Politics & Govt Archives

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:

Missouri woman decks the halls of the White House for Christmas

December 7, 2018 By Missourinet Contributor

About 6,000 people applied as volunteers to decorate the White House and Cindy Roy of northwest Missouri’s Trenton was one of about 200 volunteers chosen. She first heard about the opportunity when a former White House intern visited her during his winter break from college last year.

Photo courtesy of KTTN in Trenton

She applied in September with her sister and friend. Roy was chosen in October, but her sister and friend were not selected.

“It was probably a once in a lifetime opportunity and it would be rude to not accept an invitation from the first lady,” Roy says.

Roy says the selected volunteers were split into two groups with one helping with Christmas decorating before Thanksgiving, and the other helped after. She was in the group that helped decorate after Thanksgiving from November 23rd to 25th.

She and her husband traveled by plane to Washington, D. C. on Thanksgiving Day. All volunteers were responsible for their own travel arrangements and lodging.

Roy says a decorating plan was designed before the volunteers arrived.

“They had a very definite plan as far as what needed to be done with each tree and each room of the White House in the West Wing,” Roy says. “As volunteers, we just show up and they lead us in the right direction.”

Roy was one of only six volunteers who was also allowed to decorate the Oval Office.

She says she’s considering whether to apply again next year to decorate.

Story provided by Missourinet affiliate KTTN in Trenton

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:

Blunt ‘very concerned’ about America’s trade strategy

December 6, 2018 By Alisa Nelson

U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, says he’s been “very concerned” about America’s trade strategy. During the Missouri Farm Bureau Convention this week at the Lake of the Ozarks, the Republican says he’s glad the U.S. did not escalate its trade fight with China.

Senator Roy Blunt addresses the Missouri House on April 4, 2018 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

He cites U.S. soybean exports have gone to virtually zero since the trade war began.

“Our opportunities in beef, pork, chicken and other commodity crops are not what they would be,” Blunt tells Brownfield Ag News. “At the same time, the Chinese are the worst offenders in the world of the normal understood practices of how you do business.”

He says China steals America’s technology and does not fulfill its World Trade Organization agreements. He goes on to say that China does not let U.S. companies invest in China the same way China likes to see their companies invest in other countries.

“I think if you’re going to have a trade fight, that would be the one to have,” Blunt says.

He says he hopes a Trump Administration priority will be to “clear the decks” of trading partners in Mexico, Canada, Japan, the European Union.

Blunt thinks getting enough Democratic support in the House is going to be “a fairly big challenge” for the new North American Free Trade Agreement often called NAFTA. Blunt goes on to say that he’s encouraged to see the deal signed between the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

One argument voiced is that the agreement does not go far enough to protect American workers from low-wage Mexican competition. The new deal does not lift the tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum.

“I wish we could have gotten this done this year,” Blunt says. “The president’s intention, which I have some concerns about, is to go ahead and give notice that the old agreement is going to end, which does put maximum pressure on people who understand the importance of this North American agreement to our whole economy. But our friends on the other side have not voted for trade deals in any significant number in a long time.”

Meanwhile, Blunt thinks the federal Farm Bill will pass in Congress this year. He says the bill does not move dramatically in a new direction, but it considers the dramatic changes made in the last Farm Bill.

“It tries to make the corrections in cotton, dairy and other areas that it became pretty obvious during that Farm Bill that we hadn’t quite anticipated as a country some of the special needs,” he says.

The compromise bill would keep food stamp benefit requirements the same, legalize hemp for ag production and expand a program for taking environmentally- sensitive land out of production for several years, among other things.

The Farm Bureau Convention wrapped up on Tuesday.

Pre-filed bill in Missouri Legislature would be among the most restrictive abortion measures in the nation

December 6, 2018 By Jason Taylor

Missouri lawmakers could be considering a far-reaching abortion restriction in the upcoming legislative session.

Republican Missouri State Rep. Nick Schroer of O’Fallon (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications}

Republican state Representative Nick Schroer of O’Fallon pre-filed a bill this week that would prohibit doctors from performing abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected. The measure, which allows for exceptions in medical emergencies, would ban most abortions after six weeks. Reproductive rights group contend many women don’t even know they’re pregnant at that time.

Schroer’s proposal builds on stricter abortion restrictions enacted by Republican lawmakers and former GOP Governor Eric Greitnens after a special session in 2017. It also comes after a U.S. appeals court this year reversed a lower federal court decision that had blocked Missouri laws requiring doctors to be affiliated with hospitals and abortion clinics to be licensed as outpatient surgery centers.

Iowa passed a law this year banning abortions after detection of a fetal heartbeat, but a judge temporarily blocked its enactment until a legal challenge against it by the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa and Planned Parenthood can be decided.

North Dakota and Arkansas also have passed similar laws, only to see them overturned by federal courts. So far, the U.S. Supreme Court has declined to review the lower court decisions.

But Republicans in states such as South Carolina have vowed to introduce fetal heartbeat legislation in 2019, possibly feeling emboldened by Supreme Court appointments made by President Trump, who campaigned on a promise to nominate anti-abortion judges.

Recently-confirmed Justice Brett Kavanaugh has indicated through his writings that he would allow for more strict regulations on abortion. Kavanaugh wrote a dissenting opinion after the Washington D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals allowed a 17-year-old to end her pregnancy over objections from the Trump administration.

Schroer’s measure would require physicians to conduct tests to determine if a fetal heartbeat is present. If one is not detected, an abortion would be allowed within a four day period. If the procedure was not performed within the four-day window, a new fetal heartbeat detection test would be required.

Blunt on Bush’s Missouri family connections

December 5, 2018 By Alisa Nelson

U.S. Senator Roy Blunt says President George H.W. Bush treated Missouri like it was one of the states he was connected to. Funeral services are underway for Bush, who died Friday at the age of 94.

On the Senate floor, Blunt says Bush was in Missouri a lot because of its political importance as a bellwether state and for personal reasons.

George H.W. Bush

“Certainly, in Missouri, we claim part of the Bush family. His mother grew up in Missouri. The Walkers were from Missouri, and he treated Missouri like it was one of the states that he was connected to by relationship. The impact of his mother is pretty great,” says Blunt.

He says from 1904 to 2004, the bellwether state of Missouri voted for the winner of the presidential election every time but one.

“That last 20 years of that time period very much is the time period where President Bush 41 and Bush 43, for that matter, were part of national politics. So, Missouri would have been a significant place for him anyway, but his brother lived there, his younger brother Bucky, who passed away in the last few years. Future Ambassador Burt Walker was there. Lots of sort of interrelated and connected family members,” he says.

The only presidential election Missouri did not vote for the winner was in 1956 when Dwight Eisenhower won the race. Missouri voted for a former Illinois governor, Adlai Stevenson.

Blunt goes on to say the Missouri connection goes a little bit further.

“Not only did Missouri vote for President Bush in 1988… But after Desert Storm, President Bush looked around to find a place to do the first 4th of July parade after Desert Storm and he came to Marshfield, Missouri, in the county where I was born, in Webster County,” Blunt says.

Blunt recalls being picked as the grand marshal of the parade that year. When he learned the president wanted to come to be in the parade, Blunt says he was more than willing to step aside to let Bush lead. Blunt instead walked closely behind.

He says the first campaign kickoff was in Branson in 1992. Blunt and Bush went to a country music show at the Moe Bandy Theater. Loretta Lynn was sitting with the president and Mrs. Bush.

“Their good friend from Texas Moe Bandy was performing and that was a part of America and a part of our music that the president loved,” says Blunt.

Elk hunting in Missouri could start in 2020

December 5, 2018 By Missourinet Contributor

A limited elk hunting season could begin as early as the year 2020, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.

This week, the agency is asking hunters for their input on developing the framework for the hunt. Department of Conservation Elk Program Manager David Hasenbeck says the conservation department is closing in on three benchmarks in order to start a limited elk hunting season. Those include a steady growth rate, a good sex ratio of bulls to cows, and a population of more than 200 elk.

Elk was a native species in Missouri until overhunting led to their extinction within the state in the early 1900s. Roughly 110 brought from a wild Kentucky herd in 2011 and released at Peck Ranch Conservation Area in the southeast part of the state. The herd has since grown to 175 animals. This week, several workshops are being held in Carter, Reynolds and Shannon counties near Peck Ranch.

Hasenbeck says some main items they want feedback on include different methods of hunting, when the season will be and how to give out tags.

“What we are looking to do is create a very simple and very fair process where everyone who has an interest in hunting elk in Missouri will have the opportunity to pursue elk in the future,” said Hasenbeck. “Now it is going to be very limited tags initially. What number we release we are not certain of yet. But certainly over time as the heard grows we will become more liberal with permits.”

Gary Senn from southeast Missouri’s Scott City has gone on dozens of elk hunts in places like Colorado. He said there are more applicants than available tags in many states that already have elk hunting.

“It will probably be a lottery-type drawing. I assume, with a limited number of hunters, but whoever draws those tags will be in for a great hunt,” said Senn. “It will be really exciting to hunt elk in Missouri where they have not been hunted in 150 years or so.”

There is one more workshop being held December 6 from 6-8 p.m. in Eminence, Missouri inside the High School Cafeteria at 17829 South Sixth St.

You can also submit comments online here at ‘Provide Your Comments.’

(Missourinet media partner KFVS-TV contributed this report)

Historic riverboat can get back to business in Missouri

December 5, 2018 By Alisa Nelson

President Donald Trump has signed into law legislation that will let the 1920s-era Delta Queen steamboat carry passengers if certain safety improvements are made. The vessel has not sailed down the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers since a federal exemption lapsed in 2008.

Photo courtesy of Delta Queen Steamboat Co.

Missouri U.S. Senators Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt sponsored the measure that is expected to create more than 170 jobs in eastern Missouri and will make the boat’s new home port in Kimmswick. According to Blunt’s office, the Delta Queen is anticipated to begin and end several cruises each year in Kimmswick and will visit up to 80 other U.S. ports.

“The return of the historic Delta Queen is great news for our state and the St. Louis region,” Blunt says. “This important part of our nation’s history will create jobs and strengthen our state’s growing tourism industry. I thank our House colleagues, local officials, and community leaders who have been great partners in our effort to bring this one-of-a-kind riverboat back to Missouri.”

McCaskill says she’s thrilled the Delta Queen can once again sail down the Mississippi.

“This historic landmark will highlight the rich history of the state I love, supporting local communities up and down the river. Working with Senator Blunt and my colleagues in the House to make this a reality has been a privilege,” she says.

The Delta Queen is a wooden American steamboat that carried dignitaries, including three U.S. Presidents, and thousands of other passengers. It also served as a naval ship during World War Two and has been designated as a national historic landmark.

Incoming Senate Appropriations Chairman brings experience with state budget in flux

December 5, 2018 By Jason Taylor

When incoming Missouri Senate President Pro-Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, announced that Senator Dan Hegeman would be the next chairman of the chamber’s Appropriations Committee, he made reference to the Cosby Republican’s financial experience in the state Legislature.

“Senator Hegeman brings over a decade of state budget experience to the table,” said Schatz.

Hegeman served 11 years as a state representative, having been first elected in 1990 before term-limits were imposed in 1994. He was a member of the Budget Committee for the entirety of his tenure in the lower chamber. He’s also been a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee for the past two years and served as county clerk, the chief budget officer, in Andrew County for five years during his time away from the Legislature.

The University of Missouri graduate enters into a budget leadership position when it’s not exactly known why the state is experiencing a financial shortfall after finishing the last fiscal year in June with a $280 million surplus. As of the end of October, Missouri had a $110 million deficit in the current year. There’s no danger of any withholding of funds for state services in the near term with last year’s excess providing a $180 million surplus, but the monthly numbers are being closely examined by the Department of Revenue and state Budget Director Dan Haug.

Meanwhile, state lawmakers, the executive branch and an economist from the University of Missouri are meeting in December to figure out the Consensus Revenue Estimate (CRE), the key monetary figure mutually agreed upon that’s used to construct the operating budget. Estimates will be formulated for the rest of the current fiscal year, and for fiscal year 2020, which begins next July.

Although outgoing Senate Appropriations Chairman Dan Brown, R-Rolla, will play a major role in determining the upcoming CRE, Hegeman is expecting to be consulted during discussions.

He thinks part of the budget shortfall is linked to an error in figuring income tax tables, a problem that’s since been corrected by the Revenue Department.

“The fact that they redid the tables this fall indicates that that is certainly part of the problem,” said Hegeman. “I think that many economists and our budget staff think that this will turn around once people start filing their income taxes.”

The Revenue Department announced in late September it was reworking the tables after determining it was under collecting income taxes from individuals. The agency said the unexpected decrease in withholding is due to a longstanding inaccurate calculation of the federal tax deduction that had previously gone undetected.

It’s thought that another possible reason for the current shortfall could be tied to the Congressional tax overhaul that went into effect at the beginning of 2018. Hegeman says it’s not certain how changes in Washington are affecting Missouri tax collections.

“That’s one theory that I’ve heard that’s out there,” Hegeman said. “(I) don’t know that for a fact, but that’s one idea that’s out there as to why the revenues may be coming in short.”

Missouri income taxes are tied to the federal standard deduction which was doubled by Congress – from $6,350 to $12,000 for individuals and from $12,700 to $24,000 for those filing jointly. Hegeman said there’s some concern that the state may not have adjusted correctly for the change, although filing for 2018 income taxes won’t begin until January.

The newly re-elected state Senator points out that certain tax credits are causing some of the shortfall.

“I know there’s been a lot of tax credit applications and tax credit refunds going out there right now,” Hegeman said. “That’s been some of the deficit attributed to that.”

Regardless of how tax collections play out over the short term, Missouri’s overall income tax rate will be significantly reduced beginning January 1.

A bill signed into law this year will drop the income tax rate most Missourians pay by four-tenths of a percent. Hegeman defends the legislation as responsible, saying it eliminates numerous tax exemptions to be largely revenue neutral, allowing for more Missourians to pay lower taxes.

“Certainly, anytime we can close some of these loopholes and provide a benefit to a broader base, there are many of us that believe that’s a positive tax policy decision to make,” said Hegeman.

Combined with another tax cut triggered by increases in revenue collections, the state’s income tax rate will drop from the current 5.9% to 5.4% in January.

After years of being involved in the public budgeting process doing what he calls “yeoman’s work”, Hegeman says he’s ready to assume a bigger role in managing Missouri’s finances.

“I certainly look to be guiding the process and moving our appropriations/budget process through the system, getting the state budget done in a timely fashion,” Hegeman said. “It’s one of our only constitutional mandated duties that the Legislature needs to accomplish.”

Most states have a statute or a constitutional requirement to balance their budgets, with Vermont being the notable exception.

Missouri Congressman: History will remember Bush fondly

December 5, 2018 By Alisa Nelson

The funeral is today in Washington, D.C. for the 41st president of the United States. East-central Missouri Republican Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer says history will remember President George H.W. Bush fondly.

George H.W. Bush

“As time goes by, it gets a little kinder to everybody because suddenly the emotions of the moment passed and you’re able to look at things without that jaded eye and you realize the great things that he (Bush) did and how he did them and the way that he did them. I think history is going to judge him very fairly,” Luetkemeyer tells Missourinet affiliate KWIX in Moberly.

Bush served as a Texas congressman, ambassador and CIA director, before becoming vice president and president. Luetkemeyer says one of Bush’s strengths was in foreign relations.

“China was just beginning to sort of flex its muscles a little bit. President Nixon kind of opened the door to them,” Luetkemeyer says. “Bush kind of was the one who pushed the door open and was able to then bring them onto the world stage as a country we could negotiate with. Obviously, at that point in time, Russia was still the kingpin of international bad guys, as far as we’re concerned. Bush was somebody who understood international relationships.”

He says Mr. Bush had the ability to develop strong relationships with international leaders.

“He was an ambassador of the United Nations. He understood a lot of the idiosyncrasies of some of the different individuals who are running these countries,” Luetkemeyer says. “Sometimes it’s not necessarily the country. You’ve got to know the person who’s running it.”

Bush served as president from 1989 to 1993.

Meanwhile, Missourians will not receive mail today and the U.S. financial markets will be closed. Today has been declared as a national day of mourning to recognize the death of Bush.