Missourinet

Your source for Missouri News and Sports

You are here: Home / Archives for governor mike parson

Missouri sheltered workshops get $4 million in coronavirus relief aid

By

Missouri has designated $4 million from its Coronavirus Relief Fund to aid sheltered workshops across the state. The move restores $2 million in funding Gov. Mike Parson froze in June – and then some.

Missouri sheltered workshops get $4 million in coronavirus relief aid

Sheltered workshops enable individuals with disabilities to contribute in a supervised workplace environment, grow his/her ability and develop relationships with others. Missouri has 89 sheltered workshops, employing about 6,100 people with disabilities and roughly 900 non-disabled workers.

In a press release, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education says it will create grant programs to dole out the funding meant to lessen the blow the COVID-19 pandemic has had on workshop operations. The department says workshops that closed or had a revenue decline from the coronavirus will have access to the financial aid. For those that remained open, funding will be provided to buy personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Major Missouri bills awaiting governor’s action

By

Gov. Mike Parson has a matter of days left to take action on a number of bills passed during the Missouri Legislature’s regular session. Here is a list of some of the key measures awaiting a decision by the governor:

Gov. Parson signing budget bills (Photo courtesy of his Flickr account)

Partial motorcycle helmet law repeal and Hyperloop
House Bill 1963 is a sweeping transportation bill that would include a partial repeal of the state’s motorcycle helmet law. Motorcycle drivers 26 years and older could go helmetless if they have their own health insurance. Under the plan sponsored by Representative Travis Fitzwater, R-Holts Summit, motorcycle passengers would still be required to wear a helmet. The measure would also let a state commission create a public-private partnership to build a Hyperloop tube travel system in Missouri, but would ban the use of eminent domain to build one.

Medical marijuana
Lawmakers passed changes to the state’s new medical marijuana industry. The FBI informed the state health department, which regulates the industry, that DHSS will not have access to its national fingerprint background check database. Representative Lane Roberts, R-Joplin, says his legislation would clear up that problem. Under House Bill 1896, the agency could also require fingerprints from medical marijuana business employees as part of the licensing or certification process. The measure would require department employees associated with licensing medical marijuana businesses to submit their fingerprints for criminal background checks. The bill would also ban medical marijuana edibles designed in the shape of a human, animal, or fruit, including realistic, artistic, caricature, or cartoon renderings. However, geometric shapes, including, but not limited to, circles, squares, rectangles, and triangles, are allowed.

Rape kit testing efforts
Sen. Andrew Koenig’s legislation would require Missouri hospitals to perform a forensic exam using an evidence kit upon the request and consent of a sexual assault victim. Senate Bill 569 would give hospitals access to virtual and in-person training on how to use the kits. It would also require the state to create a centralized place to store unreported rape kits and require those kits to be stored for at least five years.

Missouri has about 6,800 untested rape kits. State Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s office has shipped about 1,000 of those to a lab for testing and is working to get all of them tested.

Electronic monitoring within patient rooms of long-term healthcare centers
Under House Bill 1387, residents of long-term care centers in Missouri would be allowed to have covert and authorized electronic monitoring devices within their rooms. Facilities and any residents with such monitoring must post a visible sign indicating that rooms, including the room of the resident, are being monitored. The gadget must be owned and operated by the resident or the resident’s legal guardian. Representative Jim Murphy, R-St. Louis, is the bill sponsor.

No state taxes on federal stimulus payment
Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer, R-Parkville wants to prevent Missourians from being taxed by the state for their federal coronavirus stimulus payment. He says the money was already free of federal taxes, but was subject to state income taxes. Senate Bill 676 would also require county assessors to do a physical inspection of real estate prior to increasing a property’s assessment more than 15%.

Other bills already signed by the governor include:

Tort Reform
Senate Bill 591 puts new limits on punitive damages in liability lawsuits. The legislation allows juries to award punitive damages only when plaintiffs prove by clear and convincing evidence that defendants “intentionally harmed” someone without just cause or acted with “deliberate and flagrant disregard for the safety of others.” Sen. Bill White, R-Joplin, sponsored the Republican and business-friendly bill.

Crime megabill
Gov. Parson has signed into law sweeping changes aimed at cracking down on violent crime. Senate Bill 600 creates mandatory prison sentences for several violent crimes, and creates a new offense of vehicle hijacking. Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer’s bill defines street gangs and specifies that gang members could face a felony for being part of a gang.

Mail-in voting during pandemic
Current state law allows voters to mail in their election ballots for reasons like illness or travel. Under Senate Bill 631, sponsored by Sen. Dan Hegeman, R-Cosby, voters can say they are ill if they are 65 or older, live in a nursing or assisted home or have certain health conditions, including heart problems, asthma, or chronic lung disease.

Voters who cannot use one of the excuses can still mail in their ballot, but they are required to get their ballot notarized. The approach – to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus – would only be allowed during this year’s August and November statewide elections.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

State answers frequently asked questions about Missouri school reopening

By

The Missouri Departments of Health and Senior Services and Elementary and Secondary Education are answering frequently asked health questions about schools reopening next month. The information is designed to help schools navigate during the COVID-19 era.

State answers frequently asked questions about Missouri school reopening

It includes details about screening, assigned seating, desk placement, requiring hand washing before and after students move from one space to another and loading buses appropriately. The guidance urges schools to keep kids in the same group of students and adults throughout the day, including during P.E., recess, lunch and music classes.

During a Capitol press conference Thursday, Gov. Mike Parson says schools should do whatever they can to get schools open again and students back in class.

“I talked to some of the school administrators, the teachers, the students. I don’t think there’s any question in the state of Missouri – we’ve got to get the schools opened back up and we’ve got to get the kids back to school. There’s a lot of things that occur by not having them in school that can be far worse than going in there and fighting a virus,” says Parson.

The five pages of answers can be found on the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s website and will be updated with other topics. Click here to view the information.

In May, representatives from DHSS and DESE worked with the Missouri School Boards’ Association to publish the Pandemic Recovery Consideration: Re-Entry and Reopening of Schools, a 110-page guide with more thorough information to help school leaders develop plans for returning to onsite teaching and learning.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Federal disaster declaration approved for 19 Missouri counties hit by May storms

By

President Donald Trump has approved Gov. Mike Parson’s request for a federal major disaster declaration for 19 Missouri counties hit by severe storms on May 3 and 4. The declaration means local governments and nonprofit agencies can request public help for response and recovery costs associated with the storms. A press release from Parson’s office says the federal aid will help with repair and replacement costs for damage to electric power systems, buildings, bridges, roads, and other public infrastructure.

Missourinet Lebanon affiliate KBNN reports Monday’s severe weather caused damage at the Floyd Jones Airport in Lebanon (May 4, 2020 photo courtesy of KBNN Radio website)

Poplar Bluff-based Ozark Border Electric Cooperative in southeast Missouri described the storms as the worst to hit the region since the 2009 ice storm. KFVS-TV in Cape Girardeau reported more than 10,000 residents across the region were without power for a time. An EF-1 tornado also swirled through the Bootheel town of Marston. The Floyd Jones Airport in southern Missouri’s Lebanon was also damaged.

Preliminary damage estimates are in the neighborhood of $9.3 million.

The counties battered by the storms are mostly in southeast Missouri, but also include ones in western, southwest and southern Missouri. The governor requested federal assistance for Bates, Butler, Carter, Dallas, Douglas, Dunklin, Henry, Hickory, Howell, Laclede, New Madrid, Oregon, Pemiscot, Polk, Ripley, Shannon, Stoddard, Wayne, and Wright Counties.

“As Missouri continues to respond to COVID-19 and build on our economic recovery efforts, Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance will now provide much needed support to local governments and nonprofits that sustained the brunt of the damage from the May storms,” Gov. Parson says. “The hard work of Missouri citizens, businesses, and communities are fueling our recovery, and this federal assistance will help us continue to move our state forward.”

The disaster declaration also means FEMA Hazard Mitigation assistance will be available to Missouri to help with cost-effective measures to reduce the chance of for future damage to public infrastructure as a result of natural disasters.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Missouri’s workforce development and higher education efforts get $125 million boost

By

The state’s workforce development and higher education initiatives are getting $125 million in coronavirus relief, or CARES Act, funding. During a press conference at the state Capitol, Missouri Higher Education and Workforce Development Department Commissioner Zora Mulligan says about $80 million will be used to help public institutions reopen this fall.

Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development Commissioner Zora Mulligan and Gov. Mike Parson (Photo courtesy of governor’s Flickr page)

“That $80 million can be used for a variety of purposes,” says Mulligan. “It’s very similar to the conversation we’ve been having since March – we know that we need PPE. We know that we need to modify our physical spaces. We know that we need testing capability. We know that we need resources to comply with local health orders.”

Another $23.6 million is designated for staffing, infrastructure and technology to support distance education, among other things. Mulligan says roughly $10 million will also be used to help them expand their capacity for remote learning.

“This $10 million will give our colleges and universities an opportunity to address both short and long term needs – to make sure that students have access to the internet and also that institutions have the hard and software they need to do so successfully,” she says.

About $9.7 million will help train Missourians for high-demand jobs in information technology, train unemployed workers, and boost the Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant.

“We all know we have a lot of fellow Missourians around the state who continue to be unemployed,” says Mulligan. “Many of them are going to be using this time to seek training and take advantage of the opportunities available to them.”

Gov. Mike Parson has included $1 million to the Office of Workforce Development and Local Workforce Development Boards to support Missourians safely resuming in-person job searches at job centers across the state. Most of Missouri’s 29 job centers remain closed to in-person traffic. However, job seekers and displaced workers can still get help by phone at 1-888-728-5627, or online at jobs.mo.gov.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Trump threatens to cut federal funding to schools; Parson says kids need to get back to school

By

President Donald Trump is threatening to cut federal funding to schools that do not reopen their doors this fall. On Twitter, he says several other countries have reopened schools with no problems. During a meeting with education leaders in Washington, D.C., Trump says he is going to “put a lot of pressure on governors” to get schools back open again.

Mike Parson and K-12 Education Commissioner Margie Vandeven have been meeting this week with leaders in Washington, D.C. to discuss ways to help protect students, workers and their families from COVID-19. Each person at the table said a few words.

Photos courtesy of governor’s Twitter page

“He can put a little pressure on you if he decides to do that – I will say that,” says Parson. “So, sometimes we all need a little push to get things going.”

The governor says safely reopening Missouri schools is necessary to continue providing resources to at-risk students.

“I set there and I think of all the kids that need to be in school,” says Parson. “There’s the ones that have the privilege of going every day. That’s almost common that we go to school for most of the school kids, but a lot of school kids it’s a safety blanket. It’s a way to get nutrition. It’s a way to get counseling. It’s a way for somebody to help them when they cry out for help. This virus cannot shut our country down and our states down. We have to deal with it as we would anything else that we have dealt with in this country. We have to move forward and the economy and life goes on. Education is part of who we are and kids need to get back in school. Parents need to get more involved in their schools and be back involved in their schools, as I heard speakers today speak. It’s part of — it’s part of who we are. It’s how we build a future, and I think that’s so important.”

A U.S. House Appropriations Committee spokesperson tells Politico that Trump does not have the authority to withhold federal funding.

Most of Missouri’s K through 12 education is funded at the state and local levels.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Missouri’s governor to call special legislative session about violent crime (AUDIO)

By

Missouri’s governor confirms he plans to call a special session later this year, to address violent crime in the state. Governor Mike Parson (R) made his comments Monday at the Statehouse in Jefferson City, in response to a question from Missourinet.

Missouri Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe (right) applauds as Governor Mike Parson delivers his State of the State Address on January 15, 2020 in Jefferson City (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The governor says it’s a critical issue.

“I think I’ve talked to most of the mayors for weeks now, about the issue of crime,” Parson says.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas is asking the governor to call a special session about crime, saying his city is at a “crisis point”. There have been at least 101 homicides in Kansas City this year, and the “Kansas City Star” reports 2020 is on pace to be the city’s deadliest year on record.

Across the state in St. Louis City, Missourinet contributor Jill Enders reports 24 people were shot over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, seven of them fatally. One of them was a four-year-old boy.

The governor says he had a good phone conversation this weekend with Kansas City’s mayor.

“We talked about some of the officer shootings they’ve had, more on the violent crime side,” says Parson. “I emphasized to him I thought through the legislative process last year we should have got some key elements done. He agreed that that should have been done.”

Mayor Lucas notes two Kansas City Police officers were shot last week. He also says criminals shot into an apartment building last week, killing a four-year-old sleeping inside.

Mayor Lucas wants to see funding increased for witness protection, and wants more tools for law enforcement to be able to interrupt conspiracies to commit murder.

It’s unclear when the special session will start.

One of the key proposals in Governor Parson’s January State of the State Address was about $1 million in funding for witness protection, in an effort to battle increasing violence in urban cities.

Despite bipartisan support in both chambers, the measure did not pass.

State Rep. Chuck Basye, R-Rocheport, is a strong supporter of witness protection, telling Missourinet at the January State of the State that witnesses fear retribution.

“I hear law enforcement say that very thing that there are people that they know that know who these individuals are that are committing these crimes but they’re scared to death to come forward because they don’t want to be the next victim,” Basye said that day.

Mayor Lucas, Kansas City Police Chief Richard Smith, St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson, St. Louis Public Safety Director Jimmie Edwards, Springfield Mayor Ken McClure, Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams, Columbia Mayor Brian Treece and Columbia Police Chief Geoff Jones were special guests at the January State of the State Address.

There were 194 homicides in St. Louis and 148 in Kansas City in 2019.

Click here to listen to Missouri Governor Mike Parson’s response to Brian Hauswirth’s question about a special session on violent crime, and about the governor’s phone conversation this weekend with Kansas City’s Mayor:

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Missouri’s governor signs major crime legislation into law

By

Sweeping legislation aimed at cracking down on violent crime was signed into law late Monday afternoon by Missouri’s governor in Jefferson City.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson briefs Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on July 6, 2020 (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

Governor Mike Parson (R) announced that he would sign Senate Bill 600 during his media briefing with Capitol reporters. He describes the bill as a large step toward safety and justice for communities.

Critics say it will cause Missouri to have to build two new prisons.

The bill updates Missouri’s law involving the offense of conspiracy, a point emphasized by the governor during today’s press conference. Parson says that under current law, a person cannot be convicted of an offense based upon a conspiracy to commit it unless the person committed an overt act.

“This allows law enforcement and prosecutors to hold individuals accountable that plan criminal enterprises. This bill also includes other key provisions to help address violent crime,” Parson tells reporters.

The bill creates mandatory prison sentences for several violent crimes, and creates a new offense of vehicle hijacking. That provision was a priority for State Sen. Bob Onder, R-Lake St. Louis, and for Attorney General Eric Schmitt (R).

Onder testified before a legislative committee in February, saying there were 351 carjackings in St. Louis City in 2019.

“These are violent crimes in which Missourians are terrorized in what should be a safe sanctuary, their cars,” Onder testified that day.

He noted during his February testimony that there was no uniform sentencing in Missouri for carjacking. Some suspects are charged with robbery, while he said others are charged with stealing and are being sentenced to just four months in prison.

The bill also establishes the Missouri criminal street gangs prevention act, which Governor Parson says modernizes the approach to prosecuting criminal gangs.

State Rep. Nick Schroer, R-O’Fallon, sponsored the House bill. Schroer tweeted Monday that the legislation is “a bipartisan approach that will help make Missouri safer.”

Critics of the bill include Americans for Prosperity-Missouri and the ACLU of Missouri.

“Governor Parson’s commitment to signing SB 600 is shortsighted. We know that crime bills like this one exacerbate racial inequalities and fuel mass incarceration with no actual improvement to public safety,” ACLU of Missouri policy director Sara Baker says, in a statement.

Baker says the bill “tears money away from public education and services proven to decrease crime.”

The bill is also opposed by Americans for Prosperity-Missouri (AFP-MO), which predicts the law will increase Missouri’s prison population by 2,500 and will cause two new prisons to be built.

“Locking up more people does not result in safer neighborhoods, but rather harms taxpayers and needlessly rips families and communities apart,” AFP-MO state director Jeremy Cady says, in a statement. Cady says it will cost $500 million to build the new prisons.

With the governor’s signature, the new law will take effect on August 28.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

EPA grant will help Missouri schools test for lead contamination in water

By

Bipartisan legislation that’s aimed at providing protections for safe drinking water in Missouri schools has been signed into law by Governor Mike Parson.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson signed two pieces of legislation on July 2, 2020 in Tipton. One involved safe drinking water in schools, and the other involved rural broadband (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

One of the key provisions in House Bill 2120 is from veteran State Sen. Gina Walsh, D-Bellefontaine Neighbors, the former Senate Minority Leader. That provision allows Missouri schools to submit a test of potable water for lead content to labs approved by state health officials.

“Getting clean water in today’s times, what we’ve seen over time, really starting to focus on that,” Parson tells Capitol reporters in Jefferson City. “Water is just so essential to us. One is lifestyle, but everything we utilize has water involved in it.”

With the governor’s signature on Thursday at a Tipton ceremony, Missouri schools and the state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) will be able to capitalize on a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant of $719,000 that will assist with lead water testing in schools built before 1996.

“So I think passing that bill, making everybody draw a little attention to it and step up a little better to deliver that is a good thing,” says Parson.

Senator Walsh notes a review found numerous schools with elevated lead levels in water.

State Rep. Bill Kidd, R-Buckner, sponsored the House bill. Under it, each school district can test a sample of a source of water in buildings constructed before 1996. If the samples tested exceed the EPA standard, the school districts would need to notify parents of enrolled students.

The Missouri Senate approved the bill by a 25-4 vote, and the House passed it 108-34.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Missouri’s governor to sign bipartisan broadband legislation on Thursday in Tipton

By

Legislation extending Missouri’s broadband grant program through 2027 will be signed into law by the governor on Thursday morning in central Missouri’s Tipton.

Governor Mike Parson (R) will travel to Co-Mo Connect in Moniteau County for Thursday’s 10:15 a.m. ceremonial signing. The bipartisan bill is sponsored by State Rep. Louis Riggs, R-Hannibal, who will join the governor in Tipton.

State Rep. Louis Riggs, R-Hannibal, speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on March 9, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Missouri’s broadband internet grant program is for unserved and underserved areas in the state. The grant program is currently scheduled to expire in August 2021. House Bill 1768 extends the program until June 2027.

In addition to extending the broadband grant program, the Riggs legislation requires the state Department of Economic Development (DED) to maintain a record of all federal grants awarded to entities to provide, maintain and expand rural broadband in Missouri.

Representative Riggs’ legislation was approved by the Missouri Senate in May by a 31-0 vote. The House approved it in May, on a 143-3 vote.

Governor Parson emphasized the importance of rural broadband, during a February address to the Missouri Farm Bureau in Jefferson City. At the time, the governor noted there were about ten Missouri school districts that didn’t have broadband.

Parson says broadband ties-in with education and workforce development.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet