CARES Act funding Archives

Missouri’s governor releases $127 million; says state is in top ten in recovery efforts

January 7, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Citing the improving economy and Missouri’s 4.4 percent unemployment rate, Governor Mike Parson has released about $127 million in previously restricted funds.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson briefs Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on January 6, 2021 (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

“Thanks to our Show-Me strong recovery plan, we continue to outpace our economic recovery forecast, which is why we are able to release these funds today,” Parson says.

The governor tells Capitol reporters that 67 percent of the jobs lost during the pandemic have been recovered.

The funding released by Governor Parson on Wednesday includes $26 million for the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, $8.5 million for Missouri’s Division of Tourism, $120,000 for the meat and poultry inspection program and $50,000 for the food, beverage and forest products initiative.

Click here to see the full list of the funding that’s been released.

“Right now, the revenues look good in the state,” says Parson. “We’ve been so fortunate here in this state, I mean a 4.4 (percent) unemployment rate, I think we’re in the top ten in the recovery efforts.”

In October, Governor Parson released $40 million in general revenue and also allocated $95 million in CARES Act funding for critical services. When he made that October announcement, he also noted that Missouri’s unemployment rate had improved and that state revenues had outpaced expectations.

Missouri’s state budget director to testify Monday in-detail about supplemental budget

November 8, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

We’ll learn more details about Missouri’s proposed $1.27 billion supplemental budget on Monday afternoon, during the House Budget Committee’s hearing in Jefferson City.

Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, (right) talks with House Budget Committee Chair Cody Smith, R-Carthage, and Majority Leader Rob Vescovo, R-Arnold, on
May 7, 2020 in Jefferson City (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The committee plans a noon hearing in the Missouri House chamber. The funding will provide additional resources to respond to COVID.

Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, is expecting a four to six-hour hearing on Monday. Smith tells Missourinet that state budget director Dan Haug will be the primary person testifying on Monday, adding that state departments with appropriations in the bill will be at the Capitol to answer questions from committee members.

Governor Mike Parson (R) has called the special session, which began on Thursday. The governor notes there is still CARES Act funding that needs to be distributed to Missourians.

The governor says the supplemental budget includes funding for several items, including school nutrition service programs, job training grants, funding for a domestic violence grant and child support payments.

Governor Parson has spoken to both House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, and Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, about the special session. Parson says he is working with the Legislature to ensure that these funds are distributed across Missouri as quickly as possible.

The governor says since the Legislature approved the $35 billion state operating budget in May, additional CARES Act funding has been made available to the state.

During Monday’s hearing, Missouri House Budget Committee members will also hear testimony from the state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) about nursing home family access. Smith says DHSS staff members will testify, about that issue.

Monday will also be the first meeting that new committee vice chairman Rep. Dirk Deaton attends, as vice chair.

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, appointed Rep. Deaton, R-Noel, to the post last week, saying Representative Deaton will be ready to assist in the committee’s work to appropriate funding during the special session to combat COVID.

Speaker Haahr says it was important to name a vice chairman ahead of the special session.

Cody Smith: Amount of supplemental budget for Missouri special session has not been determined

October 22, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Saying that there is still CARES Act funding that needs to be distributed to Missourians, Governor Mike Parson has called a special session on a supplemental budget bill that will start on November 5. The governor announced the special session call, during Wednesday’s briefing with Capitol reporters in Jefferson City.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson speaks at Truman Medical Center in Kansas City on October 15, 2020 (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

“The supplemental budget contains funding for several items, including school nutrition service programs, job training grants, emergency solutions grant program for the homeless prevention,” Parson says.

The governor says the supplemental budget will also include funding for a domestic violence grant and child support payments.

“We look forward to working with the General Assembly to make sure these funds are distributed across Missouri as soon as possible,” says Parson.

Governor Parson says he’s spoken to legislative leaders in both chambers, about the special session. Both House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, and Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, say they’ve spoken to the governor about the special session.

House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, told Missourinet Wednesday evening that the amount of the supplemental budget has yet to be determined.

The governor says since the Legislature approved the $35 billion state operating budget in May, additional CARES Act funding has been made available to the state. Parson says the funding will provide additional resources to respond to COVID-19.

Click here to read Governor Parson’s special session call.

Meantime, Governor Parson says he’s disappointed about the news that 11 more veterans living in state veterans homes have died from COVID-19 in the past week. The governor reiterates to Missourinet that he acted immediately when he learned about the spike in deaths at veterans homes, ordering an external review.

“We definitely are continuing to put a stop to the spread of that COVID-19 in those veterans homes, and we’re aware of that situation. There was an investigation that was looking into that, and is looking into that,” Parson says.

The Missouri Veterans Commission (MVC) says 67 veterans at veterans homes have died due to COVID since September 1, with 29 of those deaths at the Cape Girardeau home. St. Louis-based Armstrong Teasdale is conducting the investigation, and is doing staff interviews at the homes.

Missouri’s governor releases $133 million in funding; says he’d pardon the McCloskeys

October 8, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor has announced that he is releasing about $133 million in funding that was previously withheld, saying the state’s unemployment rate has improved and state revenues outpaced expectations.

Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City

Governor Mike Parson (R) made the announcement Wednesday afternoon in Jefferson City, while addressing Capitol reporters. He’s releasing $95 million in CARES Act funding and $40 million in general revenue. The governor says $61 million of the CARES Act funding will go to K-12 education.

“These funds will be disbursed to school districts through DESE similar to the (education) foundation formula,” Parson says.

The funds will be distributed through the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) on a per-pupil basis.

Missouri Education Commissioner Dr. Margie Vandeven says schools continue to face unprecedented challenges this school year. She says the added expenses of operating schools during the pandemic has been a challenge, and that the money released by the governor will help.

Governor Parson says Missouri’s unemployment rate is less than half than originally projected.

“When we made those conservative budget decisions (budget restrictions), the projection was that Missouri’s unemployment rate would be around 16.3 (percent). However, our current unemployment rate is actually seven percent,” says Parson.

The governor says another factor is that September general revenue collections increased three percent from September 2019, from $917 million to $944 million this year.

About $10 million of the funding will be used to reimburse private colleges and universities for COVID-related expenses, including money spent to bring students back to campus safely.

The governor was also asked by a St. Louis television reporter about this week’s indictment of the McCloskeys in St. Louis.

Governor Parson is reiterating that he is prepared to pardon the St. Louis couple indicted for pointing guns at protesters outside their Central West End home in July. The governor says he would pardon Mark and Patricia McCloskey.

“Most certainly would, most certainly would,” Parson says. “We’ll let it play out and see how this all comes out in the courts, but I stand by what I said.”

A St. Louis City grand jury indicted the McCloskeys on Tuesday for unlawful use of a weapon and evidence tampering.

The McCloskeys addressed the Republican National Convention in August, saying they feared for their safety that evening. But St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, a Democrat, says the protesters were nonviolent. She has described the McCloskeys’ conduct as “unacceptable.”

Missouri congresswoman: St. Louis County has not distributed $100 million in CARES Act funding

September 13, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A Missouri congresswoman who represents St. Louis County on Capitol Hill is calling on county officials to distribute millions of dollars in CARES Act funding.

During a Thursday hearing before the U.S. House Financial Services Committee, U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin, told colleagues that the CARES Act was signed into law in late March and that St. Louis County received $173 million.

U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner visits Jefferson City on February 25, 2020 (file photo from Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth)

“Four months later, there is still over $100 million unspent federal financial aid, that desperately needs to be distributed,” Wagner says.

Congresswoman Wagner says that includes $47 million for local municipalities, adding that public safety is at risk without these funds.

“Funds are needed to prevent law enforcement layoffs, pay public safety officials and help pay for medical care, housing and other essential services for American communities and families,” says Wagner.

She says she’s spoken to Democratic St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page to express her concerns, and has “had enough.” Wagner voted for the CARES Act in March, and says the dollars are critical to support health and public safety.

Missourinet reached out to County Executive Page’s office for a response and we haven’t heard back yet. However, Page’s spokesman, Doug Moore, tells the “St. Louis Post-Dispatch” that an announcement will be made soon.

“We are on track to distribute funds to support our municipalities in compliance with federal regulations and based on need. We’ll be making an announcement soon. Although frustrating to many, we must follow federal guidelines for distribution of these funds. To do otherwise we risk having to return the funds,” Moore told the newspaper.

Wagner chairs the House Suburban Caucus. While the bulk of her district is in St. Louis County, the district also includes parts of St. Charles and Jefferson counties.

Bipartisan group of Missouri election officials say more funding is needed for November (AUDIO)

September 4, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri county clerks in both parties say they need additional funding to protect voters and poll workers during the November general election.

Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon is a Columbia Democrat (photo courtesy of the Boone County Clerk’s website)

Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon, a Columbia Democrat, notes November will be a high turnout election during the COVID-19 pandemic. She says county clerks have had unexpected costs.

“Having to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) and make modifications to our polling places so that voters can have a safe experience,” Lennon says.

Lennon says funding is also needed to inform the public about changes made to election procedures this November.

The Missouri Legislature made the changes in May, for the August primary and November general election. Absentee voting without notarization is allowed for Missourians 65 and older, or those vulnerable to COVID. All others can vote by mail if they choose, but need notarization.

“Making sure that voters understand the process, and making sure that they have all the knowledge that they need to make an informed decision about the option that they want to choose in order to vote,” says Lennon.

Lennon says making sure Missouri has good and accessible elections with integrity is critical.

A national organization called the Brennan Center says CARES Act funding provided to Missouri isn’t enough to safely administer November elections. They want Congress to approve more funding.

As for Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft (R), he notes that since early May, he’s distributed $4.5 million to local election authorities, to prepare for the recent August primary and the upcoming November general election. His office has also recently shipped 4,900 additional face masks to county clerks.

Ashcroft visited all 116 Missouri election jurisdictions this summer, delivering 17,000 face masks, 17,000 face shields, 500 gallons of sanitizer and other supplies. Brennon says while clerks are grateful for the funding from the secretary of state’s office, they need more money for November.

“We have plexiglass shields that we have at each of our polling locations and we had to account for our larger number of polling places that we’re going to have for November,” Lennon says.

Lennon and GOP Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller, a former Missouri House Speaker Pro Tem, are among the clerks in both parties calling on Congress to approve additional funding to ensure safe elections in 2020.

Schoeller recently co-authored an op-ed in “Politico”, saying more than $50,000 is needed in Greene County, just to recruit additional election judges and compensate all election judges with hazard pay.

Election day is Tuesday November 3.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon, which was recorded on September 3, 2020: