Jeremy LaFaver Archives

House rejects attempt to change execution procedure through budget amendment

March 25, 2014 By Mike Lear

Hours before the scheduled execution of convicted inmate Jeffrey Ferguson, the state House has rejected an attempt to change how the Department of Corrections pays for executions.

Representative Jeremy LaFaver (photo courtesy; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

Department Director George Lombardi testfied to a House Committee in February that all those involved in the execution protocol are paid in cash. That includes the maker of execution drugs, who Lombardi confirmed sells the drugs to a Corrections representative in a face-to-face, cash transaction.

See our earlier story on Lombardi’s testimony to a House committee

An amendment offered by Representative Jeremy LaFaver (D-Kansas City) would have prevented the Corrections Department from expending funds from its budget in cash.

“I believe it’s the only department where we allow multi-thousand dollar cash disbursements with virtually no tracking, no ability to track who procured these funds, who spent these funds, on what they spent them,” says LaFaver. “I think it’s a dangerous path to head down.”

House Republicans argued the amendment would halt the execution process in Missouri, and said there is good reason that cash is used to pay those involved in that process.

“The reason they use cash is for the protection of those involved in an execution,” says the Chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee on Corrections, Marsha Haefner (R-St. Louis). “I think that anyone with any common sense can understand that.”

The amendment was defeated 41-101.

Attempt to add Medicaid expansion to House budget proposal rejected

March 13, 2014 By Mike Lear

The House Budget Committee has twice voted down expansion of Medicaid.

The Committee voted to send to the full House its proposal for the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Representative Jill Schupp (D-Creve Coeur) offered a set of amendments to accept federal money to expand Medicaid eligibility to about 300,000 lower-income Missourians.

With the vote to reject the first amendment effectively having made the offer of the second amendment moot, Schupp explained why she offered it anyway.

“I take advantage of every opportunity I have to talk about the importance of the expansion of Medicaid in the state of Missouri. Our hospitals – particularly our rural hospitals – our social workers, our Missouri Chamber, our doctors, our do-gooders and most importantly the people of Missouri have said, ‘Do this. Take care of the people in need. Do it now because time is wasting.'”

Representative Jeremy LaFaver (D-Kansas City), who has all session long posted outside his Capitol office door a running total of how much federal money the state could have received if it had accepted Medicaid expansion, offered the Committee an update.

“As of this minute, our failure to expand Medicaid has resulted in a loss of three-hundred and fifty-nine million, seven hundred and eighty-two thousand, three hundred … four hundred … sorry, five hundred … six hundred now … six hundred and ninety dollars, and every day that we choose to not expand Medicaid we continue lose another $5-million.”

The amendments were rejected on voice votes by the Republicans on the committee. Missouri Legislative Republicans have maintained that accepting Medicaid expansion would mean continuing to invest state tax dollars into what they consider a broken system. No Republicans commented on the issue in the hearing.

Republican legislation that proposes reforms and some expansion of Medicaid was heard last week in a House Committee.

Proposed change to governors’ budget powers gets bipartisan committee approval

February 5, 2014 By Mike Lear

The House Committee on General Laws has given its approval to a proposed change to Missouri’s Constitution regarding the power of a governor to restrict money in the state budget.

Representative Todd Richardson (photo courtesy; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

The committee passed the proposal that would ask voters to give the legislature the power to review the withholding of money in the budget by a governor. It is offered by Representative Todd Richardson (R-Poplar Bluff), who told colleagues it was inspired by budget scenarios like what he says is happening now.

“The governor is still withholding $147-million dollars that we as a legislature appropriated,” says Richardson. “There’s no financial justification for that and the legislature ought to have some say in whether the governor can continue to withhold that money.”

The resolution would have a governor issue a proclamation when he or she restricts expenditure of or reduces the amount of money appropriated in the budget because actual revenues are less than the revenue estimate an appropriation was based on. The legislature could then reconsider that appropriation.

“This is a power that I expect would be rarely used,” Richardson tells the committee. “It’s no different than the power that we have over the governor making a line-item veto in the budget.”

Representatives Mike Colona (left) and Jeremy LaFaver confer before voting on the resolution. (photo courtesy; Tim Bommel, House Communications)

Representative Mike Colona (D-St. Louis City) told Richardson he was concerned the proposal would have unintended consequences. He asked Richardson what would happen if a legislature appropriates money based on projections that turn out to be too high.

“How does this address that,” Colona asks, “Because what I envision is … I gotta call a special session of the legislature to come in and in essence to a supplemental budget to fix it.”

Richardson told Colona the proposal would not take away any of a governor’s authority to withhold money in a budget.

“In the situation that you describe,” he tells Colona, “I would trust that there would not be a two-thirds majority of the general assembly that would override the governor’s decision in that case.”

Colona remains unconvinced. He tells Missourinet, “We’ve had a budgetary process that has worked for decades. If we throw a monkey wrench in there, who knows about the unintended consequences? I’m not about to take that risk.”

The resolution did get one “yes” vote from a Democrat. Representative Jeremy LaFaver (D-Kansas City) told the committee he liked the idea.

“The legislative branch is where I think the power should be,” he told Richardson.

The proposal would also stipulate that the governor could not reduce appropriations for the payment of public debt.

If approved by the legislature it would go on the November ballot.

House passes bill to let state employees keep firearms in cars

April 12, 2013 By Mike Lear

The state House has approved a bill to let state employees keep guns concealed and locked in their vehicles while parked on state property.

Representative Jeanie Riddle (photo courtesy; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

The bill was opposed on the floor by Representative Jeremy LaFaver (D-Kansas City), who expressed concern about state employees at colleges and universities having guns in their vehicles.

“That creates for a less safe environment, whereas you are trying to create a more safe environment.”

The bill is sponsored by Representative Jeanie Riddle (R-Mokane), who says it’s about those state employees defending themselves going to and from work.

“There are [state employees] who work here in Jefferson City or elsewhere in the state that drive long distances home or to and from work, either way, and they have no way to defend themselves, and that’s what this bill is about. Giving them the same rights that other Missouri citizens have.”

See the legislation, HB 533

The bill passed out of the House on a bipartisan 126-25 vote.