Senator Bob Onder Archives

Missouri Senate sides with House; chooses not to fund Medicaid expansion

April 29, 2021 By Alisa Nelson

The Missouri Senate has passed a $34 billion state budget proposal without funding an expansion of Medicaid. The upper chamber sided with the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Missouri House of Representatives by rejecting attempts to put expansion funding into the budget that begins in July.

Missouri Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, presides over the Senate in Jefferson City on March 4, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Senate Communications)

Gov. Mike Parson’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2022 included money to fund an expansion.

Last year, 53% of Missouri voters supported letting another 275,000 low-income adults become eligible for government-funded health care coverage.

The legislative decision is expected to end up in court to figure out whether the General Assembly is obligated fund the expansion.

During Wednesday’s Senate work on the budget, Republicans Justin Brown, Mike Cierpiot, Lincoln Hough, and Caleb Rowden sided with Democrats and supported expansion funding, but that was still not enough to restore the money.

Rowden, R-Columbia, said he has voted against expansion many times, but he said that’s not the question.

“I think the question before us tonight is really simply if we believe that we should fund the expansion that the people of Missouri voted on,” said Rowden. “And for me personally, the answer to that question is I think that we should. Over the weekend I asked myself a couple of questions internally that have kind of informed my opinion a little bit. The first question is whether or not I actually think we are going to stop the funding of Medicaid expansion at the end of this process and for me, the answer is no. I do think what a Missouri court can tell us is that we have to allow Missourians within the expansion population to apply and to receive Medicaid service, which was the main purpose of the 2020 initiative. I believe the court can do that – I believe the court will do that. When they do, folks in the expansion will be allowed to apply, and we will be presented with a very, very large supplemental budget in October, or November, or December of next year.”

Kansas City Democrat Lauren Arthur said Republicans who rejected expansion claim to be pro-life.

“We’ve heard cynical excuses for not expanding Medicaid,” said Arthur. “I listen to my GOP colleagues fight time and time again against helping hundreds of thousands of Missourians gain access to health care and that obstruction killed people. Some GOP colleagues are claiming that they can’t support funding Medicaid expansion, that it’s okay for the Senate not to fund it because their particular districts opposed the measure. That’s not how democracy works. This was a statewide election and we all live with the result.”

Sen. Bob Onder, R-Lake St. Louis, calls expansion “fiscal insanity of a welfare program.”

“The fundamental argument is how big do we want the welfare state to be? It’s easy to just say, ‘Take the federal money and run. Take the federal money and run. It’s free money. Money grows on trees. The federal printing press will print on forever. So why not take the free money,’” said Onder.

A committee of House and Senate members will head to the negotiating table early next week to work out their budget differences.

Missouri Senate gives initial approval to crimefighting package

August 7, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

After twelve hours of floor work Thursday, the Missouri Senate has given preliminary approval to a special session bill intended to crackdown on violent crime. Gov. Mike Parson called lawmakers back in to pass a package that would create a witness protection fund and toughen the penalty for anyone who sells or gives a gun to a juvenile.

State Sen. Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff, speaks on the Missouri Senate floor in Jefferson City on January 10, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Senate photographer Harrison Sweazea)

The legislation was met with opposition from a group of Black Lives Matter protesters. They were outside the Capitol, but eventually moved indoors to the upper gallery of the Senate chamber. During debate, protesters interrupted by chanting “Criminal justice reform, not rhetoric.” Senators took a brief break while protesters were shooed out of the chamber.

Sen. Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff, says his bill would help to clean up Missouri communities, their economies and their education system.

“Businesses locate all over the state and as you may know, our rural crime has really went up. As a matter fact, we’re ranked really high for rural crime across the United States,” he says. “People have a right to feel safe in their homes. They want their kids to be able to ride their bicycle down to the park and be able to play on the swings and stuff. And, it’s just not the way it is right now in some places.”

State Senator Bob Onder

Sen. Bob Onder, R-Lake St. Louis, says three Missouri cities – St. Louis, Kansas City, and Springfield – rank within the top 25 most violent cities in America.

“We truly have a crime epidemic in Missouri,” he says. “Missouri, overall, has the third highest murder rate in the country. These are not things to be proud of. It gives our whole state a black eye. Don’t think when job creators from around the country are looking about whether to come to Missouri they don’t look at the fact that we have the third highest murder rate in the country, that our major cities are hotbeds of crime, that prosecutors in our major cities are not committed to prosecuting crime and protecting their citizens.”

The legislation would also scrap a requirement for St. Louis police officers to live within the city. Outgoing Senator Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, was one of the most vocal critics of the plan.

Senator Jamilah Nasheed (left) and Lesley McSpadden, mother of Michael Brown, Junior

“We want people that look like us, that can relate to us and they are not afraid to approach those individuals who live in those neighborhoods,” says Nasheed.

She says the state has no business getting involved because St. Louis voters will be asked in November whether to toss out the requirement.

“So all of my good friends in here who always emphasize that local control is important, especially when it comes to farmers. But how about letting us control our home,” asks Nasheed. “I wouldn’t have come into your district and filed legislation that impacts the quality of life for people that you represent. Ask me if I need help and then offer it to me. Don’t just tell me what you think is best for my district. You ain’t never lived there. You don’t have to walk those streets.”

Sen. Caleb Rowden (2016 file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

She goes on to say St. Louis has a police retention problem – not a police residency problem.

Majority Floor Leader Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, says letting officers live outside of the city could help with recruiting.

“If we’re trying to figure out a way in areas where there is higher crime rates, to get more boots on the streets, I just want those boots to be qualified,” says Rowden. “I just want them to be qualified. I want them to be willing, go through training and feel that there’s some level of calling, an obligation to serve their communities in that way. If they’re from the city of St. Louis or they’re from Columbia, fine. If they’re not, but they still have that calling and that desire to serve their community in that way, I think they should be able to do that.”

Sen. Karla May

Sen. Karla May, D-St. Louis, calls the measure a “political ploy” heading into November’s general election. She says her city has been a “mismanagement of resources” with the majority being ruled by the minority. According to May, the police department makes up $178 million of the city’s budget.

“When you’re putting all the resources in what you call the affluent portions and you want to pay more attention to the 1% and ignore what is going on in the rest of the city, then you’re going to have issues like this,” says May. “But we have to talk about violent crime from a social economic purview because that is totally the issue here.”

St. Louis lacks about 130 officers from its authorized strength.

A provision with some of the most contention is one that would expand state statute and let judges decide whether individuals 14 to 18 years old should be prosecuted as adults for certain weapons crimes.

“Did you know that 85% to 87% of African-American youth are certified as adults opposed to any other demographic,” asks May. “Why is that? You cannot tell me that there’s no bias going on in the judicial system. We have to fix that first.”

She points to a U.S. Department of Justice report about the juvenile justice system in St. Louis County.

“They did a six-year study that showed that juveniles ages 12, 13, 14, and 15 were denied their civil rights solely based on racism. But no one wants to deal with the underlying causes of crime,” says May. “They want to do this tough on crime approach and continue to destroy families by locking up people for a long time instead of dealing with the child. Where were you at when he was seven or eight – when his community was tumbling down?”

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner

Onder says St. Louis prosecutor Kim Gardner’s conviction rate is 20% and calls her “incompetent”, triggering Nasheed to fire back.

“I am concerned about the blood in the streets, many of whom are your constituents,” says Onder.

“The blood in the streets,” asks Nasheed.

“If we cannot get a handle on the crime problem in the city of St. Louis,” says Onder.

“The blood in the streets? The blood in the streets is a direct correlation to you all being soft on guns,” says Nasheed.

“Black males and black females, even children as young as four years old, are dying in the streets of the city of St. Louis,” says Onder.

“When have you guys ever cared,” asks Nasheed. “When have you ever cared?”

“And we have a prosecutor who is willfully neglectful in performing her duty,” says Onder.

“But when have you ever cared,” asks Nasheed.

Onder listed several names of kids killed this year in St. Louis.

“So did Kim kill them,” asks Nasheed. “Did Kim kill them? I’m asking you, did she pick up a gun? So it’s Kim’s fault and not your fault because you all allow all type of guns in the inner city based on the weak policies where anyone can have access to guns. Who are you blaming? You should be blaming yourself, not Kim.”

“Senator, there were guns in the city of St. Louis five years ago. There are guns today,” says Onder. “Something has changed. Gun crime, all crime has skyrocketed. Ms. Gardner is charging the brutal crime of carjacking as stealing as if someone had stolen a pack of gum.”

Nasheed accused Onder of rallying his base.

Gardner has been criticized for her handling of the former Governor Eric Greitens court case involving a graphic photo of his ex-mistress that was allegedly taken without the woman’s permission and used to blackmail her to keep quiet about their affair. Gardner has also come under recent fire for charging a St. Louis couple with felonies for flashing guns at protesters walking along their private street.

The Senate is expected to give final approval to Senate Bill 1 on Friday. Then, the measure heads over to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Missouri primary election spotlight: Can the state afford to expand Medicaid?

August 3, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

A Medicaid expansion measure is one of the hot items at the ballot box in Tuesday’s primary election. Missouri voters will be asked whether to expand Medicaid to another 230,000 low-income adults. Currently, about 950,000 Missourians get government-funded healthcare. Under Amendment 2, Missouri adults earning up to $18,000 annually could qualify.

Missouri primary election spotlight: Can the state afford to expand Medicaid?

The clash between those for and against the plan has been largely about the way Medicaid expansion would affect the state’s bank account and philosophical contrasts. The messaging is very different depending on who you talk to.

During a statewide anti-expansion tour, State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick, a Republican, says the plan would cost the state another $200 million annually and would mean less money for other priorities.

“We fund prisons and if we want to close prisons and let violent criminals out of jail – that’s one option,” he says. “If we want to turn into Illinois and not fund our pension obligations – that’s another option and turn into a state with a junk credit rating. When you get down to it, one of the few discretionary items that we can decide how much money we’re going to spend without substantial consequences to the state is on education.”

Fitzpatrick, a former chairman of the House Budget Committee, says Missouri’s Medicaid obligations already make up about 40% of the state’s annual operating budget and it continues to grow each year.

“The state of Missouri already has a very generous Medicaid opportunities for families with children,” he says. “If you have a family and you have children and you are making less than 300% of the federal poverty level, which for a family of four is about $76,000, you can get your kids on Medicaid in the state of Missouri. If you are a pregnant woman and you need prenatal care and you don’t have access to health insurance and you are making less than 300% of the federal poverty level, you can get on Medicaid in the state of Missouri. The people that we are talking about, by and large expanding Medicaid to, are people who are working age, who are physically able to work and in many cases are choosing not to for whatever reason.”

State Representative Kip Kendrick, D-Columbia, insists the state would save money. Kendrick is the ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee.

“Most states actually see a cost savings in the first year to two years and then that cost savings continues to grow,” Kendrick tells Missourinet affiliate KWIX in Moberly. “As more people come on, they tend to come on to that expanded role at a 90/10 (federal) match rather than a 60/40 (federal) match as you typically see in states that haven’t expanded. So, it’ll end up being cost savings for the state and provide greater access to healthcare and do a lot to shore up our hospitals and clinics around the state at a difficult time in the middle of a pandemic.”

A study by Washington University in St. Louis says Missouri would save about $39 million if the state expanded Medicaid. The analysis, done by the school’s Center for Health Economics and Policy, says the expansion would cost the state an estimated $118 million.

Sen. Bob Onder, R-Lake St. Louis, was also among a line of Republican legislators at the anti-expansion tour in Jefferson City.

“I would point out that the average Medicaid expansion state has seen cost overruns of 154%,” he says.

Onder, a practicing physician, says about 60% of the Medicaid expansion population already has private health insurance. If the ballot measure passes, he says they will be kicked off their insurance.

Gov. Mike Parson opposes the ballot measure and has the same financial stance as his Republican allies. During a press conference in May, Parson said the state budget is tough enough to handle with the coronavirus outbreak, let alone if Medicaid is expanded.

“There’s absolutely not going to be any extra money whatsoever,” says Parson. “Look, I don’t think it’s a time to be expanding anything in the state of Missouri right now. I’m telling you, we are going to have challenges going in to 2021 for sure when it comes to just meeting the budget with what we currently have.”

The Republican-leaning Missouri Chamber of Commerce says it backs the proposal that it says would lead to another 16,000 jobs per year for five years. Missourinet’s attempts to get the Chamber’s response about its support were not answered but in an initial statement expressing its position, President Dan Mehan called Amendment 2 a “pro-jobs measure” that will help fuel economic growth throughout our state.

“While this data makes a clear case for passing Amendment 2, the benefits of Medicaid expansion are even more significant during this time of economic hardship,” says Mehan.

Missouri Hospital Association spokesperson Dave Dillon tells Missourinet the healthcare group supports the expansion effort.

“It’s an important tool in getting people who need care some care and getting them comfortable with the idea of getting it when they need it. And that is to say that other parts of the Affordable Care Act were about keeping people healthy. You get paid – not necessarily for doing a procedure over and over again – but for the outcome of that procedure. To improve people’s health, requires you to put them in a system that you can help maintain their health. Medicaid can be that tool.”

Dillon agrees with the argument that Medicaid expansion is the vehicle for people who were never going to be able to afford to buy their own health insurance.

“But for us, if we’re going to set up a system of penalties for us not being able to keep individuals healthy – and by the way at the same time cost the healthcare system a lot more to treat in the wrong place at the wrong time – then we really need this as a tool in our tool belt to try to get those people to where if they need care for a chronic condition, if they are not even managing and don’t realize that they have diabetes, heart disease or the like, when they show up and need a stint or something really expensive, that’s an unnecessary cost. That’s a cost that we all bear because if that individual can’t pay for it, it’s going to be cost-shifted to people who can.”

He goes on to say the measure would save the entire healthcare system some money.

“There’s a hidden healthcare tax that everybody that’s got a commercial health insurance plan pays,” says Dillon. “That is attributable, in part, to the fact that we have a large number of uninsured and when they need care, they get it. They just don’t get it in an efficient place. They usually get it in the Emergency Department and then we have to write it off.”

Fitzpatrick, from southwest Missouri’s Shell Knob, says Medicaid expansion is billed as the “silver bullet” for struggling hospitals.

“I frankly don’t think that it is. I mean, it might help a little bit but frankly there are hospital systems out there that have problems that exceed what Medicaid expansion itself can solve.”

If Amendment 2 passes, Missouri would become the 38th state to expand government-funded healthcare coverage.

Polls are open Tuesday statewide from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Missouri Senate passes eight-week abortion ban bill

May 16, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

After about 15 hours of stalling and negotiating, the Missouri Senate has passed a bill that would ban abortions at eight weeks of pregnancy. During the wee hours this morning, the chamber endorsed the measure along party lines that includes exceptions for medical emergencies, but not for rape or incest cases. Under the plan, abortion doctors would face five to 15 years in prison for violating the eight-week limit.

State Senator Bob Onder

Lake St. Louis Republican Bob Onder, who was visibly outraged, does not think the legislation is tough enough. He says many things were stripped out of the original version.

“What in the world was the justification for why we can’t protect babies born alive after abortions,” he asks. “This should be entitled not the ‘Missouri Stands for the Unborn Act’ but ‘Missouri Stands for the Unborn Act – sort of kind of only after the minority party and the smartest Planned Parenthood lawyers in the country were done with the bill’. We should be ashamed of ourselves. This bill, yes, is better than nothing but is a shadow of what it once was.”

Onder also made a serious allegation about the trafficking of fetal tissue.

“They removed the ban on fetal tissue trafficking. Right now, I’ve become very convinced for a number of reasons, that there is active trafficking of aborted fetal tissue from the abortion clinic on Forest Park Avenue in St. Louis to Washington University School of Medicine,” he says.

Creve Coeur Democrat Jill Schupp disputes the claim.

“It’s already illegal and it’s simply untrue,” Schupp says. “It’s disappointing to me to hear the Senator speak that way.”

Sen. Jill Schupp (D-Creve Coeur)

M’Evie Mead with Planned Parenthood says the “rhetoric” is blatantly false and irresponsible.

Schupp goes on to say it is outrageous the bill does not contain exemptions for victims of human trafficking, rape or incest.

“House Bill 126 is still an extreme and egregious piece of legislation that puts women’s health at risk,” she says. “It is unconstitutional. It is dangerous.”

She says the proposal would also cap tax credits to pro-life pregnancy resource centers at a 70% return rate.

“This is an irresponsible move. We don’t know what the fiscal note from year to year will end up being,” Schupp says.

The proposal would also ban doctors from providing an abortion if the baby would have Down syndrome and abortions sought because of the sex or race of the child. The measure would require both parents to be notified if a minor child is seeking an abortion.

With two days to go in the legislative session, House Bill 126 heads back to the House.

Missouri Senate deadlocks on governor’s General Motors bill

May 14, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

The state Senate went into total stall mode Monday afternoon to block an incentives package for General Motors from making it to the floor. During this final week of the legislative session, the delay tactics have sidelined many other bills awaiting action.

Governor Mike Parson addresses firefighters during the Missouri State Firefighters Day in Jefferson City on March 6, 2019 (file photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI}

Members of Governor Mike Parson’s own party who live near the GM plant in Wentzville do not see eye to eye with him about legislation aimed at a potential expansion there. The six-member Conservative Caucus led the way with Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring, encouraging his fellow Republicans to find compromise on the $50 million tax credit bill. He’s not crazy about providing tax credits earlier in a business expansion and financial aid for people pursuing high demand jobs.

“In conversations directly with General Motors, in conversations that some of my colleagues have had, that neither of those provisions are necessary for us to put our best foot forward when it comes to the possible expansion in Wentzville. I want to make sure that we’re not passing anything that I philosophically have a lot of problems with that aren’t actually required to get this through,” says Eigel.

During floor debate, Lake St. Louis Sen. Bob Onder says he would support $50 million in tax credits, but not the other two components. Senate President Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, says GM wants the whole package – not just the $50 million. Onder does not buy Schatz’s remark. He says he talked to local officials in the Wentzville area.

State Senator Bob Onder

“They told me that it’s not as black and white as the governor has been making it. The governor has been making it sound like the GM deal doesn’t happen unless his whole Christmas tree package is approved,” says Onder. “It’s clear that that’s not the case.”

Sen. Eric Burlison, R-Springfield, questions what GM has a problem with.

“I’m still kind of waiting to hear what is the hang-up,” asks Burlison. “If we are at a place where we have a bill that meets the needs of General Motors and the outlier issues are the issues that have controversy and have had controversy for months, then what is it that we really care about? Do we really care about getting this issue resolved, getting this bill done for GM? Is that the real care? Or, it makes you wonder has the real desire all along been these outlier issues? Maybe the tail is wagging the dog – I don’t know.”

The Conservative Caucus had a glimmer of hope when the Missouri House took the unprecedented move of passing a scaled-down version of the package with $50 million in tax credits. Missouri Senate Republican leadership didn’t budge and refused to accept the alternative bill – sending the chamber back into a standoff.

The Conservative Caucus does not appear to be growing tired.

Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz (R-Sullivan) speaks to Capitol reporters on February 21, 2019 (photo courtesy of Senate Communications)

“We’re not in a place yet where we can say that there’s a path forward but we’re taking a look at that,” says Eigel. “It’s kind of a take it or leave it choice right now and right now we’re leaving it.”

Senate Democrats are sitting back and watching Republicans squabble in hopes of other controversial measures not passing.

Under the Missouri Constitution, the Legislature must adjourn its regular session by 6 p.m. on Friday.