Missourinet

Your source for Missouri News and Sports

You are here: Home / Archives for Gov. Mike Parson

Parson briefing June 30: budget approved, with $448 million held back and $11 million in vetoes (VIDEO)

By

Governor Mike Parson approved the new fiscal year 2021 budget bills totaling about $35.3 billion and vetoed 17 line items amounting to $11 million. However, continued revenue shortfalls expected because of the COVID-19 crisis have prompted him to block spending on $448 million in the budget, unless the economy gets healthier.

Schools and higher education took the brunt of singular cuts, though employee layoffs will be mainly in the mental health and social services agencies.

Itemized list of budget items withheld

At Thursday’s regular briefing, Missouri Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick gave an update on the work of the special working group appointed by the governor to make spending suggestions for federal COVID-19 stimulus funds.

Parson talked about the seriousness of the state’s COVID-19 death toll, now at one thousand. State Health Director Randall Williams intensified his call for wearing of masks in certain situations” “the more we learn the more important we realize that is.”

WATCH ENTIRE BRIEFING:

Parson Thursday briefing: Missouri is fully open, State Fair will go on in some form (VIDEO)

By

Missouri’s governor announced today that he thinks the state is better prepared to handle the COVID-19 virus and will be fully open for business June 16. The phase 2 step should still include social distancing and other precautions, he says, especially for people with health conditions that make them vulnerable.

That includes nursing homes, said Parson, so his office will publish a plan for long-term care facilities “in the next few days.”

In the briefing, state Economic Development Director Rob Dixon said “signs are pointing toward recovery” in the state’s business activities.

WATCH FULL PRESS CONFERENCE:

Parson’s Tuesday June 9 briefing: Do not defund police, dramatic increases in COVID-19 weekly testing in Missouri (FULL VIDEO)

By

Governor Mike Parson addressed calls to “defund the police” after two weeks of national protests against police practices, sparked by the video of the gruesome death of George Floyd in the custody of Minneapolis police.  Parson was joined by State Highway Patrol Col. Eric Olsen on that topic. Parson also paid tribute to retired St. Louis police officer David Dorn, who was shot-to-death in downtown St. Louis as he protected a pawn shop from looters.

Missouri Medicaid Director Todd Richardson and Missouri DHSS Dir. Randall Williams updated COVID-19 testing rates and contact tracing plans statewide.

The governor’s next briefing is Thursday afternoon, and he will discuss further plans to open the Missouri economy.

Parson’s daily COVID-19 briefing, May 13, 2020 : Testing ramps up statewide

By

Gov. Mike Parson with Jim Dumbauld, Senior Director for Logistics, Environmental Health and Safety, Facilities and Fleet, Quest Diagnostics and DHSS Director Randall Williams. Williams provides updated testing capability numbers and outlines the 4-part approach to COVID-19 testing in Missouri.

Total cases confirmed in Missouri: 10,142
Deaths: 542

Watch full briefing:

Gov. Parson COVID-19 briefing May 11, 2020 : “Good to be around everyday people”

By

Cases in Missouri: 9,918

Total Deaths: 488

View full Missouri COVID-19 interactive map for today.

In Monday’s briefing, Gov. Parson says it was good to go home over the weekend and go out to eat at a restaurant and talk to the staff. He spoke of the “unintended consequences” of COVID-19, including domestic violence cases and people putting off their normal health care needs.

Missouri DHSS Director Randall Williams announces the state is getting about 600 rounds of Remdesivir to help treat patients with severe COVID-19 complications in order to reduce their chances of dying.

WATCH full briefing:

 

Gov. Parson COVID-19 briefing May 7: Pfizer in Missouri details role in vaccine production (VIDEO)

By

9,341 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Missouri
418 deaths

On the podium today with the governor: Vice President Christine Smith, Pfizer BioTherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences. She announced the Pfizer Chesterfield plant’s critical role in helping develop a possible COVID-19 vaccine.

Gov. Parson has been on a business and health care facility tour in regions of the state and today revealed that he has not been tested for COVID-19 since he says he feels healthy.

WATCH ENTIRE BRIEFING:

Gov. Parson’s COVID-19 briefing Thursday, April 30 (VIDEO)

By

Cases in Missouri: 7,562
Total Deaths: 329
Patients tested in Missouri (by all labs): approximately 82,152

Today’s briefing centered on housing assistance and resources for Missourians amid the COVID-19 crisis. Under the CARES Act, Missouri will receive funding for additional resources to help meet emerging needs, including the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program.  State Education Commissioner Margie Vandeven, State Commissioner of Higher Education Zora Mulligan and State Director of the Department of Commerce and Insurance Chlora Lindley-Myers gave updates. Director of DHSS, Dr. Randall Williams gave the most recent COVID-19 testing results for the Triumph Foods pork packing plant in St. Joseph.

Schools closed for the rest of year: Gov. Parson’s daily COVID-19 briefing, April 9, 2020 (VIDEO)

By

In Gov. Parson’s daily COVID-19 briefing on April 9, he announced schools are ordered closed to the end of the academic year.
Parson’s order:
We are ordering all Missouri public and charter schools to remain closed through the remainder of the academic year with the exceptions of nutrition services and child care that are outlined in our recent health order.

This recommendation was made by working together with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and several school superintendents from across the state — from both urban and rural districts.

In the April 9 briefing, Missouri Highway Patrol Superintendent Kelly Olsen outlines traffic issues related to COVID-19 response, 40 percent fewer on highways but cases of extreme speeding.

Schools should continue remote learning for their students until the end date previously set on their academic calendars.

Parson also featured state highway enforcement efforts challenged by speeding and drivers hitting MoDOT vehicles, even though there are are 40 percent fewer drivers on the road. Parson and DHSS Director Randall Williams answered more questions about testing data.

 

 

WATCH FULL PRESS CONFERENCE:

State creates first alternative hospital, PPE access still a problem, Parson announces in April 8 briefing (VIDEO)

By

Missouri’s coronavirus count is 3,327 cases today.

Today’s COVID-19 press briefing focused on a new alternative hospital to be set up in Florrisant, near St. Louis. Governor Mike Parson reiterated the struggle to get enough personal protective equipment (PPE’s).

WATCH FULL PRESS CONFERENCE:

Gov. Parson’s COVID-19 briefing on April 7, 2020 (VIDEO)

By

Missouri now has 3,037 confirmed COVID-19 cases, along with 53 deaths.
In today’s briefing, Gov. Mike Parson is joined by State Labor Director Anna Hui to announce that first responders infected with the virus will get worker’s comp benefits without having the prove where they caught the virus. Hui also updates the status for filing for unemployment.