education reform legislation 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:

What we’re watching this week in Missouri Legislature: Medicaid expansion, budget, PDMP and proposal to reduce Missouri House’s size

March 29, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

The state operating budget and prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) legislation will likely take center stage in the Missouri Legislature in Jefferson City this week.

Missouri House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, testifies before a House committee in Jefferson City on February 24, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Governor Mike Parson (R) has proposed a $34.1 billion state operating budget. House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith (R-Carthage) tells Missourinet that he hopes to see the House give initial and final approval to the operating budget this week. The state Constitution requires Missouri lawmakers to approve a balanced budget, by early May.

Once the budget goes to the House floor this week, there will likely be a floor debate on the issue of Medicaid expansion.

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. Amendment Two 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.

Last week the House Budget Committee voted against funding Medicaid expansion. Chairman Smith issued a statement, which says the expansion would help able bodied adults, many who choose not to work. He’s filed a bill to use that money to support seniors in nursing homes, to provide care for the developmentally disabled and to expand mental health programs. Smith also wants to use some of the money for additional public defenders.

During his January State of the State Address, Governor Parson pledged to move forward with implementation of Medicaid expansion, because voters approved it.

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade (D-Springfield) and other House Democrats have called a Statehouse news conference for Monday afternoon at 1 to address the issue. Leader Quade and House Democrats say Missouri voters have spoken. She describes the Budget Committee’s decision as an irresponsible attempt by House Republicans to defund Missouri’s Medicaid program.

State Sen. Holly Rehder (R-Scott City) speaks on the Missouri Senate floor in Jefferson City on March 9, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Harrison Sweazea at Senate Communications)

Across the Capitol Rotunda in the Missouri Senate, PDMP should hit the Senate floor this week. State Sen. Holly Rehder (R-Scott City) has filed PDMP for the ninth straight year. Rehder filed it for the eight years she served in the House. She was elected to the Missouri Senate in November, and has filed Senate Bill 63.

Senator Rehder delivered a passionate speech on the Missouri House floor in May, revealing to colleagues that her late mother and late sister were both sexually assaulted multiple times and that they turned to prescription drugs for their pain.

“I look forward to having that (Senate floor debate) conversation, obviously this is something that (State) Senator Rehder is very passionate about. When she was in the House, I carried that legislation myself (and) tried to find a resolution for that,” Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz (R-Sullivan) told Missourinet last week.

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.

Rehder and other supporters say Missouri’s medical professionals must have knowledge of what their patients are on, prior to prescribing more medication. Bill opponents such as State Sen. Mike Moon (R-Ash Grove) worry about potential data breaches involving your prescription information.

While both the Missouri House and Senate approved PDMP in 2020, they approved different versions of the bill.

Pro Tem Schatz says education reform bills will also likely be debated on the floor this week. He also expects some long nights between now and May.

“Not sure exactly the floor schedule, but would anticipate working longer hours from now till session ends,” Schatz tells Missourinet.

Another interesting issue that will be discussed in a Missouri House committee this week involves reducing the Missouri House’s size.

State Rep. Travis Fitzwater (R-Holts Summit) is proposing a constitutional amendment that would reduce the Missouri House from 163 to 136 members. Fitzwater will present his proposal Wednesday afternoon to the House Elections and Elected Officials Committee.

Fitzwater’s proposed House Joint Resolution 34 is similar to his 2019 proposal, which failed. Missouri currently has 197 lawmakers, although there is one House vacancy. Fitzwater says it’s the seventh-largest Legislature in the nation, and that Missouri has more state lawmakers than any of its bordering states.

Missourians ratified a constitutional amendment in 1966, which locked in the number of House seats at 163.

The Missouri House and Senate will both gavel-in Monday afternoon at 4 in Jefferson City.