Governor Jay Nixon Archives

Galloway: “Missouri is among the least prepared in the nation to weather a recession”

October 16, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s state auditor used a Tuesday press conference in Jefferson City to call on Governor Mike Parson (R) and the GOP-controlled state legislature to create a new budget tool to ensure the state is prepared for a recession.

Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway (D) briefs Capitol reporters about the Rainy Day Fund on October 15, 2019 (photo from Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth)

The governor’s chief of staff dismissed the press conference as political.

Democratic Auditor Nicole Galloway tells Capitol reporters that the state’s “Rainy Day Fund” is maintained at a level well below other states.

“The report I am releasing today shows that Missouri is woefully unprepared for an economic downturn. In fact, Missouri is among the least prepared in the nation to weather a recession,” Galloway says.

The official name for the “Rainy Day Fund” is Missouri’s Budget Reserve Fund (BRF). Galloway says the state is using the fund for day-to-day expenses, like payroll. Galloway says state lawmakers and Governor Parson’s administration “have failed to responsibly plan for the future.”

“According to a 2018 stress test from Moody’s Analytics, Missouri rated 43rd in the nation in terms of preparedness for a moderate economic downturn,” says Galloway.

Galloway says more than $360 million has been borrowed from the fund every fiscal year since 2011, which also dates back to former Governors Jay Nixon (D) and Eric Greitens (R).

She is warning that the state will have to cut critical services or raise taxes during a recession, unless lawmakers take action to protect the Budget Reserve Fund. Galloway tells the Capitol Press Corps that governors have relied on the fund to supplement cash flow throughout the year.

“And in both fiscal years 2017 and 2019 when Missouri’s economy has been stable and growing, the state borrowed more than $500 million from the budget reserve fund,” Galloway says.

Click here to read Auditor Galloway’s full report.

The BRF was approved by 59 percent of Missouri voters in 2000. Galloway says the Budget Reserve Fund’s balance was $616 million, at the end of the 2018 fiscal year.

It was preceeded by two different funds, the Budget Stabilization Fund and the Cash Operating Reserve Fund, which were created in response to the recession in the early 1980’s.

Former Governor John Ashcroft (R) and the late State Sen. Ed Dirck, D-St. Ann, worked together in the 1980’s to help create those two funds.

Galloway is the likely Democratic gubernatorial candidate in 2020 against Governor Parson. The governor’s chief of staff, Aaron Willard, issued a statement to Missourinet after the press conference, saying it was political.

“It is no surprise Nicole Galloway is following the national liberal Democrats’ playbook attacking Missouri and our country’s booming economy, especially given the fact that she opposes pro-growth policies that have led to the largest increase in real incomes, historically low unemployment, and nearly 40,000 new jobs created in Missouri. She also has ignored the truth that Governor Parson left over $100 million in his budget specifically for cash flow purposes and that Missouri enjoys a AAA bond rating. The Auditor also never used her official office in a capacity to criticize Governor Nixon, whom appointed her, over the BRF when budgets were tighter and reserves were lower. It’s obvious that truth and results matter less to Nicole Galloway than political stunts mimicking tactics used by (U.S. House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi and (Senate Minority Leader) Chuck Schumer,” Willard’s statement reads.

Supreme Court hears complex rural Missouri CAFO and Clean Water Commission case

September 27, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The state Supreme Court has heard oral arguments this week in Jefferson City involving a proposed concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) in northwest Missouri’s Grundy County.

The case before the Supreme Court involves whether or not a 2016 state law is constitutional.

Trenton Farms LLC wants to build a swine operation, which is opposed by a group called “Hickory Neighbors United.” Hickory attorney Stephen Jeffery tells the court that a 2016 state law changing the composition of the Missouri Clean Water Commission is unconstitutional because it violates the single subject clause.

“Senate amendment number one is put onto House bill 1713 which amends (RSMO) 644.021 which alters the composition of the Clean Water Commission,” Jeffery tells the judges.

RSMO stands for revised statutes of Missouri.

Jeffery alleges that public representation on the Clean Water Commission “has been severely curtailed” due to the Legislature’s action. He says that because of the law, there is no longer a requirement that at least four members of the Clean Water Commission represent the public.

Much of Jeffery’s legal argument is based on the single subject clause. He says the law was amended, with about one week to go in the 2016 session.

“The membership of the Clean Water Commission has nothing to do with regulating water systems and all the other statutory provisions that were contained in House bill 1713,” says Jeffery.

The law was vetoed by then-Governor Jay Nixon (D) in 2016, but the GOP-controlled Legislature overrode that veto in September 2016, along with 12 other vetoes.

Grundy County residents on both sides of the controversial issue made the three-hour drive from Trenton to Jefferson City on Wednesday to hear oral arguments at the Missouri Supreme Court. CAFO supporters say it’s about economic development and jobs, while opponents worry about water and air quality.

Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued the case on behalf of Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt. Sauer is urging the Supreme Court to uphold the 2016 law, saying it’s constitutional. Solicitor General Sauer disagrees with CAFO critics who say the law violates the single subject clause.

“Regulation of water systems is clearly well within the scope of the broad umbrella categories for single subjects that this court has upheld in numerous cases,” Sauer tells the court.

He also says Hickory Neighbors lacks the legal standing to challenge the Clean Water Commission’s composition. Sauer also tells the court that Hickory Neighbors did not raise constitutional challenges on time.

The Supreme Court heard 34 minutes of oral arguments on Wednesday morning. They have not announced when they’ll issue a ruling in the case.

Click here to read the legal briefs from “Hickory Neighbors United” attorney Stephen Jeffery.

Click here to read the legal briefs from Solicitor General D. John Sauer.

Viking funeral and motorcycle helmet bills headline Missouri veto session (AUDIO)

September 11, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri lawmakers are back in Jefferson City on Wednesday for the constitutionally-required veto session. No overrides are expected.

Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, speaks on the House floor on May 17, 2019 in Jefferson City (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The state Constitution requires lawmakers to convene Wednesday at noon for the annual veto session. The Senate and House will both gavel-in at the same time.

Governor Mike Parson (R) vetoed six bills this year. The two most high-profile bills involve outdoor cremations and allowing motorcyclists to ride without a helmet.

Parson vetoed both of those, expressing safety concerns.

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, spoke to Missourinet Tuesday afternoon on the Capitol lawn, following a “Back the Blue” license plate ceremony. Speaker Haahr tells Missourinet he doesn’t expect any veto overrides.

“The House bills that were vetoed, we’ve talked to each one of the (bill) sponsors and each of them have indicated that they don’t plan to offer theirs for a vote,” Haahr says. “And so I don’t anticipate any overrides this session.”

On the other side of the Capitol building, State Sen. Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg, tells Missourinet he doesn’t expect any override attempts in either the House or Senate.

It takes a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers to override a veto.

The governor vetoed legislation from State Sen. Jason Holsman, D-Kansas City, that would have allowed outdoor “Viking funerals.” Senator Holsman told the “Kansas City Star” this summer that Viking funerals “have been around since the dawn of man.”

Holsman’s bill would have allowed funeral directors to perform cremations at an outdoor human cremation facility. Under the bill, only a licensed funeral director could have performed a cremation at an outdoor facility.

In his veto message, Governor Parson expressed concerns about health and safety issues, and called on lawmakers to do more vetting on the issue.

“The burial of our loved ones or the disposal of their remains is deeply personal and should be treated with the utmost care and respect. Without more thorough vetting to ensure that outdoor cremations can be conducted in a manner that fully disposes of the entire remains while also addressing the health and safety concerns of individuals who may be impacted nearby, I am not comfortable with allowing these types of ceremonies to be conducted in our state,” Parson’s July veto message reads, in part.

As for the motorcycle helmet bill, that’s a perennial issue that’s been debated annually in Jefferson City for at least the past 20 years.

The organization “Freedom of the Road Riders” and lawmakers like State Rep. Andrew McDaniel, R-Deering, support allowing motorcyclists the option of riding without a helmet, if they have health insurance. They say it’s an issue of freedom.

Governor Parson vetoed the bill, expressing safety concerns raised earlier by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) about crashes and injuries.

Governor Parson is the third governor to veto the bill in the past 20 years.

Then-Governor Mel Carnahan (D) vetoed a similar motorcycle helmet bill in 1999, and then-Governor Jay Nixon (D) vetoed a similar bill in 2009. Those two vetoes were not overridden.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full two-minute interview with House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, which was recorded on the Missouri Capitol lawn on September 10, 2019:

Former Mizzou, NBA star Sundvold, two others appointed as University of Missouri Board of Curators

June 9, 2016 By Bill Pollock

Jon Sundvold while working television for a Mizzou basketball broadcast

Gov. Jay Nixon appointed three members of the University of Missouri Board of Curators, including former basketball star Jon Sundvold.

He was an All-American basketball player for the University of Missouri from 1979 to 1983, Sundvold is a member of the university’s Athletic Hall of Fame and was honored by the MU Alumni Association as an outstanding alumnus in 2009. After playing in the NBA for nine years, he became a college basketball analyst for ESPN and CBS and is currently a color analyst on the SEC Network for Tiger games.

Sundvold is also president of the Missouri Junior Golf Foundation which recently opened a nine-hole course in Jefferson City designed specifically to meet the needs of children and individuals with disabilities.

“It is vitally important that the University of Missouri System has the leadership it needs to continue to be an internationally-recognized model of academic excellence,” Gov. Nixon said. “I appreciate this immensely qualified and diverse group of leaders for stepping up at this critical time to serve this institution, its students and our state. With a full complement of members, the Board of Curators is well-positioned to complete the task of selecting the next system President in the next few months.”

Governor Nixon also appointed:

[Read more…]

Governor Nixon responds to student protests at the University of Missouri

November 8, 2015 By Bill Pollock

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon

Gov. Jay Nixon issued the following statement on Sunday morning, regarding student protests at the University of Missouri.

“Racism and intolerance have no place at the University of Missouri or anywhere in our state,” Gov. Nixon said. “Our colleges and universities must be havens of trust and understanding. These concerns must be addressed to ensure the University of Missouri is a place where all students can pursue their dreams in an environment of respect, tolerance and inclusion.”

Judge rules approval from city voters is not necessary to use city tax money for St. Louis NFL stadium

August 4, 2015 By Bill Pollock

A view of the seating arrangements from inside the proposed stadium.

St. Louis Circuit Judge Thomas Frawley ruled that the law from 2002 was confusing and therefore voided a city ordinance that required voter approval for the use of tax dollars for any project involving a professional sports facility. The members of Governor Jay Nixon’s stadium task force call it a major victory for the city, while one law professor calls it a “terrible day.”

Judge Frawley ruled that the new stadium plan on St. Louis’ north riverfront does not break a state law requiring it to be “adjacent” to the city’s convention center. Frawley ruled that Missouri courts have determined that “adjacent” simply means nearby.

Dave Peacock, the former Anheuser-Busch executive who is part of a Nixon’s two-person stadium task force released a statement calling it a victory.

“As we continue to make excellent progress on the stadium project, this is a great time for everyone in the St. Louis region to rally on behalf of something that will make a difference in our economy, national profile and quality of life for generations to come,” Peacock said.

However, not all see it as such. John Ammann, a law professor at Saint Louis University, who filed a separate suit that sought a city vote on the stadium plan, called it a defeat for democracy.

“The voters and taxpayers now have no formal voice in whether they will pay for a new stadium, or how much,” Ammann said.

The ruling comes ahead of an August 11th meeting when the St. Louis task force will meet with NFL officials in Chicago. With the Rams, along with the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders, seeking moves to Los Angeles, the league could make a decision soon.

Rams owner Stan Kroenke is planning a new stadium in Inglewood, a suburb of Los Angeles, with the possibility the team will move back to Southern California, as early as 2016.

Despite court challenges, state prepared to execute Michael Taylor next week (VIDEO)

February 20, 2014 By Jessica Machetta

The Missouri Department of Corrections is prepared to carry out the execution of Michael Taylor on Feb. 26 pursuant to the warrant issued by the Missouri Supreme Court. That’s the statement from the Department itself, and backed by the Governor.

A compounding pharmacy in Oklahoma that has supplied the pentobarbital used in the last three executions was ordered by a court in that state to cease sales to Missouri for the purpose of executions.

At that time, the Attorney General’s Office told Missourinet that “The Attorney General’s Office is not involved in the Oklahoma litigation. The Missouri Supreme Court has not withdrawn the warrant for Mr. Taylor’s execution.”

According to the Kansas City Star, Missouri officials now say they’ve arranged with an unidentified pharmacy to provide the lethal injection chemical for use in Taylor’s execution.

Meanwhile, Taylor’s attorneys have asked a federal judge to stay the execution, saying the state has no lawful way to carry out the lethal injection.

“We work very hard to make sure that the ultimate penalty in the state of Missouri is carried out in as humane as way as possible,” Gov. Jay Nixon said. “And we’re prepared for the execution next week. I understand others can have opinions and thoughts … my thoughts are with the review process obviously for potential commutation down the stretch but more importantly that that for the victims that continue to miss their loved ones from heinous crimes like this. We are prepared to move forward to complete this punishment in a timely fashion.”

Taylor is on Death Row for the 1989 killing of 15-year-old Ann Harrison. He and Roderick Nunley both pleaded guilty to kidnapping Harrison as she waited for the school bus, raping her, stabbing her, and leaving her in the trunk of stolen car they later abandoned, where she succumbed to her injuries.

The Supreme Court has not re-issued a death warrant for Nunley at this time.

Smaller government committee wraps up whirlwind hearing tour

July 19, 2013 By Mike Lear

A House Committee that looks for ways to cut red tape and eliminate redundancies or unnecessary elements in government has wrapped up nine hearings in three days, throughout Missouri.

Representative Paul Curtman (photo; Missouri House Communications)

Representative Paul Curtman (R-Union) is the Chairman of the Committee on Downsizing State Government. He says he is going to be spending the next few days going back over pages of notes from each of the sessions, considering what ideas deserve more attention or even legislation.

One suggestion that stands out to Curtman was made at the first hearing, in St. Louis.

“We had a really good suggestion from a guy who said, ‘I don’t know if Missouri has one of these measuring devices to measure the cost-effectiveness of money after it’s been appropriated,’ he said, ‘but maybe we need a formula to see whether or not the benefit outweighs the cost, or visa-versa, to make sure that the people are getting their money’s worth out of government.'”

Curtman says he will see if anything like that already exists in state government, and whether he thinks anything that does exist goes far enough.

He says some issues were raised to the committee more than once. One was the veto by Governor Jay Nixon of legislation that would cut income taxes for Missouri individuals and businesses.

At the final hearing on Thursday, Missouri Chamber of Commerce Lobbyist Alex Curchin told the committee for that bill to become law would help to downsize state government.

“There were always those who told us taxes couldn’t be cut until spending was reduced. Well, you know, we can lecture our children about extravagance until we run out of voice and breath, or we can cure their extravagance by simply reducing their allowance. That’s what we believe House Bill 253 will do, is reduce the allowance and make government a more appropriate size by that broad-based tax cut.”

Governor Nixon says that legislation would cost the state millions in revenue, jeopardizing state programs, and he withheld $400-million saying it’s necessary in case his veto is overridden. He told Missourians in Kirksville on Thursday that a part of the bill that would repeal a tax exemption on prescription drugs would also be a $200-million tax hike on Missourians.

Curtman says another issue that was raised at more than one event was the proposed legalization of marijuana.

“That is an organized effort. They have had people at almost every single hearing. I would say that fits within the parameters of our committee.”

Governor to sign changes to child sex abuse reporting law, ‘Safe Haven Act’

July 8, 2013 By Mike Lear

Governor Jay Nixon will sign into law on Tuesday legislation meant to offer more protections to children from sexual abuse and tragic ends.

One provision in House Bill 505 changes the way in which a person required to report instances of child abuse may make that report.

Emily Van Schenkhof is the Deputy Director of the advocacy group Missouri Kids First. She says the Jerry Sandusky case helped spawn that bill.

“What we saw happen at Penn State was that someone observed child sexual abuse, someone saw it happening, and didn’t quite know what to do and reported that to a supervisor who reported that to a supervisor and it was never reported to the people whose job it is to investigate such things.”

Van Schenkhof says her organization has found that such cases are not limited to Penn State or athletic programs, and has heard of similar situations all around Missouri.

The bill requires that reports of suspected abuse be made to the Children’s Division within the Social Services Department.

“We want people who have expertise in talking to children and who have expertise in investigating child abuse to be able to look at these cases and to be able to investigate whether abuse is occurring. Right now I think we’ve got a lot of people who are making that call themselves and it’s not really a call for your average teacher or your average minister.”

That change was one of the proposals suggested by the Task Force on the Prevention of Sexual Abuse of Children, created by a 2011 law and intended to sunset at the end of last year. Instead, the legislation to be signed by the Governor makes that body a permanent entity.

Van Schenkhof is a staff member for the Task Force, the members of which she says were hoping to keep working.

“The Task Force agree that they wanted to continue to do the work and that they wanted to continue to meet. I think we all understood that the process of really actually preventing child sexual abuse is a long-term process that can not be accomplished in a year or two years.”

Senate Bill 256 also extends from 5 to 45 days after birth the period under which a parent can drop off an infant at a law enforcement of medical facility or fire station without fear of prosecution, under Missouri’s so-named “Safe Haven Act.”

“Parents in crisis … it is far better for them to abandon an infant than it is for them to hurt the child.”

Governor Nixon will sign those bills in a visit to St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Tuesday morning.

Bill ending controversial document scans signed into law

July 1, 2013 By Mike Lear

The Revenue Department can no longer scan personal documents from applicants for drivers’ and non-driver’s licenses, under a bill signed into law by Governor Jay Nixon.

Senator Will Kraus (photo courtesy; Missouri Senate)

Senate Bill 252 also orders the Department to by the end of this year purge its computers of all copies of those scans made since September. Some scans will continue in instances specified under the legislation, however, such as for commercial driver’s licenses. The bill took effect immediately upon being signed by the Governor.

Revenue Department representatives have twice testified under oath to legislative committees that if the Governor signed that bill, such scans would cease.

The sponsor of that bill, Senator Will Kraus (R-Lee’s Summit), says that doesn’t put all the issues regarding those scans to rest, however. He says state lawmakers will continue investigating why those scans were started in the first place and whether they were part of an effort to comply with the federal Real I.D. Act. A 2009 state law exercised Missouri’s option not to participate in Real I.D.

“That issue’s probably not going to go to bed because I think there is a number of people who would like to understand why our Department of Revenue would tell the federal government we were going to be in compliance with a law that we in the state of Missouri … and this governor signed … [a state law] that says we are not going to follow the federal law on Real I.D.”

Revenue Department employees have testified that the scans were started as part of a new, third-party system for issuing driver’s and non-driver’s identification that they say would help to combat fraud.