House Speaker Elijah Haahr Archives

Flags to fly at half-staff on Monday across Missouri for Representative Roeber

August 10, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor has ordered flags at all government buildings across the state to be flown at half-staff on Monday, in honor of the late State Rep. Rebecca Roeber, R-Lee’s Summit.

State Rep. Rebecca Roeber was a Lee’s Summit Republican (2019 file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Representative Roeber, 61, died on July 30. She had suffered serious injuries in a March head-on collision on Highway 50 in west-central Missouri’s Syracuse.

Governor Mike Parson’s proclamation orders U.S. and state flags to be flown at half-staff at all government buildings in Missouri on Monday.

“We are saddened by the passing of Representative Roeber and offer our sincere condolences to her husband and family,” Parson said in a statement. “Having served five years in the Missouri House and 17 years as an educator, Rebecca was a dedicated public servant with a kind, compassionate heart. She will be truly missed, and we will always remember the difference she made in our state.”

Before being elected to the House in 2014, Roeber served as a teacher in the Raytown school district for 17 years.

She chaired the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee.

During an interview with Missourinet after her death, House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, said it was a tragedy for the House to lose her.

“She will forever be remembered for being a champion for Missouri’s students,” Haahr said.

Haahr: Roeber “will forever be remembered for being a champion for Missouri’s students” (AUDIO)

July 30, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri House Speaker describes State Rep. Rebecca Roeber, R-Lee’s Summit, as a dedicated public servant who will be greatly missed.

House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee Chairwoman Rebecca Roeber speaks at the Missouri Capitol on February 19, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, announced Roeber’s death today. The Speaker notes Roeber suffered serious injuries in a March head-on collision on Highway 50 in west-central Missouri’s Syracuse.

“Had been released from the hospital somewhat recently and we thought she was on the mend,” Haahr says. “She was on a family vacation in Colorado and passed away in the night.”

Roeber, who was first elected in 2014, chaired the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee. She supported legislation that would have allowed charter schools to expand to Missouri cities and charter counties with a population larger than 30,000.

Charter schools are publicly-funded schools which operate independently of traditional public schools. Under current Missouri law, charter schools are only allowed in St. Louis, Kansas City and in unaccredited school districts.

Speaker Haahr says Roeber “will forever be remembered for being a champion for Missouri’s students.” He says she had a passion to see children develop the tools to succeed in life.

“An incredibly kind person, incredibly talented and cared so much about education, about giving kids the best opportunity forward and it’s a tragedy for the House to lose her,” says Haahr.

Before being elected to the House in 2014, Roeber served as a teacher in the Raytown school district for 17 years. Raytown is a Kansas City suburb.

Haahr tells Missourinet that Roeber was respected by lawmakers in both parties.

“Even when she could be firm, she never seemed angry or upset with people that she worked with and she was just liked across the aisle, universally by everyone,” Haahr says.

After the crash, Roeber did not return to the Statehouse in Jefferson City for the rest of the 2019 session. Speaker Haahr told Missourinet in May that she would need to learn to walk again.

Funeral arrangements for Representative Roeber have not been announced yet.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full three-minute interview with House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, about State Rep. Rebecca Roeber’s death and her education legacy:

Missouri Legislative Black Caucus Chair praises passage of criminal justice bills (AUDIO)

June 11, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The GOP Missouri House Speaker is praising the Legislature for approving three different major criminal justice reforms. Missouri Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Steven Roberts, D-St. Louis, agrees, noting criminal justice reform has also been a top priority for House Democrats and the Black Caucus.

State Rep. Steven Roberts, D-St. Louis, speaks to the Capitol Press Corps on February 11, 2019 in Jefferson City (file photo courtesy of Ben Peters at House Communications)

“We had legislation expanding diversion courts, legislation that revises our mandatory minimums, especially for non-violent offenses,” Roberts says. “As well as an expansion of our expungements.”

House bill 192 is the legislation revising mandatory minimums. It has support across the political spectrum, from the ACLU to Americans for Prosperity.

It requires Missouri’s Probation and Parole Board to evaluate those serving mandatory minimums and decide if they should be released. Supporters say about 48 percent of Missouri’s prison population is serving time for drug offenses and other nonviolent crime.

Empower Missouri, the ACLU and Americans for Prosperity say that if the bill becomes law, about 200 prisoners will be released in the first ten months.

Chairman Roberts is also pleased with the Missouri General Assembly’s passage of legislation that expands expungements for certain non-violent crimes. He says expungement helps citizens succeed at re-entry, after they complete their sentence.

“And so allowing people who really are trying to get that second chance the opportunity to do so,” says Roberts.

Expungement is a court-ordered process, where the legal record of a criminal conviction is essentially sealed.

State Sen. Kiki Curls, D-Kansas City, sponsors the the expungement bill, which is Senate bill 1. It allows expungement for several non-violent crimes, including stealing, first degree property damage and fraudulent use of a credit device.

The diversion court bill is another bipartisan piece of legislation. House bill 547 from State Rep. Dave Griffith, R-Jefferson City, requires each judicial circuit to establish a veterans’ treatment court.

Griffith’s bill states that it is Missouri’s public policy to encourage and provide an alternate method for the disposal of cases for military veterans and current military members who have substance abuse disorders or mental health disorders.

The bill allows prosecutors to divert criminal cases to a prosecution diversion program.

Roberts emphasizes the importance of bipartisanship on the criminal justice reform issue. He tells Missourinet that House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, met regularly with the Black Caucus in 2019.

“He’s been genuine and I appreciate him stepping up and meeting with us on a monthly basis,” Roberts says.

Speaker Haahr told Capitol reporters on the session’s final day in May that the 2019 session is the most successful policy one he’s seen in his seven years in the Legislature.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with State Rep. Steven Roberts, D-St. Louis, which was recorded on May 17, 2019 at the Statehouse in Jefferson City:

Missouri farm groups and Rural Crisis Center view agriculture bill differently

June 10, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor traveled to Sedalia this weekend for a ceremonial signing of legislation that supporters say will benefit agriculture.

State Rep. Chuck Basye (left) was among numerous lawmakers who joined Missouri Governor Mike Parson at the Cattlemen’s steak dinner in Sedalia on June 8, 2019 (photo courtesy of Representative Basye’s Twitter page)

About 700 people attended Saturday evening’s Missouri Cattlemen’s steak dinner at the state fairgrounds in Sedalia.

Governor Mike Parson (R) held a ceremonial signing of Senate Bill 391, which prevents counties from imposing regulations on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) that are stricter than state regulations. House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, House Speaker Pro Tem John Wiemann, R-O’Fallon, and State Rep. Chuck Basye, R-Rocheport, were among the many lawmakers at Saturday’s event.

Governor Parson praises lawmakers for approving the bill, saying it signals that Missouri supports the next generation of agriculture.

“We’ve now opened the doors that will allow Missouri to lead the way in meeting a growing world food demand and ensure we keep more agriculture production in our state, strengthening Missouri’s number one industry,” Parson says.

The governor notes Missouri agriculture is an $88 billion industry, and remains the state’s top economic driver.

Critics of the legislation say this will prevent counties from protecting water and air.

The Missouri Rural Crisis Center’s Tim Gibbons spoke to our sister network Brownfield in May, saying lawmakers should be standing up for Missouri’s 100,000 family farms, not the approximately 500 concentrated animal feeding operations, known as CAFOs.

“We know that DNR (the state Department of Natural Resources) cannot and will not protect us from these absentee controlled operations,” Gibbons told Brownfield in May. “So local control is one way that farmers and people in rural counties have been able to put safeguards on these type of operations to protect the property rights, the property values, the water and air, the livability of our communities from industrial livestock operations.”

State Rep. Doug Clemens, D-St. Ann, who voted against the bill, told lawmakers in May that the CAFO operations are managed by owners who aren’t from the area.

“This isn’t about our family farms,” Representative Clemens said during House floor debate in May. “This is about corporate controlled industry, half of which is foreign-owned.”

The bill sponsors see it differently. State Sen. Mike Bernskoetter, R-Jefferson City, and State Rep. Mike Haffner, R-Pleasant Hill, say it’s important to have a statewide policy, instead of various different restrictions at the county level.

The Missouri Corn Growers Association also praises the bill, saying it will bring positive market growth in Missouri for years to come. The Missouri Farm Bureau also backs the measure, and Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst attended Saturday’s bill-signing.

Under current Missouri law, the notice of intent to file an application for an operating permit for a new or expanded facility is sent to property owners within 1.5 times the buffer distances for CAFOs. The new law requires that the notice be given to property owners located within three times of the buffer distances, and the notices must now be sent by certified mail.

SB 391 also establishes the Joint Committee on Agriculture, which will study the economic impact of Missouri’s agricultural industry and will study ways to create incentives to encourage farmers to adopt best practices to scientifically address the state’s carbon footprint.

The new law is scheduled to take effect on August 28.

Haahr and Quade reflect on Missouri’s 2019 legislative session (AUDIO)

May 20, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri House Speaker describes the 2019 legislative session as the most successful policy session he’s seen in his seven years in the Legislature.

Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, delivers a rare House floor speech on May 17, 2019 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, tells Capitol reporters the Legislature passed 94 bills that are now on the governor’s desk.

“Obviously the Missouri Stands for the Unborn Act, what we believe to be the boldest most comprehensive pro-life legislation in the nation. We also passed three different major criminal justice reforms,” Haahr says.

The heartbeat abortion legislation received final approval from the House on Friday afternoon. The vote was 110-44. The bill from State Rep. Nick Schroer, R-O’Fallon, would essentially ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected.

The criminal justice reform measures passed with bipartisan support, and were top priorities for both Speaker Haahr and Missouri’s Legislative Black Caucus. One of the bills eliminates mandatory minimum sentences for some nonviolent crimes.

Haahr is disappointed the Legislature didn’t pass prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) legislation. During a Friday evening Statehouse press conference, Speaker Haahr told Missourinet he expects PDMP to be filed again in 2020.

“Obviously, the prescription drug monitoring bill was not able to get across the finish line. We remain committed to it, and I believe (Scott City) Representative Holly Rehder remains committed to it as well,” says Haahr.

Missouri is the only state in the nation without a PDMP, which is an electronic database that collects data on controlled substance prescriptions within a state.

Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, briefs Capitol reporters on May 17, 2019 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

As for Representative Rehder, she tells Missourinet she intends to file PDMP again in January. Rehder says that year after year as lawmakers have failed to act, “thousands of our children have lost their lives.”

Speaker Haahr is also praising the Legislature’s passage of Fast Track, which allows Missourians to receive advanced training in high-demand areas. He’s also pleased with the General Assembly’s quick passage of legislation aimed at attracting a $1 billion expansion at the sprawling General Motors plant in Wentzville.

Haahr says the Legislature has approved a $29.7 billion state operating budget, which fully funds the k-12 school foundation formula. He also praises passage of the bridge bonding bill.

House Democrats were outnumbered this year 114-46, putting them in a superminority.

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, delivered a floor speech just before session ended on Friday, saying her members feel ignored by House GOP leaders. Missourinet asked Quade about her comments during Friday evening’s press conference. She says no Democratic budget amendments were approved in committee or on the floor in 2019.

“This is the first time since the Republicans took control of the House (in 2003) that the minority leader didn’t have a single bill move. So few of our members got hearings it was laughable,” Quade says.

Quade says she’s proud of her caucus, adding that Democrats will “work tirelessly” to flip seats in 2020.

Quade says her caucus fought in 2019 to hold the state Department of Revenue (DOR) accountable, over this year’s surprise tax bills.

“House Democrats fought for taxpayers, demanding answers from the Department of Revenue and ultimately forcing the resignation of its director,” says Quade.

Former DOR Director Joel Walters resigned in March, after being criticized by lawmakers in both parties about a tax withholding issue.

House Special Committee on Government Oversight Chairman Robert Ross, R-Yukon, told Missourinet recently that the committee is working to draft a final report about DOR.

One key bill that did pass that had strong support from both Speaker Haahr and Leader Quade is Hailey’s Law, which would require Missouri’s Amber Alert System Oversight Committee to meet at least annually.

The bill, which is sponsored by State Rep. Curtis Trent, R-Springfield, is in response to the gruesome 2014 kidnapping, rape and killing of ten-year-old Hailey Owens in Springfield.

The murder happened in Quade’s district.

Click here to listen to the full press conferences from House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, and House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, which happened on May 17, 2019 at the Statehouse in Jefferson City:

Missouri lawmakers trying to finalize language on GM Wentzville legislation (AUDIO)

May 7, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri Senate leader hopes lawmakers can quickly finalize an incentives package for General Motors (GM), a package aimed at attracting a $1 billion expansion at GM’s sprawling Wentzville plant.

State Rep. Bryan Spencer, R-Wentzville, speaks on the Missouri House floor on April 3, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, told Missourinet late Monday afternoon that lawmakers were still working on the bill’s language. State Rep. Bryan Spencer, R-Wentzville, tells Missourinet he’s pleased that GM is making an effort to do the expansion.

“I think that’s not only going to help Wentzville, but it’s going to help the entire region all the way down from St. Louis all the way up to Hannibal all the way out to Jeff City even,” Spencer says.

Spencer describes this as a “joint community effort,” noting Wentzville Mayor Nick Guccione, city administrator David Gipson, St. Charles County officials, state lawmakers and GM executives have all been involved.

Spencer is optimistic that Missouri lawmakers will approve an incentives package for GM by the 2019 session’s end, which is May 17.

“Because there’s a lot of people that have a lot of interest. It’s a good thing and everybody wants to make sure that we do the right thing not only for GM, but for the community and the state,” says Spencer.

GM’s website says the Wentzville plant covers 438 acres and has about 4,600 employees that work over three shifts. The plant produces vehicles such as the GMC Canyon and the Chevrolet Colorado.

The plant, which opened in 1983, also has an on-site stamping facility that produces the majority of parts used in production of the Chevy Express and GMC Savana vans.

Wentzville is about 40 miles west of St. Louis. While many of those employees live in Representative Spencer’s House district, he emphasizes the plant is a regional employer. Spencer says he met an autoworker who commutes daily from Boonville to Wentzville, which is about 100 miles each way.

“He works a full shift, sometimes overtime, and then drives all the way back to Boonville,” Spencer says.

Boonville is west of Columbia.

Governor Mike Parson (R) has said lawmakers must approve a GM incentives package by May 17, to help land the project other states are competing for.

House Speaker Elijah Haahr (R-Springfield) told Capitol reporters on Thursday that we’ll know the package’s cost by this week. Speaker Haahr says he’s optimistic that lawmakers can approve the incentives package by the end of session, adding that he doesn’t believe that a special legislative session would be necessary.

GM’s Wentzville plant is union, represented by United Auto Workers Local 2250.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full four-minute interview with State Rep. Bryan Spencer, R-Wentzville, which was recorded on May 6, 2019 at the Statehouse in Jefferson City:

Haahr and Quade both optimistic about Missouri General Motors legislation

May 3, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri House Speaker expects the Legislature to unveil an incentives package for General Motors (GM) by next week, a package aimed at attracting a reported $1 billion expansion at the massive Wentzville plant.

The General Motors plant in Wentzville has about 4,600 employees, according to GM’s website (photo courtesy of GM website)

The expansion package was first reported by the “St. Louis Post-Dispatch.” GM’s Wentzville plant produces vehicles such as the Chevrolet Colorado and the GMC Canyon.

Wentzville is located on I-70 and is about 40 miles west of St. Louis.

GM’s website says the Wentzville plant is located in a former wheat field. It covers 438 acres and has about 4,600 employees that work over three shifts.

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, told the Capitol Press Corps on Thursday that lawmakers received a “high-level overview” Thursday, including a short briefing with Governor Mike Parson (R). Speaker Haahr says lawmakers will work on the plan this weekend.

“The governor’s office is working with us on the possibility of some legislation,” Haahr says. “We’ll be working over the weekend to fine-tune that, and we’ll probably hopefully roll it out next week.”

Governor Parson says lawmakers must pass an incentives package in the next two weeks, to help land the project that other states are competing for.

Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, briefs Capitol reporters on April 18, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Speaker Haahr tells Capitol reporters we’ll know the package’s cost by next week. He’s optimistic that lawmakers will approve an incentives package by the end of session, which is May 17.

“You know at this point we don’t believe a special (legislative) session is necessary. We still got two weeks of runway left to use,” says Haahr.

This is an issue that has bipartisan support in the Missouri House.

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, describes a possible expansion of the Wentzville plant as a “great opportunity for the state of Missouri.” Leader Quade also spoke to the Capitol Press Corps on Thursday, noting that she had just received a briefing from GM.

“I’m excited about the labor jobs that are going to come through with great pay and good benefits, and I’m excited to see how those negotiations work out,” Quade says.

While there aren’t a lot of details yet, Quade believes an expansion would also have a positive ripple impact on other Missouri manufacturers. She’s interested in seeing Governor Parson’s incentive proposal.

Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, says the expansion project would benefit the entire state.

“The only thing that was promised was we are going to do everything we can to make Missouri an attractive place for them (General Motors) to do business, from the governor, from the leadership of the House and the Senate, is to do that- is to make sure we’re putting our best foot forward so that we can try to make sure that they stay here, they invest here, and they continue to build on the operation they have,” Pro Tem Schatz told reporters Thursday.

The plant opened in 1983. The GM website notes the Wentzville plant was outfitted so it can produce both vans and mid-size trucks on a single line. The plant also has an on-site stamping facility that produces the majority of parts used in production of the Chevy Express and GMC Savana vans.

It’s a union plant. Wentzville is represented by United Auto Workers Local 2250.