domestic violence grant Archives

UPDATE: Missouri lawmakers to consider $1.27 billion supplemental, to provide more resources for COVID

November 4, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor is asking state lawmakers to approve a more than $1 billion supplemental budget during the upcoming special session, which begins Thursday in Jefferson City. The funding will provide additional resources to COVID-19.

Missouri House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, speaks at the Capitol in Jefferson City on May 7, 2020, as Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Dan Hegeman, R-Cosby, listens (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith (R-Carthage) tells Missourinet that the total amount of the supplemental budget is $1.27 billion.

Governor Mike Parson (R) says there’s still CARES Act funding that needs to be distributed to Missourians. The supplemental budget will include school nutrition service programs, job training grants and funding for a domestic violence grant.

The governor also says the supplemental budget will also include funding for child support payments. He says since the Legislature approved the $35 billion state operating budget in May, additional CARES Act funding has been made available to the state.

Haahr chooses southwest Missouri’s Deaton as new House Budget Committee vice chairman

November 3, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A freshman state lawmaker from southwest Missouri’s Noel is the new vice chairman of the powerful Missouri House Budget Committee.

State Rep. Dirk Deaton, R-Noel, speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on May 4, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

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

The special session begins Thursday in Jefferson City, and Speaker Haahr says it was important to name a vice chairman ahead of the special session.

Deaton, who is unopposed in Tuesday’s election, was elected to the Missouri House in 2018.

“My top priorities are to support (House Budget Committee) Chairman (Cody) Smith as he guides the committee and work with my fellow committee members as we seek to appropriate taxpayer dollars wisely,” Deaton tells Missourinet.

Governor Mike Parson (R) announced the special session in late October, saying there is still CARES Act funding that needs to be distributed to Missourians. The governor has called a special session on a supplemental budget bill. The amount of that supplemental is unknown, at this time.

“The supplemental budget contains funding for several items, including school nutrition programs, job training grants, emergency solutions grant program for homeless prevention,” Parson told Capitol reporters on October 21.

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

Speaker Haahr has also added State Rep. Craig Fishel, R-Springfield, to the House Budget Committee.

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.