Gail McCann Beatty Archives

Top Missouri House Democrat contends governor’s budget restrictions will impact K-12 classrooms

January 17, 2017 By Alisa Nelson

Representative Gail McCann Beatty (D-Kansas City)

Governor Greitens (R) says Missouri’s budget is being drained by special interest tax credits and the faster-than-projected growth in healthcare spending, partially from Obamacare. Greitens is withholding more than $146 million in the current state budget.

“I’m protecting our priorities, like K-12 education and public safety. For instance, not a single penny will be coming out of K-12 classrooms,” says Greitens. “The fact is, more hard choices lie ahead. But as Missourians, I believe we must come together, tighten our belts, be smart and wise with our tax dollars, and work our way out of this hole by bringing more jobs with higher pay to the people of Missouri

House Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty (D-Kansas City) doesn’t agree with Greitens restricting $8.6 million in elementary and secondary education busing expenses. She says the move will have far-reaching effects.

“Our districts where we have seen some improvement, and if dollars are going to have to be diverted to make up that shortfall, that could hamper our districts continuing on the course of improvement,” says Beatty. “If they’ve got to cut from transportation, that money has got to be made up somewhere because we have to the kids to school. So, it’s going to ultimately have to impact the classrooms.”

Missouri Governor Eric Greitens (Photo courtesy of Bill Greenblatt/UPI)

Other budget withholdings from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education include $2 million in performance-based assessments, $181,000 for scholars and fine arts academies, $50,000 for training grants and $44,500 for a new dyslexia training program.

Beatty argues that $90 million of the governor’s $146 million in budget restrictions are in education spending – mostly higher education.

“Weakening public education won’t grow Missouri’s economy or create jobs,” says Beatty.

Beatty agrees with Greitens that Missouri has given too many special interests tax breaks. As a result, she says vital services have been cut.

Will the governor’s higher education budget restrictions affect tuition at Missouri colleges?

January 16, 2017 By Alisa Nelson

Governor Eric Greitens’ $146 million in budget restrictions announced Monday include $80 million in higher education. The budget withholdings could affect tuition at Missouri’s colleges and universities. House Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty (D-Kansas City) hopes the pain won’t reach that far.

Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty

“I haven’t had a chance to talk to anyone at the universities, but that’s very much possible, which is then putting yet another burden on our students that are already struggling to get through school,” says Beatty.

About $56 million in Greitens’ budget withholds are in core funding for Missouri’s two-year and four-year colleges and universities. Other funding cuts targeted included the A+ Schools Program and certain college programs.

In a statement from Greitens, he says Missouri’s budget is suffering from reduced revenue due to poor economic growth. He says that revenue is being drained by special interest tax credits and the faster-than-projected growth in healthcare expenditures, driven in part by the national impact of Obamacare.

Greitens says during the next 18 months, more than $700 million in budget cuts will be necessary just to make the budget balance and retain Missouri’s AAA credit rating.

Gov. Eric Greitens (Photo courtesy of Bill Greenblatt/UPI)

“The fact is, that more hard choices lie ahead. But as Missourians, I believe we must come together, tighten our belts, be smart and wise with our tax dollars, and work our way out of this hole by bringing more jobs with higher pay to the people of Missouri,” says Greitens.

Additional details on the spending restrictions are linked here.

Governor Greitens will hold Tuesday his first State of the State address. The speech is traditionally when the Governor releases the state budget proposal, but Greitens plans to wait until February to unveil his budget requests.

Listen to live coverage of Governor Greitens’ State of the State address on Tuesday on Missourinet.com and ABC 17. Joey Parker of ABC 17 and Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth begin their preview at 6:45 p.m.

Continue to follow our coverage on Wednesday, as we bring you the response of legislators from around the state.

Work begins on draft report from House interim Medicaid committee

November 20, 2013 By Mike Lear

A House Medicaid Committee will meet again once a draft of its report for the legislature is ready.

Representative Gail McCann-Beatty (foreground) and Chairman Jay Barnes listen to testimony in a hearing of the House Interim Committee on Medicaid Transformation. (Missouri House Communications)

Unlike most committees, Chairman Jay Barnes (R-Jefferson City) says the report the House Interim Committee on Medicaid Transformation will issue won’t have recommendations. Rather, it will be more of a summary of testimony heard during the committee’s hearings since September.

He says there isn’t enough consensus for recommendations.

“I don’t think there’s a single topic I could come up with a recommendation on that we would have entire agreement,” Barnes tells Missourinet. “Once you make a recommendation that’s the firm, solid way forward, and I think there are still some issues to be worked out.”

Instead he wants to create a report that summarizes the work of the committee and the testimony it heard that will prepare lawmakers to make a decision if legislation reaches a vote in the House.

No recommendations means the report won’t recommend that the state expand Medicaid eligibility as supported by Democrats including Governor Jay Nixon. The ranking Democrat on the committee, House Assistant Minority Leader Gail McCann-Beatty (Kansas City), says she would prefer to see that recommendation made but she understands Barnes’ position.

“There is still a lot of conversation going on and I don’t know that there was really a consensus, and so I can appreciate that the report is simply going to give a summary of what happened.”

McCann-Beatty says Democrats on the committee will keep their options open, however. She says one she sees a draft her caucus could seek to add things to it, or to draft its own report as the Democrats on the Senate Interim Committee on Medicaid Transformation and Reform are doing.

In a hearing Tuesday Barnes reiterated that he is comfortable if he is the only person advocating reducing Medicaid eligibility for some low- and middle-income children to save some of the projected cost of expanding eligibility elsewhere. His concept would be to lower eligibility from 300 percent of the federal poverty level to half that level for families who can get a subsidized insurance policy from the federal exchange that would cover those children.

McCann-Beatty says she needs to see more about how that would shake out.

“The conversations I’ve had with other members of my caucus is we really want to see what impact if some of those families are shifted to the exchange, can they, in fact, save money?” she says. “I think until we get those numbers we can’t really say whether that’s something that we can support.”

Barnes tells the committee that even if that eligibility isn’t lowered in statute, he still projects some savings in that program as families currently using it switch to exchange plans. He says if a quarter of those families switch it would save the state $3,325,000.

Barnes says he doesn’t know when the draft report will be ready.

Two state lawmakers assess Fair rodeo incident as clown returns to performing

September 13, 2013 By Mike Lear

A key African-American state legislator says she’s satisfied with the State Fair’s handling of a skit mocking the President at a rodeo.

This picture was taken of the dummy wearing a President Obama mask during a routine at a rodeo at the State Fair.

This picture was taken during the controversial routine at a rodeo at the State Fair.

Clown Tuffy Gessling says he put a President Barack Obama mask on another clown posing as a dummy and the crowd was asked if they wanted to see a bull run it down. Gessing has not revealed the name of the second person involved.

In a statement the day after the rodeo, Assistant Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty (D-Kansas City) called the routine “blatant racism,” and “distasteful,” and said that she would not support future funding for the Fair.

In the month since the incident, Gessling has been banned from the Fair and Beatty has met with the Fair Director.

“They took swift action and I think at this point that’s probably all that needs to happen.”

Gessling has said the skit is not new and is not meant to be racist. Beatty is asked if she believes that.

“I’m not sure that it was racially motivated, but it can be seen that way, and I think you have to be careful how you do things because it’s how people perceive it. We want to make sure that the Fair is open to everyone in the state.”

Beatty says she has received calls from people who said they would never go back to the State Fair. After its handling of the incident, she is encouraging them to go back.

Others have told another state lawmaker they won’t go back, but for a different reason.

Representative Tim Remole (R-Excello) says some constituents are telling him that they don’t agree with Gessling’s ban.

“They did not go to the Fair because of it … there will be some things that need to be addressed concerning that.”

Remole says some are telling him that they won’t go back to the Fair until it issues an apology to Gessling.

“It was probably made a bigger deal than what it should have been and I just feel there will be a fallout in some degree.”

Gessling will perform for the first time since the Fair, tonight and tomorrow at the Pro Bull Riding Show in Jefferson City.

Monte Schisler at KWIX in Moberly contributed to this report.

Assistant House Democrat leader looks ahead to veto session

September 11, 2013 By Mike Lear

Republicans hold a supermajority in the House, but still need Democrat support to overturn the vetoes of some legislation in the veto session that begins today.

Representative Gail McCann Beatty (D-Kansas City)

The key issue to be debated is HB 253, that would cut Missouri income taxes. Governor Jay Nixon says it would blow a hole of 800-million dollars or more in the state’s budget. Some Republicans have said they will vote to sustain the veto, meaning Democrat votes are needed if it will be overturned.

House Assistant Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty (D-Kansas City) says she doesn’t think Republicans will get them.

“To my knowledge there aren’t any.”

Nixon says that legislation is the reason for much of the 400-million dollars he withheld from the budget depending on whether the veto would stand. Beatty says if that veto is not overturned, her caucus will call on the Governor to release some of that money, particularly in education. She says House Democrats have had no conversations with the Governor’s office about whether or not he will release that money.

Beatty thinks her caucus is more divided on whether to support HB 301, legislation that would change the state’s sex offender registry.

“There is some merit to the bill but it also has some challenges to it. There is some concern that possibly there may be a loophole that may let some violent offenders out, so there are definitely some concerns, but I think there are a few that are actually supporting it.”

Beatty says she expects some House Democrats will vote to overturn the veto of legislation that seeks to nullify federal gun laws in Missouri and make it a criminal offense for law enforcement to enforce them, but she doesn’t know how many.

See the list of House bills vetoed by Governor Jay Nixon.

The Doe Run lead mining company based in Herculaneum has been lobbying for the overturn of a veto on HB 650, that would cap punitive damages in lawsuits filed against it for contamination. Proponents say the overturn would protect thousands of jobs at the company and related businesses.

Beatty says she has concerns with that bill, and with the company.

“They need to be punished for the bad acts that they’ve done. I think that bill is probably unconstitutional, as well as others that we’re dealing with over veto session. It’s just not proper for us to come in and try to legislate when there are already legal cases in progress.”

Beatty thinks in spite of the company’s lobbying there has been little movement in the number of lawmakers that support the bill. It received 94 votes in passing the House. 109 would be needed to overturn the veto.

Rumors are flying about how many of the 29 bills vetoed by Governor Nixon the Republican supermajorities will bring up for override attempts. Beatty says she knows all of them be brought up and it’s hard to know the difference between word that will happen, and the proverbial “blowing of smoke.”

“We also have to remember that we are spending taxpayers’ dollars and I think we need to be realistic about that and deal with those bills that are top priority.”

The veto session begins at noon today.

Rep. Kelly welcomed back to House following heart attack (AUDIO)

May 14, 2013 By Mike Lear

The state House has welcomed back today its senior member, who missed time last week after suffering a heart attack.

Representative Chris Kelly (D-Columbia)

Representative Chris Kelly (D-Columbia) was introduced by Assistant Minority Floor Leader Gail McCann Beatty (D-Kansas City), and demonstrated his signature wit in trading tongue-in-cheek barbs with House Speaker Tim Jones (R-Eureka).

He also credited Representative Jim Neely (R-Cameron) with saving his life by getting him to quit delaying a trip to the hospital.

Listen here: mp3, 2:28

House and Senate majority leaders: no budging on Medicaid expansion (VIDEO)

March 15, 2013 By Mike Lear

The leaders of the Republican majorities in the legislature say they will hold their positions on Medicaid expansion when the session resumes in ten days. Republicans in both chambers have voted down several attempts to accept more than $800 million dollars to expand Medicaid eligibility in the state.

House Speaker Tim Jones (at the mic) and Senate President Pro-Tem Tom Dempsey held a joint media conference after both chambers adjourned Thursday for Spring Break. (Photo courtesy; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

Senate President Pro Tem Tom Dempsey (R-St. Charles) says what his party wants is the flexibility to reform Medicaid.

“We do not believe it’s prudent to double down on a broken system. Just a couple of weeks ago we recieved notice from one of our bond rating agencies that we were being rated negatively because of our coupling with the federal government, and so to become even more reliant on the federal government would send Missouri down the wrong path.”

House Speaker Tim Jones (R-Eureka) says he wants to be sure the state has the money to pay for its other needs rather than pumping money into what he considers a “broken” Medicaid system.

“I personally do not view healthcare as a right. I think it is something that the state should take upon as an obligation if they’re able to do so, and the emphasis has to be on providing healthcare to the disabled, to children and to seniors, not to able-bodied adults.”

Both leaders say Medicaid reform has to be a part of the discussion. Governor Jay Nixon on Thursday tweeted that he hopes Senate Republicans are serious about Medicaid reform.

Assistant Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty (D-Kansas City) says her caucus is frustrated that Medicaid expansion continues to be rejected by Republican leadership.

“As we have said before, that creates 24,000 jobs, we’re looking at $8.2 billion in federal investment in the state, $9.6 billion in additional economy activity and as many as 300,000 more Missourians to have access to care.”

Jones says Governor Nixon has not offered a plan to pay for Medicaid if the federal government fails to cover its portion.

The legislature is on Spring Break until March 25.

Watch the post-session media conferences with Jones and Dempsey (top) and McCann Beatty (bottom) below, courtesy of Jonathan Lorenz, Missouri House Communications: