State of the State Address Archives

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.

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.

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.

Poplar Bluff, Sedalia, Bloomfield, Columbia and Wentzville highlighted in Missouri State of State (AUDIO)

January 17, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor says more than 40,000 new jobs have been created since he took office in June 2018 and that the state’s 3.1 percent unemployment rate is at a historic low.

North Carolina-based Nucor is building a $400 million steel rebar manufacturing plant in west-central Missouri’s Sedalia (August 2019 file photo courtesy of Nucor)

During this week’s State of the State Address, Governor Mike Parson (R) emphasized the success of Missouri’s economy, and took the opportunity to highlight rural Missouri towns that are seeing capital investment.

Parson tells state lawmakers that big cities aren’t the only ones generating new jobs.

“Aurora Organic Dairy opened a new processing plant in Columbia, creating over 100 new jobs,” Parson says. “And Purina invested $115 million to expand in Bloomfield, Missouri.”

Bloomfield, a southeast Missouri town of about 1,900, is north of Dexter. Parson traveled there in September to tour the Nestle Purina plant, which makes Tidy Cats brand cat litter.

The plant’s expansion is creating about 30 new jobs, and the state Department of Economic Development (DED) says the expansion is adding a 110,000 square foot processing and packaging facility.

Parson met with Nestle CEO Mark Schneider in Switzerland in June, during his first European trade mission. The governor has noted that Nestle employs more than 3,500 Missourians in Bloomfield, Chesterfield, Earth City, Gray Summit, St. Joseph, St. Louis and Trenton.

During Wednesday’s State of the State, Governor Parson also announced that North Carolina-based Nucor Steel is close to starting production at its $400 million steel mill in Sedalia. Parson also announced that gasoline engine manufacturer Briggs and Stratton is creating 130 new jobs in southeast Missouri’s Poplar Bluff.

State DED Director Rob Dixon praises the news.

“These are companies that are international companies that are looking at Missouri and looking at rural Missouri in particular because of the strength of our workforce, the quality of the people that live here,” says Dixon.

The steel mill in west-central Missouri’s Sedalia is one of the largest projects Missouri has landed in the past decade. The average salary for a Nucor steelworker will be $65,000.

The governor says the average salary for the 130 new jobs at Briggs and Stratton in Poplar Bluff will be $36,531. The company is investing $15 million in the expansion.

Briggs and Stratton is already one of the largest employers in Poplar Bluff, according to the Chamber of Commerce there.

The governor also discussed the eastern Missouri town of Wentzville, during State of the State.

Parson says the decision by General Motors (GM) to invest $1.5 billion into its plant in Wentzville represents one of the largest single-project investments from the private sector in Missouri. Director Dixon tells Missourinet that GM’s Wentzville plant supports about 12,000 jobs across Missouri.

“We secured the long-term viability of that plant in Wentzville. That benefits not just Wentzville, but the entire state,” Dixon says.

DED says out of Missouri’s 227 automotive suppliers, 178 supply GM.

The Wentzville plant produces the GMC Canyon and the Chevrolet Colorado. About 4,600 employees work there.

Wentzville, which is known as the “Crossroads of the Nation”, is one of Missouri’s fastest-growing cities. It sits on I-70 in St. Charles County.

Its current population is about 41,000. The city’s website notes Wentzville’s population jumped from 6,896 in 2000 to 29,070 in the 2010 census.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and State Department of Economic Development Director Rob Dixon, which was recorded on January 15, 2020 at the Statehouse in Jefferson City:

Missouri lawmakers on both sides react to governor’s State of the State (AUDIO)

January 16, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor proposed about $1 million in funding for witness protection during Wednesday’s State of the State Address in Jefferson City, in an effort to battle increasing violence in urban cities.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Color Guard presents the flags before Governor Mike Parson’s State of the State Address on January 15, 2020 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Governor Mike Parson’s (R) plan is being praised by State Rep. Chuck Basye, R-Rocheport, who says witnesses fear retribution.

“I hear law enforcement say that very thing that there are people that they know that know who these individuals are that are committing these crimes but they’re scared to death to come forward because they don’t want to be the next victim,” Basye says.

Basye’s district includes Columbia, which had 12 shooting deaths in 2019. Columbia Mayor Brian Treece and Police Chief Geoff Jones were special guests of Governor Parson at the State of the State Address.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, Kansas City Police Chief Richard Smith, St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson, St. Louis Public Safety Director Jimmie Edwards, Springfield Mayor Ken McClure and Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams were also special guests.

There were 194 murders in St. Louis and 148 in Kansas City in 2019.

Meantime, the governor received a standing ovation during his State of the State, when he announced that a new bridge will be built to replace the deteriorating Buck O’Neil Bridge in Kansas City. The bridge, which was built in 1956, crosses the Missouri River.

State Rep. Greg Razer, D-Kansas City, describes the project as huge.

“It’s a major, not just for the city of Kansas City but the entire region,” says Razer. “That’s a huge regional priority, it’s something that has to be done.”

About 44,000 vehicles use the bridge daily. Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) Director Patrick McKenna tells Missourinet that federal, state and local funding will pay for the $200 million project. McKenna expects construction of the new bridge to begin in about two years.

Director McKenna notes Parson’s 2019 bridge bonding program created a substitute funding mechanism, adding that Kansas City has committed about $60 million for the project. A grant is funding $25 million more.

Governor Parson also praises economic progress happening in Kansas City, noting it beat more than 130 cities around the nation to land two major divisions in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), bringing more than 500 new jobs to the region.

Representative Razer praises the bipartisan and bi-state cooperation between Missouri and Kansas that took place, noting the jobs will pay about $100,000 annually.

“Kansas City is excited to welcome them (USDA employees) to their new home, to Missouri, to Kansas City,” Razer says. “We’re excited to have these 500 new Kansas Citians coming to Missouri.”

USDA is relocating its Economic Research Service (ERS) and its National Institute of Food and Agriculture Policy (NIFA) agencies to Pennsylvania Avenue in Kansas City.

State Reps. Chuck Basye, R-Rocheport, and Greg Razer, D-Kansas City, joined news director Brian Hauswirth live on Missourinet on January 15, 2020. They reacted to Governor Mike Parson’s State of the State Address and discussed other key legislative issues. Click here to listen to the first part of the interview:

Click here to listen to the second part of the interview:

Transportation, infrastructure and violence will be themes in Missouri governor’s State of the State (AUDIO)

January 15, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor says infrastructure and workforce development will be two of his main themes during Wednesday afternoon’s State of the State Address in Jefferson City. The speech will begin at about 3.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson waves to state lawmakers and the audience during his State of the State Address on January 16, 2019, as House Speaker Elijah Haahr (left) and Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe applaud (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Governor Mike Parson (R) says the state is on the right track.

“We’re going to talk about infrastructure, we’re going to talk about transportation, we’re going to talk about the state of the state, the economy of our state, why things are moving forward,” Parson says.

The governor will also address education, saying he wants to make sure high school students are ready for tomorrow’s workforce.

Rural health care will also be a theme, according to Governor Parson.

Increasing violence in St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield and Columbia will also be a topic during State of the State. In 2019, there were 194 murders in St. Louis and 148 homicides in Kansas City.

“You’ll see me talk about some of the violence in some of the urban cities, we’ve got to address that issue,” says Parson. “So I think there will be some discussion on that.”

St. Louis Police testified before the House Judiciary Committee in Jefferson City on Tuesday, saying there were 194 murders, 2,600 shootings and 349 carjackings in St. Louis in 2019.

St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson testified at Tuesday’s hearing, in support of legislation that would allow St. Louis City police officers to live outside the city. Krewson’s spokesman, Jacob Long, tells Missourinet that Mayor Krewson will join Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, Columbia Mayor Brian Treece and Springfield Mayor Ken McClure in a bipartisan fashion to attend the State of the State.

Long notes this is a continuation of ongoing meetings the four mayors have had with the governor’s office relating to public safety and violent crime.

Addressing the growing violence is also a top priority for House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, and their respective caucuses.

Speaker Haahr and Leader Quade addressed the issue with Capitol reporters during the opening day of session. Both are focused on witness protection.

Haahr and Quade both represent Springfield, and Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams tells Missourinet he’ll attend the State of the State Address with Mayor McClure.

The State of the State Address is an opportunity for the governor to outline his 2020 legislative priorities. It will be delivered in the House chamber, before a joint session of the Legislature.

Missourinet will have live coverage of State of the State, starting Wednesday at 3. We’ll also have live interviews with state lawmakers in both parties, after the address. News director Brian Hauswirth will anchor our coverage.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with Missouri Governor Mike Parson (R), which was recorded on January 7, 2020 at the Missouri Asphalt Pavement Association’s conference in Columbia:

Cody Smith: Missouri revenue has been strong enough to avoid withholds

January 14, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor will outline his legislative priorities and will release some details of his budget blueprint during Wednesday’s State of the State Address in Jefferson City.

Missouri House Budget Committee Chair Cody Smith, R-Carthage, speaks during a joint budget committee hearing on May 7, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Governor Mike Parson (R) signed a $29.7 billion state operating budget into law last summer, which included a three percent pay raise for state employees. It also included an $8 million retention pay plan aimed at wage increases for state Department of Corrections (DOC) staff.

State Budget Director Dan Haug will unveil the Parson administration’s budget blueprint to Capitol reporters, before Wednesday’s State of the State Address. The governor will deliver his State of the State Address at about 3 to a joint session of the Legislature.

One of the biggest things we’ll learn on Wednesday is whether Governor Parson’s proposed budget includes a pay increase for state employees. More than 14,000 state employees work in Jefferson City, making state government the town’s largest employer.

State revenues have been increasing.

Director Haug announced last week that net general revenue collections for 2019 fiscal year-to-date increased 5.2 percent compared to December 2018, from $4.31 billion last year to $4.53 billion this year.

Haug says Missouri’s individual income tax collections increased 5.1 percent for the year, from $3.1 billion last year to $3.26 billion this year. Corporate income and corporate franchise tax collections jumped almost 21 percent for the year.

House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, tells Missourinet that revenue has been strong enough to avoid withholds.

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

Once the governor unveils his proposed budget, each agency and statewide elected official will testify before the House Budget and Senate Appropriations Committees. Those hearings traditionally go well into February.

Parson outlines priorities for Missouri’s 2020 legislative session (AUDIO)

January 8, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Transportation and workforce development are two of Governor Mike Parson’s (R) top priorities for Missouri’s 2020 legislative session, which begins Wednesday at noon in Jefferson City.

Governor Mike Parson addressed the Missouri Asphalt Pavement Association in Columbia on January 7, 2020 (Brian Hauswirth photo)

Parson spoke to Missourinet Tuesday about the session, after he addressed about 300 people at the Missouri Asphalt Pavement Association’s annual conference in Columbia.

“We’re going to continue on with the workforce development pieces that we’re doing with the infrastructure,” Parson says. “Reorganizing some of the (state) government agencies. We’ve still got a lot of work to do there.”

The largest state government reorganization in decades took effect on August 28, and involved four agencies. It’s aimed at allowing the state Department of Economic Development (DED) to focus exclusively on its core mission, which is economic development.

The August restructuring involved moving the Division of Energy from DED to the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and also involved moving the Public Service Commission (PSC) and the Office of Public Counsel from DED to the newly-named Department of Commerce and Insurance. The restructuring also moved DED’s Division of Workforce Development to the Department of Higher Education.

As for the workforce development theme, Governor Parson emphasizes the importance of preparing students for the future.

“We want to take a good look at education and make sure those high school students understand what the workforce is out there of tomorrow,” says Parson. “That’s going to be important to me that we develop them and get them ready for that workforce.”

Republicans will have super-majorities in both chambers in 2020. They’ll control the Senate 24-10 and the House 114-48, with one vacancy.

Governor Parson will outline his legislative agenda in-detail during his State of the State Address on January 15, before a joint session of the Legislature.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Governor Mike Parson, which was recorded on January 7, 2020 at the Missouri Asphalt Pavement Association’s conference in Columbia: