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Missourinet

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You are here: Home / Archives for Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade

What we’re watching this week in Missouri Legislature: Medicaid expansion, budget, PDMP and proposal to reduce Missouri House’s size

March 29, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

The state operating budget and prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) legislation will likely take center stage in the Missouri Legislature in Jefferson City this week.

Missouri House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, testifies before a House committee in Jefferson City on February 24, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Governor Mike Parson (R) has proposed a $34.1 billion state operating budget. House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith (R-Carthage) tells Missourinet that he hopes to see the House give initial and final approval to the operating budget this week. The state Constitution requires Missouri lawmakers to approve a balanced budget, by early May.

Once the budget goes to the House floor this week, there will likely be a floor debate on the issue of Medicaid expansion.

Medicaid is formally known as MO HealthNet, and it’s a federal and state program that assists with medical costs for residents with limited incomes. 53 percent of Missouri voters approved Medicaid expansion in August, although it failed in 105 of the state’s 114 counties. Amendment Two expands Medicaid for residents between the ages of 19 and 64 with an income level at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level.

Last week the House Budget Committee voted against funding Medicaid expansion. Chairman Smith issued a statement, which says the expansion would help able bodied adults, many who choose not to work. He’s filed a bill to use that money to support seniors in nursing homes, to provide care for the developmentally disabled and to expand mental health programs. Smith also wants to use some of the money for additional public defenders.

During his January State of the State Address, Governor Parson pledged to move forward with implementation of Medicaid expansion, because voters approved it.

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade (D-Springfield) and other House Democrats have called a Statehouse news conference for Monday afternoon at 1 to address the issue. Leader Quade and House Democrats say Missouri voters have spoken. She describes the Budget Committee’s decision as an irresponsible attempt by House Republicans to defund Missouri’s Medicaid program.

State Sen. Holly Rehder (R-Scott City) speaks on the Missouri Senate floor in Jefferson City on March 9, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Harrison Sweazea at Senate Communications)

Across the Capitol Rotunda in the Missouri Senate, PDMP should hit the Senate floor this week. State Sen. Holly Rehder (R-Scott City) has filed PDMP for the ninth straight year. Rehder filed it for the eight years she served in the House. She was elected to the Missouri Senate in November, and has filed Senate Bill 63.

Senator Rehder delivered a passionate speech on the Missouri House floor in May, revealing to colleagues that her late mother and late sister were both sexually assaulted multiple times and that they turned to prescription drugs for their pain.

“I look forward to having that (Senate floor debate) conversation, obviously this is something that (State) Senator Rehder is very passionate about. When she was in the House, I carried that legislation myself (and) tried to find a resolution for that,” Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz (R-Sullivan) told Missourinet last week.

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

Rehder and other supporters say Missouri’s medical professionals must have knowledge of what their patients are on, prior to prescribing more medication. Bill opponents such as State Sen. Mike Moon (R-Ash Grove) worry about potential data breaches involving your prescription information.

While both the Missouri House and Senate approved PDMP in 2020, they approved different versions of the bill.

Pro Tem Schatz says education reform bills will also likely be debated on the floor this week. He also expects some long nights between now and May.

“Not sure exactly the floor schedule, but would anticipate working longer hours from now till session ends,” Schatz tells Missourinet.

Another interesting issue that will be discussed in a Missouri House committee this week involves reducing the Missouri House’s size.

State Rep. Travis Fitzwater (R-Holts Summit) is proposing a constitutional amendment that would reduce the Missouri House from 163 to 136 members. Fitzwater will present his proposal Wednesday afternoon to the House Elections and Elected Officials Committee.

Fitzwater’s proposed House Joint Resolution 34 is similar to his 2019 proposal, which failed. Missouri currently has 197 lawmakers, although there is one House vacancy. Fitzwater says it’s the seventh-largest Legislature in the nation, and that Missouri has more state lawmakers than any of its bordering states.

Missourians ratified a constitutional amendment in 1966, which locked in the number of House seats at 163.

The Missouri House and Senate will both gavel-in Monday afternoon at 4 in Jefferson City.

Copyright © 2021 · Missourinet

Filed Under: Crime / Courts, Elections, Health / Medicine, History, Legislature, News Tagged With: Amendment Two, education reform legislation, House Joint Resolution 34, Medicaid expansion, Missouri Governor Mike Parson, Missouri House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, Missouri House's size, Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, prescription drug monitoring program legislation, state operating budget, State Rep. Travis Fitzwater, State Sen. Holly Rehder, State Sen. Mike Moon

Missouri state senators and Missouri Supreme Court judges will observe State of State from upper gallery

January 26, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri Governor Mike Parson’s State of the State address Wednesday in Jefferson City will look different than any other State of the State speech in recent history.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson points during his State of the State Address on January 15, 2020 in Jefferson City, as then-House Speaker Elijah Haahr and Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe applaud (file photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

That’s due to COVID-19 precautions.

The Missouri House was not in session last week, due to COVID concerns. State Sen. Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester, announced Friday that he’s tested positive for COVID. State Sens. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring, and John Rizzo, D-Independence, announced on Tuesday that they will both quarantine, after being in close contact with someone who’s tested positive for COVID. Rizzo is the Senate Democratic Leader.

The State of the State Address is significant, because it’s the venue where the governor outlines his 2021 legislative priorities and his budget blueprint. The speech is delivered in the Missouri House chamber, before a rare joint session of the Legislature.

While the 162 current Missouri House members will sit at their desks like normal, Missouri state senators and the Missouri Supreme Court judges will be seated in the right upper gallery, for coronavirus safety precautions. State senators normally sit in chairs set up on the House floor, near the dais. The seven Missouri Supreme Court judges normally are seated to the governor’s right, near the front of the House chamber.

Missouri Capitol technicians have also worked to finish a projector for the Capitol Rotunda, which will serve as an overflow seating area for those who can’t get into the House chamber on Wednesday. Parson spokeswoman Kelli Jones tells Missourinet about 50 to 75 chairs will be set up in the Rotunda area, while maintaining social distancing.

Because of COVID issues, attendance in the Missouri House chamber will be limited on Wednesday. The joint session is expected to begin at 3 pm. Governor Parson will speak sometime after that. Jones says the governor has recently practiced his speech in the House chamber.

Missouri’s current operating budget is about $38 billion, which includes two supplemental budgets with federal money. The State of the State highlight’s the governor’s budget priorities. We’ll also learn Wednesday whether or not Governor Parson’s proposed budget includes a pay increase for state employees. That’s a big issue in mid-Missouri. More than 14-thousand state employees work in Cole County, making state government Jefferson City’s largest employer.

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, and other top House Democrats plan a press conference on Wednesday afternoon at 4, to respond to the governor’s State of the State Address.

Missourinet will have live coverage of the State of the State Address, beginning at 3 o’clock. Reporter Brian Hauswirth will also have live interviews with state lawmakers in both parties, after the speech. In addition to Missourinet, the speech will also be live-streamed on the governor’s Facebook page.

Copyright © 2021 · Missourinet

Filed Under: Health / Medicine, History, Legislature, News Tagged With: COVID-19, Missouri Capitol Rotunda, Missouri Governor Mike Parson, Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, Missouri state senators, Missouri Supreme Court, Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo, state employee pay raises, State of the State Address, State Sen. Andrew Koenig, State Sen. Bill Eigel

Missouri House Democrat kicked out of caucus after intern sex allegations

January 25, 2021 By Alisa Nelson

State Rep. Wiley Price, D-St. Louis, has been expelled from the House Democratic caucus. The move follows the Missouri House of Representatives voting 140-3 this month in favor of censuring Price for allegedly having sex with an intern, threatening his then-legislative aide to cover for him, and lying to the committee investigating the reported events. Missouri House policy bans members from having inappropriate relationships with Capitol interns.

Rep. Wiley Price, D-St. Louis (Photo courtesy of Tim Bommel, House Communications)

Price is the first House member in state history to be publicly condemned.

A statement from House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, says the caucus voted Sunday to expel Price.

“This action is consistent with the censure resolution the House of Representatives recently passed, which in addition to other penalties called for the denial of privileges of office. Caucus membership is such a privilege,” says Quade. “As with the other sanctions, Rep. Price’s removal from the House Democratic Caucus is necessary to hold him accountable for his actions, uphold the integrity of the Ethics Committee’s findings against him and further reinforce that retaliation against employees will be met with serious consequences.”

The Missouri House Ethics Committee unanimously recommended last month to censure Price. A report was then released to the public stating Price shared with his legislative assistant that he had sex with an intern and Price attempted to coerce his assistant into lying to an investigator as well as the committee. He reportedly threatened to fire his assistant if she did not comply and said, “where I come from, people die for doing sh** like this”.

Under oath, Price said the assistant made up the story in retaliation to losing her job, but he did not inform appropriate House staff that he gave notice to the employee.

According to the report, an investigator interviewed Price, who stated he had not called the intern on his cell phone, and that he did not have and has never had her cell phone number.

The committee subpoenaed phone records between Price and the intern between January 22 through January 27, 2020. It found seven phone calls and 26 text messages had been exchanged between them. The last phone call, on January 26, lasted 46 minutes. Details of their text conversations were not included in the report.

The report says Price denied four times under oath to the committee that he called or texted the intern. After being shown the subpoenaed phone records, the report says Price changed his story.

Price admitted on the House floor this month that he lied about having the intern’s phone number, but he said everything else in his testimony was truthful. He has denied having sex with the intern.

After the full House’s action this month, Price’s office was relocated to the basement of the Missouri Capitol building. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Price was forced to move from a first floor suite in the Capitol to a hearing room in the basement.

Under the terms of the censure, Price was removed from committees he served on and must pay $22,500 to cover the investigation’s costs. He cannot serve in leadership or have an intern while he serves in the House.

Copyright © 2021 · Missourinet

Filed Under: Legislature, News Tagged With: Missouri House Democratic Caucus, Missouri House Ethics Committee, Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, Missouri House of Representatives, Rep. Wiley Price

Missouri Medicaid expansion implementation discussion to begin after State of State address

January 24, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri House Budget Committee is expected to hold its first meeting of 2021 this week in Jefferson City.

Missouri House Budget Committee Chair Cody Smith, R-Carthage, speaks at the Statehouse in Jefferson City on November 9, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

House Majority Floor Leader Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, has released a revised House schedule. A technical session has been added on Friday, which will allow the Budget Committee to meet that day.

Missouri’s current operating budget is about $38 billion, which includes two supplemental budgets with federal money.

Governor Mike Parson (R) will deliver his State of the State Address on Wednesday afternoon at 3 in Jefferson City, before a joint session of the Legislature. The governor will outline his 2021 legislative priorities at that time, and will also unveil his proposed budget blueprint.

The implementation of Medicaid expansion is expected to be a key issue this session.

“We will wait until after the state of the state (speech) to discuss new budget items like medex (Medicaid expansion). We need to see what the department (state Department of Social Services) proposes and spend a little time unpacking it,” House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, tells Missourinet.

Medicaid is formally called MO HealthNet. It’s a federal and state program that assists with medical costs for residents with limited incomes.

About 53 percent of Missouri voters approved Medicaid expansion in August. Amendment Two expands Medicaid for residents between the ages of 19 and 64 with an income level at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level. Medicaid expansion supporters say the measure will provide healthcare to Missourians who earn less than $18,000 annually.

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, speaks on the Missouri House floor on January 6, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Medicaid expansion implementation is a top 2021 priority for House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, and other House Democrats. She notes Medicaid expansion will extend health care coverage to more than 200,000 Missourians.

“As we head into our second year of the (COVID) pandemic, we must take the lessons learned so far about what works and what doesn’t and translate it into action,” Leader Quade said on January 6, opening day for the Legislature. “We must work together to ensure Missourians can get vaccinated as quickly as possible. And the need to expand health care access as commanded by voters has never been more critical.”

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry and many labor unions endorsed Amendment Two. The Chamber frequently quoted a study from the Missouri Foundation for Health, which says Medicaid expansion will create more than 16,000 new jobs annually during its first five years. The Chamber says many of those jobs will be in rural Missouri.

However, Medicaid expansion failed in 105 of the state’s 114 counties. All 105 counties that voted against it are in rural Missouri, which is a GOP stronghold.

House Budget Committee Chairman Smith warned before the August election that Amendment Two was projected to cost $200 million in state general revenue, and $1.8 billion in federal funding each year.

While GOP Governor Parson campaigned against Medicaid expansion, he has told Capitol reporters several times that Medicaid expansion will be implemented because that was the will of the voters.

Copyright © 2021 · Missourinet

Filed Under: Agriculture, Business, Health / Medicine, History, Legislature, News Tagged With: Amendment Two, Carthage, COVID pandemic, Medicaid expansion implementation, Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Missouri Department of Social Services, Missouri Governor Mike Parson, Missouri House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, Missouri House Majority Leader Dean Plocher, Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, MO HealthNet, rural Missouri, Springfield, State of the State Address

Missouri Governor Parson says sunny days are ahead

January 11, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor talked about unity and working for all residents, during his inaugural address Monday afternoon at the Statehouse in Jefferson City.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson is sworn in by Jackson County Circuit Judge Sarah Castle on January 11, 2021 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

Under the Missouri Constitution, Governor Mike Parson was sworn-in at high noon, after 12 bells rang at nearby St. Peter Catholic Church downtown.

Governor Parson was sworn-in by Jackson County Circuit Judge Sarah Castle, who is the only judge to be appointed twice by the governor.

The Bible used by the governor during Monday’s swearing-in ceremony was a gift given to him by First Lady Teresa Parson.

“I will care for the unborn to the elderly to the rich to the poor, regardless of the color of your skin,” says Governor Parson.

About 2,000 people attended Monday’s inauguration ceremonies, which kicked off the historic celebration of 200 years of Missouri history. The morning started with cloudy skies and 35 degree temperatures, but sunshine appeared just before noon.

The ceremony on the Capitol lawn began at 11:07 am, which Bicentennial remarks from Gary Kremer of the State Historical Society of Missouri. Kramer outlined the history of Missouri’s Bicentennial.

The oaths of office were administered first to Attorney General Eric Schmitt (R), State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick (R), Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft (R) and Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe (R).

Governor Parson’s inaugural address was brief, and he noted Missouri’s diversity.

“When I travel across Missouri, I meet so many different people but regardless of where we come from, we all want what is best for our families and for our state,” Parson says.

State Sen. Barbara Washington, D-Kansas City, appeared live on Missourinet after the governor’s speech, saying she liked his focus on unity.

The governor also focused on the future, saying sunny days are ahead.

The 135th Missouri Army National Guard Band performed on the Capitol lawn, and the Missouri State University chorale also performed.

A B-2 bomber flew just over the Missouri Capitol after the inaugural address, and there was also a 19-gun salute from the Missouri National Guard.

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, issued a statement which says the governor’s inaugural speech ignored last week’s deaths at the U.S. Capitol.

“In setting the tone for his coming term, Governor Parson could have used his inaugural speech to forcefully denounce the members of his political party who helped encourage and incite the insurrectionist mob that assaulted the U.S. Capitol last week. He instead pretended the events that have shaken the very foundation of American democracy didn’t happen and ignored his party’s complicity in them,’ Leader Quade says, in a written statement.

Quade says Missouri needs leaders “who will unequivocally and vocally oppose domestic terrorism.”

Parson defeated Democratic Auditor Nicole Galloway by about 500,000 votes in November’s gubernatorial election. Galloway attended the inaugural ceremonies, as did former Governors Jay Nixon (D) and John Ashcroft (R).

Former Lt. Governor Peter Kinder (R) also attended, as did U.S. Reps. Billy Long, R-Springfield, Jason Smith, R-Salem, Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin, Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville, and Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth.

Copyright © 2021 · Missourinet

Filed Under: Business, Crime / Courts, Health / Medicine, History, Legislature, Military, News, Weather Tagged With: Attorney General Eric Schmitt, Inauguration, Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe, Missouri Governor Mike Parson, Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, Missouri National Guard, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick, U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, U.S. Rep. Billy Long, U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler

Departing Missouri House Speaker Haahr reflects on successes, disappointments (AUDIO)

November 19, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s outgoing House Speaker says life issues and the largest tax cut in state history are some of his biggest successes in the Legislature.

Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, gavels the chamber into session on August 24, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, was first elected to the House in 2012. He’s finishing his eighth and final year in the House, due to term limits. He’s also finishing his term as Speaker.

“I was very proud of the work we did on the pro-life bill last year, I thought that was a big thing,” Haahr says. “Prior to me being Speaker, I carried also the largest tax cut in Missouri history and that was a really big one, I think, for our constituencies in the state.”

The 2019 abortion legislation essentially banned abortions once a fetal heartbeat was detected. The House vote was 110-44, and the Senate approved it last year after about 15 hours of filibuster and negotiations behind the scenes.

Haahr is the first and only House Speaker from Springfield in state history, and says that symbolizes Springfield and southwest Missouri’s growing political and economic influence. He says boosting funding for Missouri State University is another success he’s proud of.

“Worked really hard last year on bringing Missouri State University’s funding on parity with other schools, and so we did a $10 million increase to them to get them to a place where they’re funded equally with all the other schools,” says Haahr.

Haahr says this has been talked about for years and even decades, and that to get it done while he was Speaker is very important.

While Haahr has been Speaker, State Rep. Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, has served as House Minority Leader. While the two have disagreed on issues like abortion and Medicaid expansion, they have worked together on issues involving Greene County, such as Missouri State funding and Hailey’s Law, which was sponsored by State Rep. Curtis Trent, R-Springfield.

Haahr has said several times from the House dais that while he and Leader Quade frequently disagree on policy, they both share a love for Springfield.

Haahr became speaker on November 1, 2018. His predecessor, former House Speaker Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff, resigned the day before to take over as state Medicaid director. Haahr campaigned hard for House GOP candidates across the state in the fall of 2018, helping Republican Mary Elizabeth Coleman unseat State Rep. Mike Revis, D-Fenton. He also helped protect Republican seats in swing districts across the state.

Not all of Haahr’s priorities have passed in the Legislature, even with GOP supermajorities in both chambers and a Republican in the governor’s mansion.

During an interview in his Capitol office in Jefferson City last week, Haahr reflected on some of his disappointments. He says Hyperloop is one of his biggest disappointments.

“I had made a real strong push to try to bring the Hyperloop to Missouri,” Haahr says. “And they chose West Virginia. We were one of the three finalists that got really close but we didn’t get it. I think in 15 or 20 years that will have a transformative impact on West Virginia’s economy.”

Speaker Haahr says that would have jump-started Missouri as a leader on an issue of transportation importance.

Virgin Hyperloop chose West Virginia for its futuristic tube travel test track and certification center, but has said Missouri is not out of the picture. Haahr is hopeful that will still happen.

Haahr is speaker until the end of the year, and expects the House to be in session in December to take up COVID liability during the ongoing special session.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with outgoing Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, which was recorded on November 10, 2020 at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City:

https://cdn.missourinet.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/bh-speakerhaahr.mp3

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Filed Under: Business, Education, Health / Medicine, History, Legislature, News, Transportation Tagged With: abortion bill, COVID liability legislation, former Missouri House Speaker Todd Richardson, former State Rep. Mike Revis, Hailey's law, Hyperloop, Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr, Missouri State University funding, special session, Springfield, State Rep. Curtis Trent, State Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, West Virginia

Parson plans to call Missouri Legislature back soon for another special session

September 17, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Gov. Mike Parson says he plans to call another special session soon. The Missouri Legislature wrapped up its veto and special sessions yesterday.

Lawmakers did not override any of the governor’s vetoes of bills and they only passed two of seven crime-related items he wanted. One bill passed would remove a requirement for St. Louis first responders to live in the city. The other would create a fund to protect witnesses and their immediate family members leading up to a criminal court trial or during investigations.

Gov. Mike Parson

At a Capitol press conference, Parson says the state will find the money to fund witness protection.

“Well we’re going to look and see what avenues we can to get that money there. You know, we’ve made a commitment to that,” says Parson. “There will be another special session on the supplemental budget sometime in October– I do know that, at some point. It may be addressed then. But you know, we’re going to see what another avenues we have to might be able to utilize to do that. But it’s something we want to get implemented as soon as we can, again to help the victims out there. We’ve just got to step it up.”

The governor says he is content with the two bills that passed because they are his two top special session agenda items.

“You know, I don’t keep score on how many bills I pass or how many I don’t,” says Parson. “It’s about making things into law that helps everyday people. You know, we’ve got a violent crime situation in this state. We need to do everything we can.”

The Legislature is made up of a supermajority of Republicans in both chambers – the same party as the governor.

“You know look, you’re not going to hit a home run every time in this building,” Parson tells reporters. “We’re very content with what we got. Anything we can do to help law enforcement, to help victims in this state to fight violent crime is a win no matter how small or how big it is.”

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, says the special session wasted $200,000 solely to boost the governor’s prospects of winning November’s General Election. The extraordinary session, which started on July 27, took almost two months to complete.

“I don’t know what the cost of special session is but maybe she could explain what the cost of 191 people that’s died in St. Louis or the 130 some odd that’s died in Kansas City. Maybe we put a value on that. I’m sure not going to,” says Parson.

A statement from Quade says Parson defunded police and other emergency responders over the summer by unilaterally slashing $2.66 million in funding from the Missouri Department of Public Safety’s budget, including eliminating $1.81 million allocated to the State Highway Patrol.

“A year ago, House Democrats strongly urged the governor to take the mounting death toll from violent crime seriously, but he ignored it until pretending to care seemed politically expedient. Even then, he spurned polices to prevent violent crime in favor of legislation focusing on crime’s aftermath, which won’t prevent a single life from being lost or family from being destroyed. Try as he might to manufacture a contrary public image, the governor’s record on public safety remains dismal,” says Quade.

Here are the bills that did not pass during the special session:

•House Bill 2 would allow an otherwise inadmissible witness statement if a “preponderance” of evidence shows the defendant engaged in wrongdoing to cause the unavailability of the witness. It would also let the Missouri Attorney General intervene in some St. Louis murder cases.

•House Bill 11 would criminalize adults who knowingly encourage, aid, or cause a child under 17 years old to commit a crime with a weapon.

•House Bill 12 would let judges decide whether juveniles 16 to 18 years old should be prosecuted as adults and possibly go to prison for certain crimes committed with weapons.

•House Bill 16 would toughen the penalty for selling or giving a firearm to someone under 18 years old to avoid or interfere with an arrest, detention, or investigation of a crime.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Filed Under: Legislature, News Tagged With: governor mike parson, Missouri Department of Public Safety, Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, Missouri legislature, State Highway Patrol

Missouri House gets to work today on six crime bills – not seven

August 24, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

The Missouri House of Representatives gets down to business today on a special legislative session about crime. Gov. Mike Parson cites the state’s increasing crime rate as his reason for calling the extraordinary session.

Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, and Assistant Minority Floor Leader Tommie Pierson, D-St. Louis, brief Capitol reporters on March 5, 2020 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The chamber is expected to debate and take a preliminary vote on six bills today. Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, says there was a lot of pushback on both sides of the aisle about the Senate’s approach. Instead of the Senate’s wide-ranging package, House Republican leadership has broken up each key component into separate bills.

“Logistically, instead of making their members vote yes or no on a bill that had a lot of really bad stuff in it, breaking it up allows them to pass the pieces that they want and not pass the other pieces,” she says.

One contentious piece would remove a requirement for St. Louis police officers to live within the city. St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden says lifting the condition would help to boost recruitment. Hayden says his department has a shortage of about 130 officers at a time when violence is on the rise in his city. Sen. Jamilah Nasheed says the state does not need to get involved in this local control item because St. Louisans will be voting on the very issue in November.

A bill Quade and others in both parties have a big problem with is one that would let judges decide whether 16 to 18-year-olds should be prosecuted as adults for certain crimes using weapons. A House committee increased the age minimum to 16, instead of the Senate’s bill making the minimum 14 years old.

A bill absent from today’s lineup is one that would let the Missouri Attorney General get involved in some St. Louis murder cases. Parson expanded his special session call to urge lawmakers to pass the measure.

“It seems as though that is not a priority issue from the Republican majority in the House,” Quade says.

The Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys might have something to do with it. The group of 115 Missouri prosecutors, many being Republicans, is not on board with the governor’s bid to let the State Attorney General get involved in local cases. It says such measures undermine the independence and autonomy of locally elected prosecutors and any prosecutors seeking help can reach out to the association and get the support they need.

Some Republicans have been critical of St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner’s handling of former Governor Eric Greitens’s invasion of privacy case involving his ex-mistress. Parson and Attorney General Eric Schmitt, both Republicans, have also publicly disagreed with Gardner, a Democrat, for prosecuting an affluent couple who pointed guns at protesters walking through their neighborhood in June.

Kansas City is on pace to have its highest murder rate in history. However, the governor’s spokesperson, Kelli Jones, says St. Louis has reached a record number of murders and a growing backlog of murder cases. She says Parson’s efforts are currently to assist St. Louis.

Quade maintains the special session bills do nothing to prevent crime.

“We need to be looking at funding in a much more equitable way – an intentional way. Then we also need to be addressing the larger-scale problems around police reform, around making sure that we are funding social workers to go out on the scene, you know things that even police officers have been asking for. I feel like the way that this special session has been handled does nothing to get to before the crime happens.”

Other bills focused on during this special session would:

*Create a witness protection fund to keep witnesses and their families safe before trial

*Toughen the penalty for anyone who sells or gives a gun to a juvenile

*Make it a crime to assist someone 17 or younger to commit a weapons offense

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Filed Under: Crime / Courts, Legislature, News Tagged With: former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens, governor mike parson, Kelli Jones, Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, missouri attorney general eric schmitt, Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, Missouri legislature, Missouri Senate, Missouri Senator Jamilah Nasheed, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden

Missouri House committees to hear crime bills on Monday; Kendrick wants to expand special session call

August 14, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Three Missouri House committees plan hearings on Monday afternoon in Jefferson City, relating to the special session on violent crime.

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, Speaker Pro Tem John Wiemann, R-O’Fallon, and Majority Leader Rob Vescovo, R-Arnold, announced earlier this week that they would simplify the process with single-subject bills to protect the integrity of the lawmaking process and to ensure the issues are thoroughly vetted.

Missouri House Judiciary Committee Chairman David Gregory, R-St. Louis County, checks paperwork at a hearing on August 10, 2020 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of Ben Peters at House Communications)

The House Judiciary Committee, which is chaired by State Rep. David Gregory, R-St. Louis County, will hear three bills on Monday, including legislation from State Rep. Ron Hicks, R-Dardenne Prairie, that would eliminate the residency requirement for St. Louis Police officers.

The Hicks bill says that St. Louis Police cannot impose a residency requirement on their officers, more stringent than a one-hour response time. St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden has testified that the residency requirement is the greatest challenge that his department has with recruitment and retention. Opponents of the plan say it’s safer for neighborhoods to have the officers living in the city.

The Judiciary Committee will also hear a bill on Monday about witness protection. State Rep. Jonathan Patterson, R-Lee’s Summit, has filed legislation that would create a pretrial witness protection services fund, which would be administered by the state Department of Public Safety (DPS) to law enforcement agencies. The money would be used to provide security to witnesses, potential witnesses and their immediate families in criminal proceedings or investigations.

The Judiciary Committee will also hold a hearing on legislation from State Rep. Barry Hovis, R-Cape Girardeau, regarding witness and victim tampering.

The House Special Committee on Criminal Justice will hold a Monday hearing on legislation from State Rep. Nick Schroer, R-O’Fallon, which would allow Missouri courts to certify some juveniles as adults for violent weapons offenses.

Governor Mike Parson (R) has called for this provision, saying it’s aimed at violent crime, such as murder and rape.

But State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis, and other critics say it will lock up children and put them in prison with violent offenders and murderers. Aldridge and others protested in downtown Jefferson City this week.

“Charge them as an adult because that is how we are going to fix violence- by being tough on crime to individuals that have made a mistake and should be held accountable but you are charging our youngest babies,” Aldridge said Thursday. “When do we go to ten? When do we go to nine? What’s going to be next? Eight? Seven? We are locking up literally babies and putting them in jail with serial killers.”

The House General Laws Committee will hold a Monday hearing on two bills from Representative Schroer. One involves the unlawful transfer of weapons, and the other involves endangering the welfare of a child.

Meantime, Governor Parson spoke to Missouri House members today about the special session on violent crime. The governor hosted conference calls with House members. Parson spokeswoman Kelli Jones tells Missourinet that there have been several calls today.

There have been 167 homicides in St. Louis in 2020. The city had 194 murders in 2019. The “St. Louis Post-Dispatch” reports there have been 15 child homicides so far in 2020, which tops all of last year.

Across the state in Kansas City, there have been 124 homicides. There were 90, at this point in 2019 in Kansas City.

The governor expanded his special session call on Monday, to include a provision to allow the state attorney general’s office to take on some murder cases that haven’t been prosecuted yet by St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner (D). The governor says this is about fighting violent crime.

Circuit Attorney Gardner and the bipartisan Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys oppose that plan.

A hearing on a Gardner-related bill has not been scheduled, at this time.

The Missouri Senate approved the crime bill earlier this month, by a bipartisan 27-3 vote. The full Missouri House is scheduled to return to Jefferson City on Monday August 24.

There was another development in Jefferson City on Friday, when State Rep. Kip Kendrick, D-Columbia, requested that the governor expand the special session call to address absentee ballots for the November general election.

Representative Kendrick, the House Budget Committee’s ranking Democrat, wants the General Assembly to take legislative and appropriation action to ensure that every Missourian’s properly postmarked, but late delivered, absentee ballot for November will count.

Kendrick, House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, and others will address Capitol reporters Monday in Jefferson City, about the issue.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Filed Under: Crime / Courts, Elections, Health / Medicine, Legislature, News Tagged With: Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, Missouri Governor Mike Parson, Missouri House Judiciary Committee Chairman David Gregory, Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr, Missouri's special session on violent crime, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden, State Rep. Barry Hovis, State Rep. Jonathan Patterson, State Rep. Kip Kendrick, State Rep. Nick Schroer, State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, State Rep. Ron Hicks

Missouri woman whose mom died from COVID delivers photo memorial to governor’s office

August 11, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A St. Louis woman whose mother died from the coronavirus in June is calling on Missouri’s governor and other elected officials to take stronger action to control the spread of the disease.

St. Louis resident Angela Kender briefs Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on August 11, 2020. Kender’s mother died from COVID in June (photo courtesy of Ben Peters at House Communications)

Angela Kender traveled to Jefferson City on Tuesday to deliver copies of photos of Missourians who’ve died from COVID to the governor’s office. Kender also joined House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, for a Statehouse news conference. Kender says COVID families have had enough.

“Missourians are dying due to terrible leadership, and in this state, lack of policy entirely. The continued deaths are preventable and that is why I am here today. My mother’s life mattered,” Kender says.

Kender supports a statewide mask order, that includes schools. She brought 15 photos of Missourians who have died from COVID.

“I am here today to shine light on these faces that are gone,” says Kender. “Because if you look at these faces and you don’t realize that it could easily be you or your loved one, you are sadly mistaken.”

State health officials say there have been 1,312 COVID deaths in Missouri.

Missourinet contacted the governor’s office to see if they have a response to Kender’s comments. We have not heard back, at this time.

Governor Mike Parson (R) opposes a statewide mask order, telling Missourinet at a July 22 press conference that it’s not the state’s place to mandate everyone to wear a mask.

“I am not anti-mask and I’ll say that clearly again. I wear a mask from time-to-time when I feel that need is there. I am not anti-mask, what I am is anti-mandates,” Parson said that day.

The governor also announced last week that 1.8 million cloth masks have been made available through the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), and that state officials are developing a plan to distribute them to school districts. Parson also said last week that $7.5 million of Missouri’s Coronavirus Relief Fund has been allocated to a cost-share program with local counties, to help schools cover personal protective equipment (PPE) costs. The money will also help schools with cleaning and medical supplies for school buildings and buses.

Missouri Education Commissioner Dr. Margie Vandeven testified Tuesday before a House committee in Jefferson City. Vandeven says the state has distributed as much federal COVID aid to schools, as it can at this time.

As for Leader Quade, she wants Governor Parson to call a special session about the COVID-19 pandemic.

“With the pandemic still spreading throughout Missouri, the governor’s top priority should be on protecting lives,” Quade says. “Instead, the governor wants to talk about anything but COVID-19. However, we will not let the human toll of this disease be forgotten.”

Quade says Missouri’s school districts have not received proper guidance from the Parson administration, about this fall.

Quade and Kender were also joined Tuesday by a Kansas City teacher, who represents a new group called “Missourians for Educational Change.” He expresses safety concerns about school reopening, and says it should be virtual.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Filed Under: Business, Education, Health / Medicine, Legislature, News, Transportation Tagged With: Angela Kender, COVID-19, Missouri Education Commissioner Dr. Margie Vandeven, Missouri Governor Mike Parson, Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, Missouri's coronavirus relief fund, Missourians for Educational Change, personal protective equipment, State Emergency Management Agency, statewide mask order

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