Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr Archives

Missouri Senate leader Schatz is optimistic about finishing budget

March 19, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri Senate leader is optimistic that state lawmakers can approve a balanced budget by the constitutional deadline of early May.

Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz (R-Sullivan) briefs Capitol reporters on March 12, 2020 in Jefferson City, as Democratic Leader John Rizzo (D-Kansas City) and Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia) look on (file photo from Missourinet’s Alisa Nelson)

The Senate was not in session this week in Jefferson City, and is out next week for its regularly-scheduled spring break. Missouri House Budget Committee members met on Sunday and Monday, and the full 163-member House was in session on Wednesday, where they approved millions of dollars in funding to battle COVID-19.

Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, told Missourinet on Thursday that Senate leaders are receiving daily updates about the coronavirus.

Pro Tem Schatz says they’ve had discussions with House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, and other House leaders “on what it might look like in a few weeks in order for us to resume session and finish the budget.”

It’s unclear now when lawmakers will return to Jefferson City. The only people at the Capitol on Thursday were some staff members, Capitol Police, janitors and reporters.

“Every day brings new developments, so we will continue to remain flexible on how we move forward, but optimistic we will find a way to get the budget done,” Schatz says.

Governor Mike Parson and the state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) announced this afternoon that there are now four new confirmed cases of coronavirus in Missouri, bringing the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases to 28.

The Missouri House voted 147-3 this week to approve about $40 million in new funding to fight coronavirus.

The governor has said several times at his daily Capitol press briefings that his top priorities continue to be public health and public safety.

Governor Parson also warned this week that “it’s going to be tremendously expensive to get through this next year or two, however long it might be.”

Haahr rules out Missouri House remote sessions (AUDIO)

March 16, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s House Speaker says “remote” floor sessions are not a possibility for the 163-member chamber.

Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, views the chamber on March 12, 2020 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, was asked about the issue by a Capitol reporter on Thursday, due to concerns about coronavirus.

“There would be no way to verify the ability of people to vote remotely, not just in viewing them but understanding if they’re voting under duress or anything like that,” Haahr says.

Mr. Haahr continues to urge schoolchildren and other guests who are not directly involved in legislative business to avoid the Statehouse in Jefferson City, due to coronavirus concerns. He says the more people who visit the Capitol, the more chances that House members and staff will be at risk for coronavirus.

“We (the House) will have to meet in-person to do voting. The question is how do we do that, protect the members of the Legislature and continue to have state government operate,” says Haahr.

The Speaker notes the 163 House members and thousands of guests travel to the Missouri Capitol from every corner of the state each week. House leaders have closed the House chamber’s floor to the public, for the time being.

The House held “technical” sessions on Sunday and again on Monday. That means one lawmaker literally gavels the chamber in and out. It allows committee hearings to take place on those days. The House Budget Committee met for almost 12 hours on Sunday, before wrapping up at about 1:30 on Monday morning.

Speaker Haahr’s plan is for the full House to return to Jefferson City on Wednesday, with an expected House vote on a proposed $30 billion state operating budget. The House is expected to vote for final budget approval on Thursday.

The House would then begin its regularly-scheduled spring break and would return on March 30. The Senate is not in session this week. Once the House leaves, the Capitol is expected to receive a thorough cleaning.

Click here to listen to the audio from Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr’s press conference on March 12, 2020 in Jefferson City. KMIZ Channel 17’s Joe McLean asks the Speaker about the issue of remote sessions:

Missouri House will be in session next week; budget is top priority

March 12, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s House Speaker has announced that the full House will return to Jefferson City next week for floor sessions on Wednesday and Thursday. Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, says the House is focused on its constitutional duty of approving a balanced budget.

Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, briefs Capitol reporters on March 12, 2020 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

“The idea would be that we will have session through Thursday, we will perfect the budget on Wednesday, we will third-read the budget on Thursday,” Haahr says.

Speaker Haahr briefed the Capitol Press Corps on Thursday morning, after the House adjourned for the week.

The House Budget Committee plans a rare Sunday afternoon budget hearing, which will take place at 2. The House will have what is known as a “technical session” on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. It means one lawmaker will literally gavel the chamber in and out, and that allows committee hearings to take place those days.

The full 163-member House will return to Jefferson City on Wednesday, and is expected to give final approval to an approximately $30 billion state operating budget the next day. The House would then begin its regularly-scheduled spring break and return on March 30.

The state Constitution requires Missouri lawmakers to approve a balanced budget by early May.

Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, has announced that the Senate will not be in session next week, to ensure the safety of state senators and Capitol visitors from ongoing coronavirus issues. The Senate is out until March 30.

As for Speaker Haahr, he continues to urge schoolchildren and others who are not directly involved in legislative business to avoid the State Capitol in Jefferson City, due to coronavirus concerns.

Mr. Haahr notes 163 House members and thousands of guests travel to the Missouri Capitol from every corner of the state each week.

“Obviously, the more people that access this building (the Missouri Capitol), the more chances that members and staff will contact the coronavirus,” says Haahr. “Our goal is to keep us healthy so that the levels of government continue to operate.”

Missouri House leaders from both parties have joined Haahr in his call. Haahr notes it is out of an abundance of caution. House leaders have closed the House chamber’s floor to the public.

Speaker Haahr says coronavirus concerns will impact every state department, and could also impact Missouri’s August primary election and the November general election. He says he met with Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s office on Thursday, to discuss any needs for the upcoming elections.

“There’s probably nothing we can do about the April (municipal and school board) elections, but obviously July and November are probably going to be impacted by this, both in voting locations and in the number of people that can staff them,” Haahr says.

He says that the government must go on and that elections must be held. His aim is to make sure Secretary Ashcroft’s office is in the best position possible to do that.

Medicaid expansion emerging as key issue in Missouri gubernatorial race

February 25, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s GOP governor and his likely November Democratic opponent clashed over the issue of Medicaid expansion, during separate press conferences Tuesday in Jefferson City.

Former Missouri House Speaker Todd Richardson opens a special session on June 11, 2018. Richardson is now the state’s Medicaid director (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Medicaid is a federal and state program that assists with medical costs for residents who have limited incomes. Missouri’s current Medicaid budget is about $10 billion, accounting for about one-third of the state’s $30 billion operating budget.

Governor Mike Parson (R) and State Auditor Nicole Galloway (D) spoke to Capitol reporters at separate press conferences, after they filed for governor at the Kirkpatrick Building.

Missourinet asked both candidates about the issue, during their briefings. Governor Parson opposes Medicaid expansion, saying the system is broken.

“When (Auditor) Galloway was there and (Democratic Governor Jay) Nixon was there, we had over one million people on the state Medicaid roll out of six million. So when you think of that practically, one out of every six people on Medicaid,” Parson says.

Parson also says no one verified the Medicaid rolls, for more than a decade. He also emphasizes that children who qualify for Medicaid should receive it, and that his administration wants them to receive it.

Auditor Galloway, the presumptive Democratic nominee, backs Medicaid expansion. She says rural Missouri hospitals are closing, and that thousands of children have lost their health insurance coverage, under Parson.

Galloway says Medicaid expansion is crucial.

“We have a governor that has kicked 100,000 children off of their health insurance, and he has no vision and no solution on how he’s going to fix that,” Galloway says.

Medicaid expansion supporters, including “Healthcare for Missouri”, note that eight rural Missouri hospitals have closed in recent years. The group says Arkansas and Ohio have expanded Medicaid, and that they’ve used Medicaid-derived savings to cut income taxes.

Governor Parson sees it differently, asking why someone would want to expand a broken system. He also suggests that some lawmakers are grandstanding on the issue, and asks if they’ve trying to sign people up for Medicaid.

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, also opposes Medicaid expansion. He says it would take dollars out of the classroom, noting it requires a ten percent match for the 90 percent draw down.

Two other Republicans filed today against Governor Parson in the GOP gubernatorial primary: State Rep. Jim Neely, R-Cameron, and Seneca resident Raleigh Ritter.

St. Louis Democrats Jimmie Matthews and Antoin Johnson have filed in the Democratic gubernatorial primary.

Filing will continue on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Kirkpatrick Building. The final day of filing is March 31.

Missouri House oversight committee to hold third hearing on medical marijuana issues

February 20, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri House Speaker says there are still many questions and concerns about the state’s medical marijuana program.

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, briefs Capitol reporters on February 13, 2020, as Majority Floor Leader Rob Vescovo and Speaker Pro Tem John Wiemann look on (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

During a briefing Thursday with Capitol reporters in Jefferson City, House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, says he expects the House Special Committee on Government Oversight to hold another hearing next week.

“I think the big thing that we sort of figured out from the (Wednesday) hearing is there’s a lot of questions that remain unanswered,” Haahr says.

Wednesday’s marathon hearing took more than four hours.

The oversight committee has held two hearings on the issue, and has been focusing on how licenses have been approved. An attorney for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) testified this week that they expect about 600 lawsuits over the issue.

“We (state lawmakers) just need to figure out when decisions were made, who was making those and try to make sure that the process was followed to the best of the department’s ability,” says Haahr.

House Special Committee on Government Oversight Chairman Rep. Robert Ross, R-Yukon, tells Missourinet there will be another hearing next week in Jefferson City, likely on Wednesday.

The oversight committee has questions about DHSS’ decision to hire a third-party scoring company whose partners are already active in the industry.

Lawmakers in both parties want to hear testimony from the Office of Administration (OA), which awarded the contract to Wise Health Solutions.

Missouri House passes bill aimed at transporting people in tubes

February 14, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

An effort to bring a Hyperloop to Missouri has picked up some steam again. The Missouri House passed this week legislation that would add the ultrafast tube travel system to the list of projects that could be funded through public-private partnerships, like ports and light rail systems are.

Dev Loop (Virgin Hyperloop’s test track in the Nevada desert)

Think of a Hyperloop like the cylinders you put your deposit in at the bank drive thru. The vacuum-like system whisks the container through a tube to a bank teller in a matter of seconds.

A Hyperloop is said to haul passengers in a much larger version of the vacuum-like system and go up to 640 mph. Hyperloop officials say travelers could get from St. Louis to Kansas City in about 30 minutes.

The end goal of some legislative supporters, including House Speaker Elijah Haahr of Springfield, is to build a roughly 250-mile track from St. Louis to Kansas City – a project that could cost about $10 billion. Elected leaders have said a Hyperloop is not an effort the state is going to pick up the tab on. Instead, it would need to be headed by a private firm.

Rep. Travis Fitzwater, R-Holts Summit, says both Kansas City and St. Louis have made the top 10 of Virgin Hyperloop’s list of places it’s looking to build a 15-mile test track. The track could help federal regulators decide whether the system can be certified and used commercially to carry passengers and cargo.

Fitzwater says his bill would also ban the government from taking private land to build a 15-mile test track in Missouri.

“I think it was important, but honestly I don’t think impacted the bill that much. That’s why we passed it with that piece on it to dissuade concerns from members of our caucus in particular that had a real issue with being consistent,” he says.

Some Democrats voiced concern that banning eminent domain would create roadblocks to getting a certification track built.

The measure, House Bill 1963, is headed to the Senate. Sen. Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, is expected to carry the bill.

Earlier stories:

Missouri House Speaker, Majority Leader say Hyperloop should happen
https://wp.me/p16gMv-vMD

Task force: Hyperloop would fuel Missouri economy by billions, make 17k jobs
https://wp.me/p16gMv-vMp

Is flooding a problem for a potential Hyperloop in Missouri?
https://wp.me/p16gMv-vjP

Push for Hyperloop certification track in Missouri
https://wp.me/p16gMv-vjy

Engineers rally around study about transporting Missourians through tubes
https://wp.me/p16gMv-sp9

Coalition hyped up about tubes taking you from KC to St. Louis in 31 minutes
https://wp.me/p16gMv-sfe

Missouri Medicaid Director Richardson to present budget this week (AUDIO)

February 9, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

The state’s Medicaid director will present his budget to the Missouri House Budget Committee Tuesday morning in Jefferson City.

Former Missouri House Speaker Todd Richardson opens a special session on June 11, 2018. Richardson is now the state’s Medicaid director (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The hearing is set for 8:15.

During his January State of the State Address, Governor Mike Parson (R) credited former House Speaker and current Medicaid director Todd Richardson for finding $84 million in savings, in the Medicaid system.

“While some in the press are eager to criticize this improved efficiency – or outright misrepresent it – the truth is that this system has been broken for many years and unproductively serving every Missourian who is paying for it,” Governor Parson told a joint session of the Legislature on January 15, in Jefferson City.

Richardson says that savings is important.

“Across the program, you know with both big chunks and small chunks we’ve been working to identify those efficiencies that allow us to deliver a better program,” Richardson says.

Medicaid is a federal and state program that assists with medical costs for residents with limited incomes. Missouri’s Medicaid budget is about $10 billion, accounting for more than one-third of the state’s $30 billion operating budget.

Governor Mike Parson criticized Medicaid expansion during his State of the State Address on January 15, 2020 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Governor Parson and Richardson say that savings is important to protect citizens who need Medicaid services the most. Director Richardson says there’s more work to do.

“We’ve got to work together to build a best-in-class Medicaid program that provides for the needs of Missouri’s most vulnerable, but does so in a way that’s financially sustainable,” says Richardson.

Richardson was appointed to his post by Governor Parson, and has been in the position since November 2018.

Statistics provided by the state Department of Social Services (DSS) show the number of Missourians on Medicaid has decreased from 953,000 in August 2018 to 846,000 now. Richardson will likely face some questions on Tuesday from lawmakers about thousands of children who have recently been removed from Medicaid.

The “Springfield News-Leader” reported this weekend that State Rep. David Wood, R-Versailles, says thousands of children removed from the Medicaid rolls were likely still eligible for coverage. The newspaper quotes Wood as saying that paperwork for the parents is horrendous, and that the state could do a better job of helping people through the process.

Wood is the House Budget Committee’s vice chairman.

Another issue that could come up during the hearing is Medicaid expansion. Governor Parson opposes it, as does Richardson. Director Richardson tells Missourinet he’s focused on reforming Medicaid, not expanding it.

“There will be a tremendous cost to Medicaid expansion and costs that frankly the state doesn’t have,” Richardson says.

Richardson’s focus is on operating a better program that produces better outcomes, in a financially sustainable way.

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, and House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, also oppose Medicaid expansion. They say it would take dollars out of the classroom, noting it requires a ten percent match for the 90 percent draw down.

Speaker Haahr has warned that it would blow a hole in the general revenue budget.

But Democrats like House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, and State Rep. Deb Lavender, D-Kirkwood, support Medicaid expansion. They have said 100,000 children have lost their Medicaid coverage and that it’s an emergency.

The organization “Healthcare for Missouri” also backs Medicaid expansion, citing a recent report from the Missouri Hospital Association and nine other healthcare organizations.

“This new research (the new report) only adds to the growing body of fact-based evidence that Medicaid expansion will not just save lives but could also save taxpayers money. The recent examples of Arkansas, Indiana, and Ohio show three states that have used Medicaid-derived savings to cut income taxes, increase government efficiency and improve worker productivity,” Healthcare for Missouri campaign spokesman Jack Cardetti’s statement reads, in part.

Medicaid expansion supporters also note that eight rural Missouri hospitals have closed in recent years.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and State Medicaid Director Todd Richardson, which was recorded on January 15, 2020 at the Statehouse in Jefferson City:

Missouri House GOP and Democratic leaders focused on urban violence

January 9, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Addressing the increasing violence in St. Louis and Kansas City is a priority for Missouri House Republicans and Democrats during the 2020 session, which began Wednesday in Jefferson City.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Color Guard presents the flags to start the 2020 session in the Missouri House on January 8, 2020 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, tells Capitol reporters that the cities need support for witness protection.

“When you have a city like the size of St. Louis facing almost 200 homicides a year, both the police force is sort of overwhelmed and their investigatory unit is sort of overwhelmed,” Haahr says.

There were 194 murders in St. Louis in 2019, along with 148 homicides in Kansas City.

U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison has said that St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield are three of the top 15 most violent cities in the nation, on a per capita basis.

As for House Democrats, they are outnumbered this year in the Missouri House 114-48, with one vacancy. House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, is also focused on increased support for witness protection. But she also tried to draw a distinction between the two parties, during her opening day press conference.

“We will not accept that children dying from gun violence on a weekly basis is the price that we pay for freedom,” says Quade. “And we will demand that common sense be restored to Missouri law to make it harder for the bad guy with the gun to get the gun in the first place.”

At least 13 children were killed in St. Louis City shootings in 2019.

Quade says House Democrats want to punish crime, not poverty.

The Missouri Senate Interim Committee on Public Safety is expected to come up with recommendations to address gun violence, for the 2020 session. The committee is chaired by State Sen. Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff.

Speaker Haahr and Leader Quade held back-to-back press conferences at the Statehouse, on opening day.

Meantime, the Missouri House Special Interim Committee on Gaming released its report in December. The committee views the legalization of sports betting as a “legitimate opportunity to increase state revenues” for education and other programs.

18 states will have implemented sports wagering by this year.

Speaker Haahr tells Missourinet there’s a lot of discussion about sports wagering legislation at the Capitol.

“I don’t think any of that discussion particularly falls along party lines,” Haahr says. “I think it sort of cuts across both caucuses and so, we’ll consider those bills as they are filed.”

The House Special Interim Committee on Gaming’s report concluded that Missouri would likely lose revenue if it doesn’t remain competitive with other states.

Major League Baseball (MLB) representative Jeremy Kudon traveled to Jefferson City in November to testify before the gaming committee. He testifies that Missourians are expected to wager $5.5 billion annually on sports, if it’s legalized.

The House has adjourned for the week, and they’ll return to the Capitol on Monday. Next week’s schedule will be light, except for Governor Mike Parson’s State of the State Address on Wednesday.

Speaker Haahr says about 800 House bills have been filed, adding that about 100 will be referred to committee this week. He expects House floor debate to begin during the week of January 20.

Haahr and Quade have different perspectives on Missouri Medicaid expansion

September 26, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri House Speaker and House Democrats view the issue of Medicaid expansion differently.

Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, briefs Capitol reporters on September 11, 2019 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, says Medicaid expansion would hurt education, by taking dollars out of the classroom.

“To do Medicaid expansion in Missouri would require a ten percent match for the 90 percent draw down,” Haahr tells Capitol reporters. “That would blow a sizable hole in our general revenue budget.”

An initiative petition effort for Medicaid expansion is being criticized by Speaker Haahr, primarily because of that ten percent match.

“One of the things that we’ve done since I’ve been in the Legislature (since 2013) is we’ve fully funded the k-12 (education foundation) formula, we’ve made a big attempt to try to bring our higher education funding up,” says Haahr. “Those two areas would have an incredible hit if we were to have to cut several hundred million dollars out of the budget and fund that.”

House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, tells Missourinet he shares the Speaker’s position, because of the impact on the state budget.

Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, briefs the Capitol Press Corps on September 11, 2019 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Meantime, the Democratic leader in the Missouri House supports Medicaid expansion. House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, tells Capitol reporters about 100,000 Missouri children have lost their Medicaid health care coverage.

“This is something that we (lawmakers) should be talking about. We have Missourians all over the state, not just rural Missouri, urban Missouri, who are losing access to health care,” Quade says. “And that is a true emergency and not tax breaks.”

Leader Quade has called for a formal House committee investigation of the Medicaid enrollment decline. The state Department of Social Services (DSS) has provided statistics to Missourinet, which show the number of Missourians on Medicaid has dropped from about 953,000 in August 2018 to about 850,000 now.

State Rep. Deb Lavender, D-Kirkwood, predicts state revenue will increase, if Medicaid expansion happens. Lavender is the ranking Democrat on the House Subcommittee on Appropriations for Health, Mental Health and Social Services.

During the recent veto session, Lavender spoke on the House floor in Jefferson City, noting that eight rural Missouri hospitals have closed.

“I believe our number is up to eight rural hospitals that we’ve lost in our state. So yes, this would be one of the ways that we would be able to at least provide some type of health care,” Lavender said that day. She was referring to a health care bill from State Rep. Chuck Basye, R-Rocheport.

Missouri’s Medicaid budget is now about one-third of the state’s $29 billion operating budget.

Republicans currently control the Missouri House 113-43.

Missouri lawmaker dies; Roeber chaired House Education Committee

July 30, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The chairwoman of the Missouri House Education Committee has died.

State Rep. Rebecca Roeber, R-Lee’s Summit, speaks on the Missouri House floor on May 12, 2017 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, tells Missourinet that State Rep. Rebecca Roeber, R-Lee’s Summit, passed away overnight while on a family vacation in Colorado.

Roeber, who was first elected to the House in 2014, chaired the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee.

She suffered serious injuries in a March head-on collision on Highway 50 in west-central Missouri’s Syracuse. The Missouri State Highway Patrol says Roeber crossed the center line on Highway 50 and struck a second vehicle.

In a statement, Speaker Haahr says Roeber “will forever be remembered for being a champion for Missouri’s students.”