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Missouri House Oversight Committee chair announces DOLIR is suspending collection of unemployment overpayments (AUDIO)

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Just two days after being grilled again by state lawmakers in both parties, the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DOLIR) is suspending all collection of unemployment overpayments, at this time.

Missouri House Special Committee on Government Oversight Chair Rep. Jered Taylor (R-Nixa) speaks on the House floor on March 4, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Missouri House Special Committee on Government Oversight Chairman State Rep. Jered Taylor (R-Nixa) made the announcement on the House floor Thursday in Jefferson City, to bipartisan applause.

“So I just want to let the members (state representatives) know that all collection efforts for all Missourians, 46,000 people who are having overpayment collection efforts being taken on them right now, are all on pause and again that’s due to the work that our (oversight) committee did so thank you, Mr. Speaker,” Chairman Taylor says.

DOLIR has posted a short message on its website, which confirms what Chairman Taylor said on the floor.

DOLIR has testified that the state overpaid more than $150 million in unemployment benefits last year and that 46,000 Missourians have been impacted by the unemployment overpayments.

Taylor says collections are being suspended “until we get the work done in this body.”

“And it’s due to the good work of the Government Oversight Committee, so I just wanted to thank the members for holding the Department (of Labor) accountable and holding them to what they agreed to to our body,” says Taylor.

State Rep. Raychel Proudie (D-Ferguson), the oversight committee’s ranking Democrat, has raised the same concerns that Taylor has.

The issue has been the subject of several bipartisan hearings by the Oversight Committee, which also learned about the COVID pandemic’s massive impact on Missouri’s economy and on the unemployment system.

DOLIR Director Anna Hui testified in February that Missouri paid out $236 million in unemployment benefits in 2019. That number increased to $5.1 billion in 2020, due to the pandemic.

During that February hearing, lawmakers in both parties said that Missourians who didn’t commit fraud should not have to repay money, because the state made the error.

State Rep. Richard Brown (D-Kansas City), the assistant minority floor leader, told Director Hui that a woman he knows received a letter in January, asking her to repay $23,000. Representative Brown has said the woman doesn’t have the money.

During the February hearing, State Rep. J. Eggleston (R-Maysville) read a letter from a northwest Missouri teacher who was told that she must repay $9,000, because of the state’s error. Representative Eggleston said that day that the teacher wishes she had been denied unemployment, to begin with.

Click here to listen to the short announcement from House Special Committee on Government Oversight Chairman State Rep. Jered Taylor (R-Nixa), which was made on the Missouri House floor on April 15, 2021:

Copyright © 2021 · Missourinet

Labor director to testify before Missouri House oversight committee about unemployment overpayments

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We’ll learn new details next week about what caused unemployment overpayments and the Missouri Department of Labor’s subsequent request for reimbursement.

State Rep. Jered Taylor, R-Nixa, speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on January 13, 2021, as State Rep. Don Rone, R-Portageville, (left) listens (file photo courtesy of Ben Peters at House Communications)

The Missouri House Special Committee on Government Oversight has called a Tuesday meeting, where they’ll hear testimony from State Department of Labor and Industrial Relations Director Anna Hui. The department told Missourinet this week that $96 million in unemployment benefits were overpaid between last January and September.

Governor Mike Parson told the Missouri Press Association on Thursday that “some people did try to defraud the system,” adding that Missourians mistakenly paid unemployment benefits by the state should be required to pay the money back.

House Special Committee on Government Oversight Chairman Jered Taylor, R-Nixa, says the committee will also take public testimony at Tuesday’s hearing. Chairman Taylor encourages Missourians who can’t attend the hearing in-person to fill out written testimony and let the committee know how this issue has impacted them.

Taylor, who’s a senior member of the Missouri House, was first elected in 2014. He was re-elected to his fourth and final House term in November.

The ranking Democrat on the committee is State Rep. Raychel Proudie, D-Ferguson.

Copyright © 2021 · Missourinet

Former lawmaker Bruce Franks documentary nominated for another award

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A documentary about former St. Louis Representative Bruce Franks, Jr. is nominated for another award. The film “St. Louis Superman” (MTV Documentary Films) is up for a short documentary award from the Critics Choice Association.

Earlier this year, the documentary was a finalist for an Academy Award (Oscar) for best documentary, short subject. Trailer.

State Rep. Bruce Franks speaks on the Missouri House floor on May 24, 2017 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at Missouri House Communications}

The film is about Franks, a Ferguson activist and battle rapper, dealing with personal trauma and political obstacles to get a bill passed for his community.

Franks was elected to the Missouri House in 2016 and resigned in July of 2019 to focus on his mental health and family.

Read Missourinet’s story about Franks’ resignation.

 

Blunt statement on protests: We must confront the fact that millions of Americans don’t feel safe because of the color of their skin.

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Missouri’s senior U.S. Senator Roy Blunt issued a statement today on protests and “indiscriminate violence” after three more black Americans were recently killed, two by police

“Our nation has once again been brought to a moment of reckoning. The recent tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery have shocked and outraged Americans. My thoughts are with the families and loved ones who are mourning their loss.

“Americans have every right to demand justice. They have every right to protest and be heard. But we cannot allow their message to be drowned out by those who are exploiting this moment to destroy communities and put more innocent lives at risk. Indiscriminate violence will not bring about change, it will bring more suffering at a time when so many families and small businesses are already hurting. I appreciate all of our law enforcement officers and National Guardsmen and women who have put their safety on the line to respond to this crisis.

“Just as we did in the days following the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, we must confront the fact that millions of Americans don’t feel safe because of the color of their skin. We must acknowledge the very deep pain, and the very deep fear, that communities of color are feeling. I hope we are able to emerge from these recent events with a renewed commitment to continuing the work that needs to be done. There are significant challenges we have to address for everyone to trust that they will be treated equally under the law. I said after the Ferguson protests that tragedy is a tough teacher, but that makes it ever more important to learn from tragedy. Let’s learn from this. Let’s listen to one another and work together to become the nation we ought to be.”

Missouri protests continue over the death of Minnesota’s George Floyd

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Hundreds of protesters have lined streets in Kansas City, Springfield, Columbia, and the St. Louis area this weekend chanting phrases like “Hands up, don’t shoot” and “No justice, no peace”. They have been calling attention to this week’s death of George Floyd, an African-American man in Minneapolis. A white police officer is accused of third-degree murder after pinning Floyd to the ground by pressing his knee into Floyd’s neck for about eight minutes.

Photo courtesy of KMBC-TV

The casualty is stirring up the pain felt when 18-year-old Michael Brown, Jr. was shot to death in 2014 by a Ferguson police officer. Brown, an unarmed African-American man, was killed by Darren Wilson, who is white.

Brown’s death led to protests for days on the streets of Ferguson, looting, and vandalism – some of the same acts happening in Minneapolis, Atlanta, and elsewhere during protests. His death also sparked a movement driven to stop unarmed African-Americans from getting killed by law enforcement.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas tells KMBC-TV he wants this weekend’s protesters to work for change in the community between African-Americans and police.

“What we are not out here to do is act a fool, is to have generalized hooliganism, is to do something that will, I think, tarnish not just the life of George Floyd but also to tarnish, I think, what is a wonderful peaceful rally,” he says.

Lucas, who is African-American, spoke with passion about bringing people together – not driving them apart.

“We’re not here to just try to start something that is tangential to what the goal of us is – is to make sure that people can live equally, to make sure that people can walk around feeling safe, to make sure that every black mother in this city has the chance to say ‘I know my son’s going to come back and he’s not going to get shot by somebody on the street, he’s not going to get shot by the police, he’s not going to get messed by somebody in those different areas.’ That’s all I’m asking,” says Lucas. “And that’s all we want today.”

Taylar Johnson Coody spoke with heavy emotion.

“I’m tired of having to wake up and go to social media to see every, I’m sorry, of having to see another black person on the floor. I’m tired of people dying and I’m tired of having to come out here and protest for the people I love and care about,” she tells KMBC.

In Kansas City, some protesters have been arrested and police have used pepper spray on some individuals. On Twitter, the Kansas City Police Department confirmed officers are using tear gas to keep people off of streets.

In the St. Louis region today, protesters lined the streets in Clayton, University City, and in Ferguson. Some demonstrators blocked traffic on Interstate 70.

State Representative Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis, spoke during today’s rally.

“This is our moment. Let’s make it right. This is our moment to show the world that we ain’t f***ing around no more,” he says. “Just because we’re mad don’t make us violent. Just because we’re pissed don’t make us terrorists.”

Before an Urban League donation drive today, Missouri Congressman Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, said there should be justice for George Floyd.

“If George Floyd would have been white, would he have died on the street like an animal begging for mercy while he struggled to breathe,” asks Clay. “The three officers who stood by and did absolutely nothing to save his life must be charged as accessories to murder.”

After Brown’s death, Clay helped to create a consent decree between the City of Ferguson and the U.S. Department of Justice to help change policing practices.

Here are scenes from earlier today in southwest Missouri’s Springfield:

In response to the protests, Gov. Mike Parson has declared a state of emergency. He has signed an executive order giving the Missouri Adjutant General or his designee the power to activate National Guard soldiers if necessary. In a press release, Parson says the Missouri National Guard and the Missouri Highway Patrol stand ready to support local authorities.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of George Floyd. We are also saddened by the acts of violence that have transpired across our nation and state in response to this event. At this time, we are taking a proactive approach to protect Missouri and its people,” the governor says. “Citizens have the right to peacefully assemble and protest, and the State of Missouri is committed to protecting the lawful exercise of these rights.”

Parson says despite the many peaceful assemblies, other events have created conditions of distress and hazards to the safety, welfare, and property of residents and visitors that are beyond the capacities of local authorities.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Hundreds turn out in Ferguson for fifth anniversary of Michael Brown’s death

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(This story is written by Missourinet St. Louis contributor Jill Enders)

FERGUSON, Mo.- Today marks the fifth anniversary of the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown during a confrontation with then Ferguson Police officer Darren Wilson.

Michael Brown Sr. speaks at the Canfield Green apartments in Ferguson on August 9, 2019 (Jill Enders photo)

Prior to the annual ceremony at the Canfield Green apartments, Mike Brown Sr. held a press conference outside the St. Louis County Justice Center in Clayton. Brown is calling on St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell to re-open the case into his son’s death.

“I could not protect him that day (in 2014) and it breaks my heart. I will stand and fight for justice until the day I die,” Brown says.

Brown tells reporters he’s been communicating with Bell, who defeated longtime St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch in last year’s primary election. Bell was elected in November, and took office in January.

Bell hasn’t said whether or not he’ll re-open the case. He did issue a statement to Missourinet.

“Our office is doing everything we can to understand the underlying issues that contributed to the tragic death of Michael Brown. We are working everyday with the community and law enforcement to implement policies and reforms that meaningfully address those issues, and help this community and this region heal,” Bell’s statement reads.

It was announced on November 24, 2014 that a St. Louis County grand jury decided not to indict Officer Wilson. The announcement resulted in violent protests in Ferguson.

A separate investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice also cleared Wilson of any wrongdoing.

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Rep. Bruce Franks resigns July 31, to leave Missouri

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St. Louis Representative Bruce Franks officially resigns at the end of this month. The black activist leader who emerged out of Ferguson protests says his mental health is at stake.

“Battling anxiety, depression, mental health issues, especially in the black community, that’s something that’s been a stigma and it’s been frowned upon in our communities to seek help,” Franks told Missourinet and fellow lawmakers.

Not only is Franks leaving the legislature, but he says he is leaving Missouri.

He spoke with Missourinet when he announced his resignation. Read, listen to his interview here.

“I knew what I was signing up for when I came, it’s just everything stacked on top of each other is really what aided to my mental health deteriorating the way that it did.

He said he will continue to work between different communities.

“To kind of bridge a gap between urban and rural areas, Republican and Democrat, because I think it’s important. I think it’s important to build those bridges even if nobody walks across them, somebody eventually will,” Franks said.

Franks said on Facebook, “I love my city but I can’t heal from trauma and survive in the epicenter any longer,” “I’m not running away from it I’m choosing to change my environment to be the best version of me. ”

Franks, who was first elected in 2016, is in his second House term. He was the only Democrat to chair a Missouri House committee this session.

State Rep. Bruce Franks, D-St. Louis, briefs Capitol reporters about criminal justice reform efforts on February 11, 2019, as House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, (right) listens (photo courtesy of Benjamin Peters at House Communications)