Missouri House Speaker Rob Vescovo Archives

Missouri’s operating budget approved by lawmakers includes historic increase for foster children and families (AUDIO)

May 10, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri foster care advocates are praising Friday’s passage of the $35.1 billion state operating budget, saying it provides unprecedented support for the foster families who care for the thousands of children in Missouri foster care.

Missouri House Budget Committee Chair Cody Smith (R-Carthage) briefs Capitol reporters on May 7, 2021, as Speaker Rob Vescovo (left) and Speaker Pro Tem John Wiemann listen (photo courtesy of Benjamin Peters at House Communications)

House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith (R-Carthage) tells Missourinet that the budget provides a $90 million increase for foster and adoptive children.

“And that comes from the leadership of Speaker Rob Vescovo (of Arnold), who is very passionate about foster kids in the state of Missouri,” Smith says.

Speaker Vescovo (R-Arnold), who was adopted, has made the issue a top priority. It was a major them of his opening-day address in January.

Missouri currently has 13,939 foster children, according to the latest statistics from the state Department of Social Services (DSS). The $90 million dollar increase boosts the clothing allowance for foster children and foster teens, and also increases the diaper allowance for Missourians caring for infants.

Kids Win Missouri, which advocates for foster children, is praising the increase. The group advocates for policies that support the health, education, safety and development of children and their families, especially those who are at-risk.

“In the teenage years, youth quickly grow out of their clothes and these expenses are one of the larger financial burdens of foster parents that often isn’t adequately reimbursed,” Kids Win Missouri policy director Craig Stevenson tells Missourinet. “This increased support by the House and Senate budget leaders will go a long way to help our teenage youth in care, who are often among the hardest to find placement for.”

Chairman Smith says the $90 million increase will have a major impact.

“And we expect that would potentially be enough to get all of the children that are currently in the foster care system in Missouri out to permanent homes through the adoption process,” says Smith.

The budget increases the monthly maintenance payments that foster guardian and adoptive parents receive.

During an interview with Missourinet, Chairman Smith also addressed the controversial issue of Medicaid expansion and Friday’s heated House floor debate. He says the Legislature’s decision to not fund Medicaid expansion is a sound one.

Smith says that it’s critical instead to focus on Missouri’s most vulnerable residents.

“By not appropriating for Medicaid expansion, we were able to add increases to a lot of sectors of the budget that go toward the most vulnerable in our state’s population,” Smith says.

That includes additional funding for adult day care and home-delivered meals, and $88 million for funding long-term care services in nursing homes.

House Democrats called for funding Medicaid expansion, noting 53 percent of Missouri voters approved it in August. They say it would help the working poor. State Rep. Sarah Unsicker (D-Shrewsbury) says 49 percent of low wage workers without insurance are in the industries of hospitality, retail and health care and social assistance.

The $35 billion budget also includes a two percent pay increase for all of Missouri’s approximately 53,000 state employees.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith (R-Carthage), which was recorded on May 7, 2021:

For the first time since the Civil War, Missouri House expels one of its own

April 21, 2021 By Alisa Nelson

State Rep. Rick Roeber (R-Lee’s Summit) resigned Tuesday (January 2021 photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Representative Rick Roeber, R-Lee’s Summit, has been expelled. The Republican-controlled Missouri House of Representatives has voted unanimously today in favor of kicking Roeber out of office for allegedly abusing his four adult children when they were younger.

The last time a member of the Missouri House was expelled was during the Civil War. In 1865, the chamber ousted John Sampson of Callaway County.

The Missouri House Ethics Committee released a disturbing report this week with testimony from Roeber’s ex-wife and three of his children. Two of the children were allegedly sexually abused and two others reported being physically abused. They talked about how his abuse, alcoholism, and manipulation have destroyed their family.

On the House floor today, Ethics Committee Chairman Travis Fitzwater, R-Holts Summit, did not hold back.

“We believe the state has failed Rick Roeber’s family and horribly,” said Fitzwater. “They are broken with a part of their lives – the most important, impactful moments as children a scourge on their memories. The abuses this family endured are to this day devastating, followed by years of counseling and broken pieces of lives that are yet to be put back together and likely never will.”

Rep. Travis Fitzwater (Photo courtesy of Tim Bommel, House Communications)

Fitzwater said the committee believes the children.

“They’ve told a consistent story for decades with corroborating documents from several different sources,” he said. “The representative, on the other hand, did everything he could to avoid discussing these events, could not recall them, defiantly disrespected the committee and our process, and blamed others for his conduct years ago – never willing to even one time take any level of responsibility for the brokenness and the lives of his children and family.”

Speaker Rob Vescovo, R-Arnold, encouraged members to vote to expel Roeber.

“I think as representatives in this body and as parents, or aunts, or uncles, or grandparents, we all understand that the one safe place the unconditional place that is the safety net for our children is their home. That is the one place that they should feel protected,” said Vescovo.

House Speaker Rob Vescovo (Photo courtesy of Tim Bommel, House Communications)

The House recommends law enforcement pursue possible criminal charges.

In his committee testimony, Roeber said his kids are Democrats and the allegations are a political hit. Roeber denied the abuse and blamed the allegations on his ex-wife and their “bitter divorce”.

One Representative voted “present” during today’s vote. Several others were absent. To see the vote count, click here.

Missouri lawmaker and veteran referee says sports officials are being harassed and threatened by parents and fans (AUDIO)

April 17, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Bipartisan legislation aimed at protecting sports referees, officials and umpires will be heard Monday afternoon by a Missouri House committee in Jefferson City.

State Rep. Jerome Barnes (D-Raytown) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on March 11, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The House General Laws Committee will hear testimony Monday at 5 p.m. from State Rep. Jerome Barnes (D-Raytown), who’s been a high school football and basketball referee for 27 years. Mr. Barnes has also served as a volleyball referee for ten years.

The issue is a personal one for Barnes, who tells Missourinet that officials are being threatened by parents and fans.

“Fans are yelling and hollering: ‘I’ll see you out in the parking lot. You know, my son didn’t do no wrong.’ And it’s like, you blow the whistle on one of them, and they can’t do no wrong,” Barnes says.

He notes a referee was attacked and knocked out in Raytown in 2018, during a JV girls basketball game. The fan came out of the stands, went down on the basketball court and knocked the referee out, according to Barnes.

His bill establishes the offense of harassment of a school or recreation athletic official. Under the two-page House Bill 78, harassment of a school or recreation athletic official is defined as “verbal or nonverbal behavior by a person that would cause a reasonable person to be placed in fear of receiving bodily harm.”

Under the bill, anyone who commits the offense of harassing a sports official would face up to 90 days in jail and a fine up to $500. They could also face 40 hours of court-approved community service work, anger management counseling and could also be ordered to participate in abusive behavior intervention groups.

Barnes thanks House Speaker Rob Vescovo (R-Arnold) for referring his bill, and he’s thankful to General Laws Committee Chairman Curtis Trent (R-Springfield) for holding Monday’s hearing. Barnes says he’s trying to raise awareness about the issue. He also says recruiting officials is a problem in Missouri, because of the threats and harassment they face.

“Young people 15 and 16-years-old, we used to be able to get them to come out and referee ballgames. They’re having a hard time doing that now, due to the harassment and the way the fans treat them,” says Barnes.

He says the average age of a sports official is in their mid-50s, and says kids are able to play a sport and display their talents because of those referees, officials and umpires.

“These are human beings out there, they are working people. They work in the communities. They go to church in the community, they are teachers,” Barnes says.

HB 78 also addresses fans who enter or remain on-site at a school or recreation athletic contest, after being forbidden.

Representative Barnes is also working with State Rep. Brad Pollitt (R-Sedalia) on a separate bill, which would expand the definition of special victim to include sports officials at sporting events.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and State Rep. Jerome Barnes (D-Raytown), who’s been a high school football and basketball referee for 27 years. The interview was recorded on April 16, 2021:

Missouri House Speaker and Ethics chair: legislator who resigned should be subject of thorough law enforcement investigation

April 13, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s GOP House Speaker and the GOP House Ethics Committee chair say a fellow Republican state lawmaker who resigned Tuesday is unfit for office and should be the subject of a thorough investigation by law enforcement.

State Rep. Rick Roeber (R-Lee’s Summit) resigned Tuesday (January 2021 photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Rep. Rick Roeber (R-Lee’s Summit), who resigned today, was elected to the House in November. His district includes Lee’s Summit and Greenwood. His now adult children have alleged that he abused them when they were young.

Here is the full statement from House Speaker Rob Vescovo (R-Arnold) and Ethics Chairman Travis Fitzwater (R-Holts Summit). It was issued Tuesday afternoon:

“Our caucus and our institution (the Missouri House) have a zero tolerance policy for anyone who would endanger the well-being of a child, and it’s clear that Rick Roeber’s heinous actions make him not only unfit for office, but should also make him the subject of a thorough investigation by law enforcement. To that end we have communicated with the appropriate law enforcement officials to share our concerns about the risk he may pose to other children. The House Ethics Committee did exemplary work in investigating the troubling allegations made by his children and found them to be credible. For far too long, his children were ignored and the abuses they suffered were swept under the rug. We are appalled by the disturbing details uncovered by the committee and ashamed of the way the system failed to protect them from harm. With his resignation today, we take an important step to protect the integrity of the House as an institution, but it’s far more important that we do all we can to seek justice for his children and to ensure he never again causes harm to another child. His resignation allows him to walk away from his duties as a representative, but we cannot allow him to once again walk away from the children he victimized. The committee will release its full report next week and we will continue to communicate with law enforcement on this matter,” the statement reads.

“The Independent” reported Tuesday that Missouri House legislative leaders have asked Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker to help ensure the safety of a minor child, with whom Roeber reportedly has regular contact. Representative Roeber has not been charged with a crime.

The Missouri House Ethics Committee has scheduled Wednesday, Thursday and Friday hearings in Jefferson City, but it’s unclear if they’re related to Roeber.

Roeber is a former project manager for Sprint, and also served as a chaplain for KC Rescue Mission.

Missouri House’s bipartisan budget increase for foster children praised by Kids Win Missouri (AUDIO)

April 8, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

A coalition that’s dedicated to improving the well-being of Missouri children is praising the Missouri House’s bipartisan approval of a $76 million increase for foster and adoptive children.

Missouri House Speaker Rob Vescovo (right) and House Budget Committee chairman Cody Smith (R-Carthage) listen to budget debate in the chamber on March 30, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Kids Win Missouri policy director Craig Stevenson says the House budget provides unprecedented support for the kinship and foster families who care for the thousands of children in Missouri foster care. The state Department of Social Services (DSS) says there are currently 13,917 foster care children in Missouri.

“It increases everything from the maintenance, the monthly maintenance payments that foster guardian and adoptive parents get. But then also increases important things like the diaper allowance for people who are caring for infants,” Stevenson says.

The House budget increases the infant care enhancement from $50 to $80 per month. There is a $44 per month foster care monthly maintenance increase for foster children ages 0-5, and $47 per month for ages 6-12. It’s $127 per month increase for foster teens.

Mr. Stevenson also notes the House budget includes a 45 percent increase to the clothing allowance for foster teens.

“We all know that it takes a lot of resources to clothe and keep our growing kids in appropriate clothing,” says Stevenson.

The House budget increases the clothing allowance for foster teens by $220 annually, up from the current $480. It also increases the clothing allowance for Missouri foster children ages 6-12 by $110 annually, up from the current $290.

Stevenson is thankful to House Speaker Rob Vescovo (R-Arnold) and to House members in both parties for their support, saying it represents a much-needed investment.

“Foster parenting is a calling, and we are grateful for the commitment of the House of Representatives in providing additional support for those caring for children,” Stevenson says.

Kids Win Missouri’s website says its mission is “to further child well-being by advancing the health, education, safety and development of Missouri children and their families, especially those who are at-risk because of poverty, abuse, neglect, racial inequities or other risk factors.”

Vescovo, who was elected House Speaker in January, focused on early childhood education and adoption during his opening day address. He called on state lawmakers that day to expand Missouri’s adoption tax credit, so that families who want to adopt a child aren’t blocked from doing it simply because of cost.

Speaker Vescovo was adopted.

The Missouri House approved a $34.1 billion state operating budget last week. That budget now heads to the Missouri Senate. The state Constitution requires Missouri lawmakers to approve a balanced budget by early May.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with Kids Win Missouri policy director Craig Stevenson, which was recorded on April 2, 2021:

What we’re watching this week in the Missouri Legislature: PDMP, budget, foster care and human cloning

April 5, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Legislation that would create a prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) is expected to receive final approval from the Missouri Senate in Jefferson City on Tuesday.

Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia) tells Missourinet that the PDMP issue should come up tomorrow. That’s when state lawmakers return to Jefferson City, following the Easter break.

State Rep. Robert Sauls (D-Independence) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on March 31, 2021 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The Senate voted to give initial approval to PDMP last week, and it had bipartisan support. Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz (R-Sullivan), who voted for Senate Bill 63, tells Missourinet Sullivan affiliate KTUI that informed doctors make better decisions.

“49 states currently have a PDMP, and actually it just provides a layer of protection against drug and dependency and dangerous drug interactions,” Schatz tells KTUI.

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.

Opponents of Senate Bill 63, including State Sen. Mike Moon (R-Ash Grove), worry about potential data breaches.

Pro Tem Schatz also says the state operating budget will get a lot of attention in his chamber during the next five weeks. The House has approved a $34.1 billion budget, that does not include funding for Medicaid expansion. The budget now heads to the Senate.

“The governor had made recommendations. The House has made their modifications to it and now it’s our turn to work through the things that we think are priorities in funding in this state,” says Schatz.

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

State Rep. Sara Walsh (R-Ashland) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on March 22, 2021 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Across the Capitol Rotunda in the Missouri House, the Budget Committee meets Tuesday afternoon at 12:30 to hear testimony from Committee Chairman Cody Smith (R-Carthage) about his budget proposal to use Medicaid expansion funding for other programs.

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. Rural House members from those districts led the opposition to Medicaid expansion last week. Amendment Two supporters say the measure 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.

Chairman Smith says Medicaid expansion would help able bodied adults, many who choose not to work. He’s filed a bill to use the $1.9 billion to instead support seniors in nursing homes, to provide care for the developmentally disabled and to expand mental health programs. It would also increase k-12 school transportation funding. That proposal will be outlined on Tuesday.

Meantime, the Missouri House Emerging Issues Committee meets Tuesday evening at 5, to hear a foster care proposal from State Rep. Robert Sauls (D-Independence). House Bill 1335 would prevent children from being aged out of foster care during a pandemic.

“During uncertain and difficult times, our most vulnerable children shouldn’t have to worry about homelessness,” Representative Sauls tells Missourinet. “That’s why I sponsored HB 1335. I want to make sure that during a moment of crisis, the children of Missouri have the stability that they need.”

Foster care continues to be a bipartisan issue at the Missouri Capitol. It’s also a top priority for House Speaker Rob Vescovo (R-Arnold).

The human cloning issue will also come up this week in a House committee. The Children and Families Committee will hear testimony on Wednesday morning from State Rep. Sara Walsh (R-Ashland), which would prohibit public expenditure of public funds for research projects involving abortion services and human cloning.

Walsh’s proposal is House Bill 852.

(AUDIO) Missouri representative charged again – this time in alleged $900k COVID-19 fraud scheme

March 26, 2021 By Alisa Nelson

A southwest Missouri state representative has been charged again – this time in an alleged 900-thousand dollar coronavirus fraud scheme. Alisa Nelson reports.

Budget to take center stage in Missouri House, when lawmakers return from spring break

March 15, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

The state operating budget and a proposed $1 billion-plus supplemental budget will dominate attention in the Missouri House, when state representatives return to Jefferson City after spring break.

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)

The Legislature is on its annual spring break this week, and lawmakers will return to the Statehouse on March 22.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson (R) is recommending a proposed $34.1 billion state operating budget. House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith (R-Carthage) says the plan is for the House to give final approval to that budget, during the week of March 29.

“If things go according to plan, the second week after we’re back (the week of March 29), we could be looking at perfecting and third-reading the budget and sending it over to the Senate. So, that’s our schedule and we’re on schedule so far and our intention is to try to get it done in time enough to send to the Senate and give them adequate time for their consideration,” Smith told Capitol reporters on Thursday.

House Speaker Rob Vescovo (R-Arnold) says Chairman Smith will be working on the state budget, during the spring break. The state Constitution requires Missouri lawmakers to approve a balanced budget, by early May.

The Parson administration is also proposing a $1.67 billion supplemental budget. Much of that involves federal dollars.

“We’ll be taking it back up when we get back from (the legislative) spring break. We’ll go through the committee mark up process and vote it out,” Chairman Smith tells Missourinet.

State Budget Director Dan Haug outlined the supplemental budget, during testimony in late January.

The proposed supplemental budget includes $1.6 million to cover COVID-related revenue losses impacting the Missouri State Fair fee fund.

Director Haug’s January report noted that the State Fair in Sedalia has lost significant revenue due to cancellations of off-season and fair events. That includes event rental fees, gate admissions, camping fees, entry fees and sponsorship fees.

The January report also noted the Missouri State Fair has had to buy substantial amounts of janitorial and sanitizing supplies, along with a large quantity of additional signage to help ensure the safety of staff and event participants.

The January report notes that the State Fair has a long history of meeting its operational costs with its own fee revenues, which is the State Fair fee fund.

The Office of Administration (OA) notes attendance at the 2019 Missouri State Fair in Sedalia was 337,112. Because of the COVID pandemic, the 2020 state fair was a youth livestock show only. The OA report says the percentage of the State Fair’s operating budget paid by state fair fees was 89 percent in 2019, before the pandemic struck.

Missouri’s current state operating budget is about $38 billion, which includes about $7.4 billion in supplemental budgets with federal money.

Missouri lawmaker under federal indictment is asked to resign by House Speaker

February 4, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri House Speaker is asking a fellow GOP House member to resign her seat, after she was indicted by a federal grand jury in Springfield for an alleged stem cell fraud scheme. The indictment was unsealed and made public on Monday.

U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison announces a 20-count federal indictment against Rep. Tricia Derges on February 1, 2021 in Springfield (photo courtesy of the U.S. Attorney’s office)

House Speaker Rob Vescovo, R-Arnold, announced Wednesday that he’s removed State Rep. Tricia Derges, R-Nixa, from all committee assignments.

“After speaking with her and with the caucus, I am asking her to resign her seat with the House. The legal process will ultimately determine her guilt or innocence, but this is clearly a time for her to spend with her family as she focuses on her legal issues, and for the people of the 140th district (in southwest Missouri’s Christian County) to move forward with selecting a replacement who can effectively advocate for their interests,” Speaker Vescovo says, in a written statement.

As for Representative Derges, she remains in the Missouri House. Missourinet contacted her office for a response to Speaker Vescovo’s statement, and she hadn’t responded by this posting.

U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison announced the 20-count federal indictment during a Monday press conference in Springfield.

“This defendant abused her privileged position to enrich herself through deception,” U.S. Attorney Garrison told reporters on Monday. He also notes the indictment alleges she lied to her patients and to federal agents.

Federal prosecutors say the investigation started “as a result of false or misleading statements” made by Derges in April 2020 to a Springfield television station, about her potential use of stem cells to treat COVID-19.

The 63-year-old Derges was elected to the House in November. Garrison says she operates three Ozark Valley Medical Clinic locations in Springfield, Ozark and Branson.

Missouri’s governor pledges to move forward with Medicaid expansion; state employee pay raise proposed

January 27, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor delivered an unprecedented State of the State Address on Wednesday afternoon in Jefferson City, in the Missouri Senate chamber.

The Missouri Highway Patrol’s Color Guard presents the flags in the Senate chamber before Governor Parson’s January 27, 2021 State of the State Address (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

Missouri House and Senate GOP leaders announced earlier in the day that the governor would deliver the speech in the Senate chamber. The speech is always delivered in the Missouri House chamber, across the Rotunda. House Speaker Rob Vescovo, R-Arnold, Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, and other legislative leaders say the speech was moved from the House chamber to ensure that attendees could meet CDC guidelines recommending six feet of social distancing.

The leaders say this temporary relocation maximized safety while still honoring the tradition of an in-person address by the governor. Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, tells Missourinet that everyone has to be flexible and that the pandemic is no respector of precedents, so they adjusted.

Governor Parson spoke from the Senate dais, for about 42 minutes. While COVID was a major theme of the address, the governor also discussed Medicaid expansion, state employee pay raises and the importance of early childhood programs.

While he campaigned against the August Medicaid expansion ballot measure, the governor pledges to move forward with its implementation, because voters approved it.

“Like I have said many times, I will always uphold the will of the voters, and we will move forward with expanding Medicaid coverage to approximately 275,000 Missourians. However, it is important to remember that the costs of this expansion will be significant- hundreds of millions of dollars, in fact,” Parson tells lawmakers.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson delivers a historic State of the State Address in the Senate chamber in Jefferson City on January 27, 2021 (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

Medicaid is formally called MO HealthNet. 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. 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.

Leader Rowden says Medicaid expansion will be implemented, because voters approved it. But like the governor, he says it will cost millions of dollars.

The governor also emphasized COVID during his speech, emphasizing the importance of expanding the state supply of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Governor Parson says Missouri has now shipped more than 22 million gowns, 18 million gloves, eight million surgical masks and one million face shields to frontline health care providers.

“We were one of the first states in the nation to submit our COVID-19 vaccine plan, and have now administered nearly 400,000 doses to Missourians,” Parson says.

The governor’s call for a two percent pay raise for state employees received bipartisan applause on Wednesday.

“Unfortunately, our state workforce is one of the least competitive in terms of attracting future public servants,” the governor tells lawmakers.

Missouri has about 52,800 state employees, and more than 14,000 of them work in mid-Missouri’s Cole County. State employee pay raises are a big issues here, because state government is Jefferson City’s largest employer.

Governor Parson is also calling on lawmakers to approve his proposal to consolidate several different programs into a new Office of Childhood.

“This new office will not only help streamline the operation of several state programs, but also allow us to place a bigger focus on early childhood development – a critical component to the future success of Missourians for generations to come,” says Parson.

State Sen. Barbara Washington, D-Kansas City, appeared live on Missourinet, after the State of the State address. While she likes the emphasis on early childhood development, Senator Washington wants to learn details about the proposal.

Governor Parson has called a Thursday press conference at the Statehouse in Jefferson City to outline details of the proposed new Office of Childhood. He’ll be joined by state Department of Elementary and Secondary (DESE) Commissioner Dr. Margie Vandeven, state Department of Health and Senior Services Dr. Randall Williams and Department of Social Services Acting Director Jennifer Tidball.

Click here to read Governor Mike Parson’s full State of the State Address.