says Gov. Mike Parson should call a special legislative session to fully fund putting armed officers in Missouri’s K-12 public schools. The legislature is meeting next month for the annual veto session anyway. To save money, Galloway suggests holding the special session during that time frame.

Missouri Auditor Nicole Galloway (D)

She refers to Parson creating a school safety task force that recommends all Missouri elementary and secondary public schools have an armed officer. The group’s report says about 60% of Missouri’s public schools already have resource officers through local funding.

“In recent days, Missouri students have gone back to school and the issue of school safety is at the top of mind for parents and educators,” Galloway says. “This task force studied our schools’ current safety measures; received public input from parents, educators and law enforcement; and then arrived at concrete recommendations. Now it’s time to act and ensure their work is not collecting dust on a shelf. Teachers should be in charge of teaching our kids. Law enforcement should be in charge of protecting our children.”

Missouri Governor Mike Parson signs legislation on July 10, 2019 (photo courtesy of Governor Parson’s office)

If 60% of local jurisdictions are already funding these jobs, why does the state need to get involved?

“School budgets are strained and law enforcement agency budgets are strained,” she says.

Galloway says work is being done on cost estimates to fund the positions.

So how does she suggest paying for the jobs? By eliminating what she calls taxpayer dollar giveaways.

“Big businesses get to keep a portion of that sales tax for filing that with the state on time. It really doesn’t make sense that big businesses should get a discount for something they’re required to do by law anyway,” she says. “There are ways to pay for school safety without having to expand government programs or to have a tax increase. There are efficiencies that I find all the time in audits that can pay for this very important program.”

Parson’s office does not have a comment and says it is awaiting Galloway’s formal request.

Galloway, a Democrat, is running for governor and Parson, a Republican, is expected to announce next month his plans to run for the office. The General Election will be held in November 2020.

Lawmaker says World Cup would put Kansas City and Missouri on world stage (AUDIO)

August 22, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

A state lawmaker from Kansas City says landing the World Cup in 2026 would provide a huge economic boost for Kansas City and for Missouri.

State Rep. Greg Razer, D-Kansas City, speaks on the Missouri House floor on May 14, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The “Kansas City Star” notes Kansas City is one of 17 finalist U.S. cities to host 2026 World Cup matches.

State Rep. Greg Razer, D-Kansas City, tells Missourinet that landing a World Cup would mean four to six games in Kansas City, which would involve four to six nations.

“If you think about the Super Bowl, which is the most-watched sporting event in the United States, there’s something like 150-million people that watch the Super Bowl,” Razer says. “There’s something to the effect of 3.5 billion who follow the World Cup.”

Razer says that would be a “lot of eyeballs and visitors,” adding it would put Kansas City and Missouri on the world stage.

“And then you get those four games, you get those four fan bases coming in from these countries from all over the world, it would be a huge economic boost initially plus putting Kansas City and the state of Missouri on the world stage,” says Razer.

He notes the impact on tourism and hotels as well. He’s praising the governors of Missouri and Kansas for ending the economic “border war,” and says both states and municipalities on both sides of the state line must work together on the World Cup.

The “Star” reports if Kansas City is awarded games, they would be played at Arrowhead Stadium.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with State Rep. Greg Razer, D-Kansas City, which was recorded on August 9, 2019:

Missouri governor calls special session on car sales; Quade blasts decision

August 21, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri lawmakers will return to Jefferson City in September for a special session involving a complicated Missouri Supreme Court ruling about vehicle sales.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson briefs reporters at the State Fair in Sedalia on August 15, 2019 (Brian Hauswirth photo)

Governor Mike Parson (R) announced the special session today. Parson told Missourinet on Thursday at the State Fair that he was considering the special session over the Supreme Court’s “Kehlenbrink vs. Department of Revenue” case.

“After reviewing the court’s decision, we’ve decided to call a special session because it’s simply the right thing to do for the people of our state,” Parson announced today. “The enforcement of this decision would create a financial burden on Missouri taxpayers and unnecessary government red tape that we can proactively prevent.”

The Supreme Court case involves using the sale proceeds of a vehicle as a credit against the purchase price of a new vehicle when calculating sales tax. Essentially, the Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that state law unambiguously permits the sale proceeds of only one vehicle as a credit against the purchase price of a new car, for the purposes of calculating sales tax.

“And really, the simple version of it (the Supreme Court’s ruling) is when you trade cars in, for example if you trade two cars in, you get a credit back on those two cars or for that model if you’re buying another one. There was a ruling by the Supreme Court that says you can only do one,” Parson told Missourinet Thursday at the State Fair in Sedalia.

Parson said at the fair that the issue “needs to be fixed.” The governor says the ruling impacts about 2,000 to 3,000 Missourians, adding this is money out of their pocket.

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, has issued a statement, saying Governor Parson is “putting taxpayers on the hook for unnecessary special session.”

“Roughly 100,000 Missouri children have lost their state health care coverage, but the Parson administration says there’s no problem. Missouri’s irresponsible and weak gun laws have contributed to a sharp spike in gun violence and recently enabled a heavily-armed man to cause a panic at a Springfield Wal-Mart, yet Governor Parson does nothing. There are several issues that demand immediate legislative attention and would justify the cost of a special session. Creating an unnecessary tax break for a handful of people isn’t one of them,” Quade’s statement says.

Governor Parson told Missourinet on Thursday that the special session would be technical, adding that “it would be a very limited special session.” The governor’s comments at the fair indicated that issues like Medicaid and guns were off-the-table for a special session.

Under the governor’s call, lawmakers will return to Jefferson City on September 9. The special session will run concurrently with the veto session, which begins on September 11.

Schmitt: Number of opioid overdose deaths should have urgency in U.S. and Missouri

August 21, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

State Attorney General Eric Schmitt says 130 people die every day from opioid overdoses.

“That’s like a plane going down every day of every week of every month,” he says.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt

In Missouri, he says the opioid overdose death toll is one in every 65 deaths. Missouri is the only state in the nation without a statewide prescription drug monitor system to check for suspected cases of opioid misuse.

At the State Fair, Schmitt tells Missourinet the figures should have some national and statewide urgency – prompting his office to sue three opioid companies alleging they misrepresented the addictive nature of the drugs.

“We want to hold them accountable. That’s a big thing for our office. It’s probably one of the biggest lawsuits we’ve had in the Attorney General’s Office since the tobacco litigation of the 1990s,” says Schmitt. We’re one of about 30 states that has something like this happening. All of those things are kind of coming to a head now. We’re learning more about some of the tactics and the marketing tactics and some of the deception that took place to get people hooked.”

The parties are developing their cases and the lawsuit is expected to eventually go to trial.

Schmitt’s office has launched an initiative to help bolster the state’s lawsuit. The initiative, called Real Opioid Pain, asks Missourians impacted by the opioid crisis to share their stories on realopioidpain.com

Fulton State Hospital up and running new high-security building

August 21, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

A new era is underway at the Fulton State Hospital in mid-Missouri. The new high-security building, called the Nixon Forensic Center, is now up and running. Nearly 300 patients and more than 500 workers are based out of the mental hospital named after former Governor Jay Nixon. The state says the move took about three days and without any incidents.

Nixon Forensic Center

The new $211 million location replaces the previous one opened in 1851 – the oldest public mental hospital west of the Mississippi River.

The 300-bed site aims to create a more upbeat and safer environment for the patients, workers and visitors. The location includes a dramatic difference in natural light, wider hallways, a cozy visitation center that is kid-friendly, and the furniture is not easy to pick up and throw. It takes away the institutional feel that many mental hospitals carry. The décor gives the facility more of a private hospital vibe. The lighting fixtures are modern and the ceilings are high.

At a ribbon cutting ceremony in May, Missouri Department of Mental Health Director Mark Stringer said the new hospital has lines of sight that are “1000% better.”

Sound proofing has also stepped up. Noises at the old location echo throughout, creating additional challenges for patients suffering from psychotic disorders who might already hear other voices.

Stringer says the new site should also reduce the amount of overtime the staff is required to work.

The hospital’s Chief Operating Officer, Andy Atkinson, said the new facility will be life changing for its patients and employees and will dramatically improve their quality of life.

Nixon said the old location is a dangerous place and remembers dealing with many legal cases originating at the hospital during his days as Missouri attorney general. Many of those were worker’s comp claims. He calls the new building the finest mental hospital in the United States.

The old location, the Biggs Forensic Center, will be torn down at an undetermined date.

Missouri officials confident about GM Wentzville plant expansion (AUDIO)

August 21, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The state’s economic development director remains optimistic about landing a $1 billion expansion at the sprawling General Motors (GM) plant in eastern Missouri’s Wentzville.

The General Motors plant in Wentzville has about 4,600 employees, according to GM’s website (photo courtesy of GM website)

State Department of Economic Development (DED) Director Rob Dixon tells Missourinet that expansion would ensure that production stays in Wentzville long-term.

“GM is still looking at a possible $1 billion capitol investment in their plant in Wentzville,” Dixon says. “We’re in day-to-day conversations with General Motors. We are still under negotiations with them right now.”

Dixon spoke to Missourinet at the State Fair in Sedalia on Thursday. He’s optimistic.

“You know if we can get this done, we’d be confident that General Motors is going to be in Wentzville for a very long time and folks are going to have a place to work there. So that’s what it’s all about,” says Dixon.

Dixon says nothing has been finalized, adding that DED is confident “that we’re going to get there soon.”

GM’s Wentzville plant has about 4,600 employees. The plant produces vehicles such as the GMC Canyon and the Chevrolet Colorado.

Governor Mike Parson says GM has 178 suppliers across Missouri, with the plant supporting more than 12,000 jobs statewide.

Legislation aimed at attracting the expansion has been signed by the governor. It would provide $5 million per year in tax credits over ten years to automakers that invest at least $750 million in plant upgrades.

Wentzville, which is known as the “Crossroads of the Nation”, is one of Missouri’s fastest-growing cities. It sits on I-70 in St. Charles County.

Its current population is about 40,000. The city’s website notes Wentzville’s population skyrocketed from 6,896 in 2000 to 29,070 in the 2010 census.

Dixon says 300,000 Missourians work in the automotive industry.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with Missouri Department of Economic Development Director Rob Dixon, which was recorded on August 15, 2019 at the State Fair in Sedalia:

Missouri gets thousands of medical marijuana license requests, but few will be approved

August 20, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

More than 2,100 applications have been turned in for Missouri’s medical marijuana business

More than 2,100 applications have been turned in for Missouri’s medical marijuana business, including more than 1,200 in the final three days of Monday’s deadline. The applications are for those who want to get a license to grow, manufacture, test and distribute medical marijuana.

Of the thousands of applications, the state only plans to license 60 cultivation facilities, 192 dispensaries, 86 manufacturing sites and 10 testing labs the first year.

A third-party blind scorer will soon begin reviewing and scoring the evaluation questions for facility applications, stripped of any identifying information. DHSS will approve or deny requests within 150 days of the application submission date.

Missouri has already approved more than 6,500 medical marijuana patient and caregiver applications.

State lawmaker says St. Louis MLS team will spur economic growth in Missouri

August 20, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

St. Louis is reportedly about to land a Major League Soccer (MLS) expansion team. Some St. Louis-area state lawmakers had urged the league to consider the Gateway City.

Photo: MLS4TheLou.com

An announcement is scheduled for 11:30 Tuesday morning in downtown St. Louis, and multiple reports indicate MLS will award an expansion franchise to St. Louis.

The league says MLS Commissioner Don Garber will be there. Commissioner Garber visited St. Louis this spring.

State Rep. Justin Hill, R-Lake St. Louis, sponsored a House resolution this year, urging MLS to select St. Louis as an expansion team.

During a January speech on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City, Hill said “St. Louis has a rich tradition and avid fan base,” adding that more than ten percent of St. Louisans participate in soccer, which he says is three percent higher than the national average. He says that offers a large potential fan base to an MLS team.

Hill’s House concurrent resolution 7 sought to affirm Missouri’s and St. Louis’ commitment to sporting excellence. Legislative resolutions are largely symbolic, and Hill’s proposal did not receive a House hearing in 2019.

What it did do, though, was bring attention to the issue, both to lawmakers and to the general public.

“Another major professional team in St. Louis will spur economic growth and development for the region and the state of Missouri,” Hill said in January. “Placing an MLS team in our state, in the Arch City, would be a smart investment for the league, the city and the state.”

Hill notes the success of the St. Louis Football Club (FC). He also points out St. Louis University’s multiple NCAA titles in the 1960’s and the success of the St. Louis Steamers from 1979 to 1988.

KMOV Channel 4 in St. Louis reports the proposed stadium would be constructed just west of Union Station.

Missouri lawmakers could return to Jefferson City for special session, on vehicle sales

August 19, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor is considering calling a special legislative session this fall in Jefferson City, involving a June Missouri Supreme Court ruling about car sales.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson briefs reporters at the State Fair in Sedalia on August 15, 2019 (Brian Hauswirth photo)

Governor Mike Parson (R) made the announcement at the State Fair in Sedalia on Thursday, in response to questions from Missourinet.

“The special session, we are looking at a couple of issues that we maybe need to be fixed,” Parson says. “We’re going to take a look at that, we’re in that process right now.”

The Supreme Court case is called “Kehlenbrink vs. Department of Revenue”, and involves using the sale proceeds of a vehicle as a credit against the purchase price of a new vehicle when calculating sales tax.

Essentially, the Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that state law unambiguously permits the sale proceeds of only one vehicle as a credit against the purchase price of a new car, for the purposes of calculating sales tax.

The governor says the ruling impacts about 2,000 to 3,000 Missourians, adding this is money out of their pocket. He emphasizes the special session would be technical, adding that “it would be a very limited special session.”

Governor Parson did not indicate when the possible special session would take place. One possibility would be to coincide with the annual veto session, which will take place on September 11 at the Statehouse.