Transportation Archives

What we’re watching this week in Missouri Legislature: federal stimulus funding, state budget and workers compensation issues (AUDIO)

April 12, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Testimony involving stimulus dollars under the federal “American Rescue Plan Act of 2021”, alternatives to Medicaid expansion and workers compensation for firefighters and first responders will highlight this week in the Missouri Legislature in Jefferson City.

State Rep. Doug Richey (R-Excelsior Springs) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on March 18, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The 2021 session has about a month to go. The last day of session will be Friday, May 14.

A brand-new Missouri House Subcommittee on Federal Stimulus Spending will meet for the first time Monday morning in Jefferson City. They’ll gavel-in at 11 a.m. Committee Chairman State Rep. Doug Richey (R-Excelsior Springs) is humbled by the appointment.

“It is a committee that will be doing some very important work in terms of vetting both the priorities and the need for these federal stimulus dollars that are yet to even be received,” Richey says.

The subcommittee will hear testimony on Monday about capital improvement needs that could be eligible for federal stimulus funds under the Rescue plan. President Joe Biden (D) signed the bill, and House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith (R-Carthage) has said that he expects Missouri to receive billions of dollars in federal funding.

“There will be opportunity for several one-time appropriations for capital improvements and deferred maintenance that we know exist throughout the state,” says Richey.

He tells Missourinet that examples include universities, public safety, mental health and hospitals and state buildings.

Chairman Richey is emphasizing the importance of due diligence. He tweeted Saturday that “the American Rescue Plan isn’t funded by tax payer dollars, it’s funded by tax payer indebtedness.”

The Medicaid expansion issue will also come up again this week in the Legislature.

The Missouri House Budget Committee is expected to vote Tuesday on a budget blueprint from Chairman Smith, a plan which directs dollars slated for Medicaid expansion for other programs, including MO HealthNet. That’s the state Medicaid program.

Smith outlined the plan last week. House Bill 21, an eight-page bill, is just over $1 billion. $894 million of that would come from federal funds.

Funding includes $26 million for programs like respite care, adult day care and home-delivered meals. Chairman Smith testifies the funding also includes $88.2 million for funding long-term care services for care in nursing facilities. HB 21 also includes $18 million for k-12 public school transportation, and $2 million for adult high schools. It also includes $11.6 million for treatment for alcohol and drug abuse, and $2.2 million for youth community programs. It also provides about $1 million in additional funding for the State Public Defender System.

State Rep. Robert Sauls (D-Independence) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on March 31, 2021 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

House Democrats on the Budget Committee are expected to oppose the plan, saying that 53 percent of Missouri voters approved Medicaid expansion in August. Regardless of the committee vote, the issue will almost certainly be debated again on the House floor soon.

The Missouri House Public Safety Committee will meet Tuesday morning to hear legislation from State Rep. Robert Sauls (D-Independence), which involves workers compensation for firefighters and first responders.

“This is a bill that protects those who protect us. The firefighter cancer presumption bill creates a presumption that if a firefighter develops cancer, he or she got it as a result of the hazardous toxins of which he or she was regularly exposed. There is also a component to PTSD for first responders. I am proud of this bill and it is far overdue,” Sauls tells Missourinet.

Sauls’ House Bill 863 would allow Missouri firefighters and first responders to receive workers compensation for diseases of the heart or cardiovascular system, any infectious diseases, diseases of the body systems or organs from carcinoma, and diseases of the lungs or respiratory tract.

Across the Capitol Rotunda in the Missouri Senate, the chamber is expected to take up legislation involving mechanical contractors early this week. Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz (R-Sullivan) tells Missourinet he expects his Senate Bill 11 to hit the floor on Monday.

Schatz’s bill is called the “Missouri Statewide Mechanical Contractor Licensing Act.” Under the bill, the statewide mechanical license for mechanical contractors would be regulated by the Division of Professional Registration, within the state Department of Commerce and Insurance. The bill creates the Office of Mechanical Contractors, within the division.

Pro Tem Schatz also says education reform legislation could go to the Senate floor this week.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full four-minute interview with Missouri House Subcommittee on Federal Stimulus Spending Chairman Rep. Doug Richey (R-Excelsior Springs), which was recorded on April 9, 2021:

Rural lawmaker says shortage of gas stations near Missouri-Iowa border is a safety issue

April 12, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

(News director Bob Ehle at Missourinet Moberly affiliate KWIX contributed to this story)

A state lawmaker who represents four rural northern Missouri counties is warning about the lack of gas stations near the Missouri-Iowa border, saying it’s a safety issue in his farming district.

State Rep. Danny Busick (R-Newtown) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on February 9, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Rep. Danny Busick (R-Newtown), the Missouri House Special Committee on Small Business vice chairman, says regulations make it difficult to operate small, rural gas stations.

“Like I have to drive 25 miles … whether it be Milan, Unionville or Princeton to get gas. And within that 25 miles, there’s six little towns there that have gas stations located in them,” Busick tells our Moberly affiliate KWIX Radio.

Busick tells Missourinet that gas stations in those towns like Humphreys, Powersville, Galt and Newtown have closed in recent years. He says drivers can run out of gas and that it’s a safety issue.

“This area includes (the) western part of Putnam County, eastern part of Mercer County and most of western Sullivan County.” says Busick.

He says some of the gas stations that have closed were operated by families who have died. He says those stations were grandfathered in and that they should be grandfathered in again, to another owner.

Representative Busick is hoping to raise awareness about the issue. He’s also spoken about the issue on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City.

Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska governors plan bipartisan Thursday meeting on river and Corps-related issues

April 8, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor will join the governors of Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska Thursday afternoon in Council Bluffs, to follow-up on Missouri River issues and about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Governor Mike Parson talks to Missouri National Guard members in northern Missouri on June 3, 2019, after an aerial tour of massive flooding (file photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

This will be at least the fourth bipartisan meeting between Governor Mike Parson (R) and Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts (R), Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds (R) and Kansas Governor Laura Kelly (D). While their 3 p.m. meeting will be closed, the governors will brief reporters after the event at the Council Bluffs Police Department.

The governors have signed a four-state agreement to cooperate on issues relating to flood control and the Corps.

Governor Parson is still frustrated over the 2019 flooding, which hit northern Missouri especially hard. The Missouri Farm Bureau, the state’s largest general farm organization, says more than 1.4 million acres of farmland in the state went unplanted in 2019, due to flooding.

The flooding also caused the October 2019 collapse of the heavily-traveled railroad bridge over the Grand River in northern Missouri’s Brunswick, causing Norfolk Southern to suspend freight train service between Moberly and Kansas City for a time.

Brunswick is a small farming community, between Carrollton and Moberly. The National Weather Service (NWS) Missouri Basin River forecast center said in 2019 that backwater from flood debris helped cause that bridge to collapse. The logjam collapsed the train tracks.

Governor Parson will also be heading to northwest Missouri’s rural Rock Port on Thursday morning, to tour a major levee known as L-536. He’ll tour the levee and will meet with farmers who were impacted by the 2019 flooding.

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves (R-Tarkio), who’s the ranking Republican on the House Transportation Committee on Capitol Hill, has told Missourinet that flood control and navigation must be the top priority for the Corps, regarding the Missouri River.

Rural Missouri congressional district has more square miles than nine U.S. states

April 7, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

A Missouri House committee working on congressional redistricting will hear public testimony Thursday morning in Jefferson City from residents in northern Missouri’s massive Sixth Congressional District, which covers more square miles than nine U.S. states.

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves (left) meets with Missouri Governor Mike Parson at the Capitol in Jefferson City on February 24, 2020 (file photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

The district includes 36 of Missouri’s 114 counties. The Sixth District includes St. Joseph, Tarkio, Cameron, Chillicothe, Bethany, Trenton, Kirksville, Macon and Hannibal. The Missouri and Mississippi Rivers are both in the district.

The district is represented by U.S. Rep. Sam Graves (R-Tarkio), who’s the dean of Missouri’s congressional delegation. He’s serving his 11th term on Capitol Hill.

The Missouri House Special Committee on Redistricting will meet Thursday at 8:30 a.m. at the Statehouse in Jefferson City. The committee will hear in-person testimony, and written testimony will also be accepted. Committee Chair Dan Shaul (R-Imperial) says the committee is looking for information on what makes the district good and bad, and key characteristics about the district.

Flooding has been a major issue in the district, for the past 30 years. The flood of 1993 devastated the district. The entire town of Pattonsburg had to be relocated. The floods of 1995 and 2019 also caused major problems. Congressman Graves has been critical of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, for how they’ve managed the Missouri River.

Agriculture is also a big issue in the district, as is transportation. The district includes I-29, I-35 and Highway 36. Graves is the ranking Republican on the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Graves was re-elected to his 11th term in November, beating Democrat Gena Ross with 67 percent of the vote. Graves received 258,709 votes, while Ross received 118,926 votes.

Northern Missouri hasn’t sent a Democrat to Capitol Hill since former U.S. Rep. Pat Danner (D-Smithville), who served four terms from 1993-2000. The late U.S. Rep. Jerry Litton (D-Chillicothe) also represented the district, serving two terms from 1973-1976. Congressman Litton was killed in a plane crash in August 1976, after winning Missouri’s Democratic U.S. Senate nomination.

Missouri’s House Budget Committee chair outlines alternative to Medicaid expansion; Kirk Mathews is Acting Medicaid director

April 6, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s House Budget Committee learned new details Tuesday in Jefferson City about a budget blueprint from the committee chair to direct dollars slated for Medicaid expansion for other programs, including MO HealthNet. That’s the state Medicaid program.

Missouri House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith (R-Carthage) speaks on the House floor in Jefferson City on April 1, 2021 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

House Democrats are expected to oppose the plan, saying Missouri voters approved Medicaid expansion in August.

Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith (R-Carthage) and the House Appropriations director presented House Bill 21, which is an eight-page bill. It’s just over $1 billion, with $894 million of that coming from federal funds.

“This is an appropriation, a rate increase, that again as you (the House Appropriations director) noted, it’s written as a one-time increase. I think it’s up for up for question as to whether or not this should be a general revenue increase, or perhaps an f-map increase,” Smith testifies.

He says this involves a one-time nursing facility rate increase of about $10 per day.

While Chairman Smith opposes Medicaid expansion, his plan would provide an additional $735 million to the MO HealthNet Division for transitional payments. House Appropriations Director Glenn Fitzgerald testifies this is a brand-new proposal.

“This is 735-and-a-half million (dollars) federal funds for transitional payments related to Medicaid reform,” Fitzgerald testifies.

Then-State Rep. Kirk Mathews (R-Eureka) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on April 7, 2016 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

HB 21 also includes $18 million for k-12 public school transportation, and $2 million for adult high schools. It also includes $11.6 million for treatment for alcohol and drug abuse, and $2.2 million for youth community programs. It also provides about $1 million in additional funding for the State Public Defender System.

There was no testimony in support or in opposition to Smith’s bill on Tuesday. Chairman Smith tells the audience that he hopes for a mark-up on either Thursday or Monday. This is a short week in Jefferson City, due to the Easter break.

Medicaid is a federal and state program that assists with medical costs for residents with limited incomes. 53 percent of Missouri voters approved Medicaid expansion in August, although it failed in 105 of the state’s 114 counties. Rural House members from those districts have led the opposition to funding Medicaid expansion.

House Democrats and Amendment Two supporters say Missouri voters have spoken. They say Medicaid expansion will help the working poor by expanding the program for residents between the ages of 19 and 64 with an income level at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level.

The House voted to give final approval last week to a $34.1 billion state operating budget, which does not contain funding for Medicaid expansion.

We also learned during Tuesday’s one-hour hearing that former State Rep. Kirk Mathews (R-Eureka) is serving as the interim director at Missouri Medicaid, with Director Todd Richardson out on leave.

Mathews has been MO HealthNet’s chief transformation officer. He was first elected to the Missouri House in 2014 and and served two terms, from 2015-2018.

What we’re watching this week in the Missouri Legislature: PDMP, budget, foster care and human cloning

April 5, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Legislation that would create a prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) is expected to receive final approval from the Missouri Senate in Jefferson City on Tuesday.

Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia) tells Missourinet that the PDMP issue should come up tomorrow. That’s when state lawmakers return to Jefferson City, following the Easter break.

State Rep. Robert Sauls (D-Independence) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on March 31, 2021 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The Senate voted to give initial approval to PDMP last week, and it had bipartisan support. Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz (R-Sullivan), who voted for Senate Bill 63, tells Missourinet Sullivan affiliate KTUI that informed doctors make better decisions.

“49 states currently have a PDMP, and actually it just provides a layer of protection against drug and dependency and dangerous drug interactions,” Schatz tells KTUI.

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

Opponents of Senate Bill 63, including State Sen. Mike Moon (R-Ash Grove), worry about potential data breaches.

Pro Tem Schatz also says the state operating budget will get a lot of attention in his chamber during the next five weeks. The House has approved a $34.1 billion budget, that does not include funding for Medicaid expansion. The budget now heads to the Senate.

“The governor had made recommendations. The House has made their modifications to it and now it’s our turn to work through the things that we think are priorities in funding in this state,” says Schatz.

The state Constitution requires Missouri lawmakers to approve a balanced budget, by early May.

State Rep. Sara Walsh (R-Ashland) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on March 22, 2021 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Across the Capitol Rotunda in the Missouri House, the Budget Committee meets Tuesday afternoon at 12:30 to hear testimony from Committee Chairman Cody Smith (R-Carthage) about his budget proposal to use Medicaid expansion funding for other programs.

Medicaid is formally known as MO HealthNet, and it’s a federal and state program that assists with medical costs for residents with limited incomes. 53 percent of Missouri voters approved Medicaid expansion in August, although it failed in 105 of the state’s 114 counties. Rural House members from those districts led the opposition to Medicaid expansion last week. Amendment Two supporters say the measure expands Medicaid for residents between the ages of 19 and 64 with an income level at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level.

Chairman Smith says Medicaid expansion would help able bodied adults, many who choose not to work. He’s filed a bill to use the $1.9 billion to instead support seniors in nursing homes, to provide care for the developmentally disabled and to expand mental health programs. It would also increase k-12 school transportation funding. That proposal will be outlined on Tuesday.

Meantime, the Missouri House Emerging Issues Committee meets Tuesday evening at 5, to hear a foster care proposal from State Rep. Robert Sauls (D-Independence). House Bill 1335 would prevent children from being aged out of foster care during a pandemic.

“During uncertain and difficult times, our most vulnerable children shouldn’t have to worry about homelessness,” Representative Sauls tells Missourinet. “That’s why I sponsored HB 1335. I want to make sure that during a moment of crisis, the children of Missouri have the stability that they need.”

Foster care continues to be a bipartisan issue at the Missouri Capitol. It’s also a top priority for House Speaker Rob Vescovo (R-Arnold).

The human cloning issue will also come up this week in a House committee. The Children and Families Committee will hear testimony on Wednesday morning from State Rep. Sara Walsh (R-Ashland), which would prohibit public expenditure of public funds for research projects involving abortion services and human cloning.

Walsh’s proposal is House Bill 852.

Former state legislator Kolkmeyer is focused on protecting Missouri ratepayers at Public Service Commission (AUDIO)

April 5, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

A former state lawmaker who’s been appointed to the Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) is grateful for the appointment, and is pledging to focus on protecting Missouri utility ratepayers.

Former State Rep. Glen Kolkmeyer (R-Odessa) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on March 18, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Former State Rep. Glen Kolkmeyer (R-Odessa) served eight years in the House, from 2013 to 2020. He was forced out by term limits. Mr. Kolkmeyer is also the former Missouri Propane Gas Association president, and served as Wellington-Napoleon’s fire chief from 1982-2002.

“Three weeks ago, I was extremely honored when Governor Mike Parson called and asked me to serve on the Missouri Public Service Commission, as a commissioner. I was just extremely honored,” Kolkmeyer says.

The PSC regulates investor-owned electric, natural gas, steam, water and sewer utilities in Missouri. The PSC also has some jurisdiction over telecommunication providers in Missouri.

“Honestly, I don’t know that I have any big priorities other than just protecting the citizens of Missouri with the utilities. That’s really my one and only goal and focus,” says Kolkmeyer.

Kolkmeyer is a former chairman of both the Missouri House Transportation Committee and the House Administration and Accounts Committee. He tells Missourinet that he learned a lot about utilities, while serving in the House.

“I served on (the Missouri House) Transportation (Committee) all eight years and we dealt with a few of these issues. Also, issues on the (House) floor, but I also served two years on the Utilities Committee in the House,” Kolkmeyer says.

He was a leader on transportation issues in the House, and pushed unsuccessfully for a ten-cent gasoline tax increase in November 2018. Proposition D, which was rejected by voters, would have provided the state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) with additional funding. Missouri’s 17-cent per gallon gas tax has remained the same since 1996.

Kolkmeyer, who represented Jackson, Johnson and Lafayette counties, was re-elected to his fourth and final House term in 2018. He received about 69 percent of the vote to defeat Democratic challenger Connie Simmons.

Meantime, former Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr (R-Springfield) is praising the appointment, tweeting that he’s proud and excited for Kolkmeyer. Speaker Haahr describes Kolkmeyer as one of the best in the Missouri Legislature.

His appointment requires Missouri Senate confirmation, and he will go before the Senate Gubernatorial Appointments Committee. A hearing date hasn’t been set yet.

State Sen. Denny Hoskins (R-Warrensburg), who represents Lafayette County, tells Missourinet that he looks forward to sponsoring Kolkmeyer’s nomination.

Click here to listen to the full two-minute interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and former State Rep. Glen Kolkmeyer (R-Odessa), which was recorded on April 2, 2021:

TSA finds high rate of carry-on firearms in Missouri airports, offers instruction (VIDEO)

April 5, 2021 By Ashley Byrd

The Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) says its officers at Missouri airports discovered a total of 85 firearms in travelers’ carry-on luggage in 2020, despite a dramatic reduction of travelers because of the coronavirus global pandemic.

Since each of the firearms was discovered by TSA officers during the routine screening of carry-on property at airport security checkpoints, the agency taped a demonstration for Missourinet at Kansas City International Airport:

Residents in southwest Missouri’s 7th congressional district to testify Thursday at Capitol in Jefferson City

April 1, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

A Missouri House committee on congressional redistricting will take public testimony on Thursday morning in Jefferson City from residents who live in southwest Missouri’s Seventh Congressional District.

U.S. Rep. Billy Long (R-Springfield) speaks to frontline health care workers at Mercy Joplin on February 2, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Congressman Long’s Twitter page)

The Republican stronghold includes Springfield, Joplin, Branson, Carthage, Bolivar and the communities around Table Rock Lake.

In-person and written testimony will be accepted Thursday morning at 8. House Special Committee on Redistricting Chairman Rep. Dan Shaul (R-Imperial) says the committee wants information from residents about the district’s characteristics, including things that make it good and bad.

U.S. Rep. Billy Long (R-Springfield) has represented the district since 2011. Long is now in his sixth term on Capitol Hill.

Congressman Long faced Democratic opponent Teresa Montseny in November, winning the election with 69 percent of the vote. Long received 254,318 votes, to Montseny’s 98,111 votes.

The district hasn’t sent a Democrat to Washington since the late Congressman Charlie Brown, who served two terms from 1957-1960.

Agriculture and transportation are major issues in the district, which includes I-44. The district has also been impacted over the years by flooding and by numerous tornadoes, including the deadly Joplin tornado in 2011. The EF-5 tornado killed 162 people.

Missouri hopes to work with neighbors to improve Missouri River levees

March 31, 2021 By Missourinet Contributor

Brent Martin, KFEQ

Missouri state officials hope to convince the Army Corps of Engineers to make changes to the Missouri River levee system.

Deputy Director Dru Buntin of the Department of Natural Resources says Missouri is working with Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa state officials to propose changes to the levee system in an effort to avoid the problems which made the 2019 flood so devastating.

2019 flooding in northwest Missouri/File photo by Brent Martin

“It’s the states’ intention working together to take a regional approach to looking at where are the areas where targeted investment and focus about our approach to flood risk management is going to reap the most benefit,” Buntin tells St. Joseph Post.

Of particular interest is the Missouri River L-536 levee in Atchison and Holt Counties, which breached in five locations in 2019. The Atchison County Levee District has suggested moving the levee back to allow more room for floodwaters. The district also suggests upgrading the levee with a more modern design.

A study commissioned by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson focused on pinch points along the Missouri River, segments that restrict the flow of water creating a greater potential for flooding. The study suggested the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could alter not just the levees, but where they are built, using setbacks and other moves to restore a more natural floodplain.

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