State Rep. Keri Ingle Archives

Missouri Senate to hear bipartisan legislation on Wednesday on faith-based boarding schools; Householders remain jailed without bond

April 14, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Bipartisan legislation aimed at regulating faith-based boarding schools like the now-defunct Circle of Hope Girls’ Ranch in southwest Missouri’s Humansville will be heard Wednesday by a Missouri Senate committee in Jefferson City.

State Reps. Keri Ingle (D-Lee’s Summit) and Rudy Veit (R-Wardsville) testify before a Missouri House committee in Jefferson City on February 10, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The Senate Seniors, Families, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee will hear the bill from State Reps. Rudy Veit (R-Wardsville) and Keri Ingle (D-Lee’s Summit). The Missouri House gave final approval to the Veit-Ingle bill in late March. That vote was 148-0.

Representative Ingle has said that the issue with faith-based boarding schools goes well beyond the Circle of Hope, and that this appears to be a systemic issue.

Current Missouri law doesn’t allow any regulation or oversight on residential care facilities for children, as long as the facilities declare themselves as religious.

“That meant that they had absolutely zero oversight at all,” Ingle told Missourinet in mid-February. “There were no regulations, no oversight. And that means no health and safety standards. No background checks, no criminal background checks.”

The owners of the Circle of Hope ranch remain jailed without bond, after being charged with 102 felonies between them. Boyd and Stephanie Householder are from southern Missouri’s Nevada, which is near Humansville.

Attorney General Eric Schmitt (R) announced the criminal charges in March in Jefferson City, telling Capitol reporters that the charges against the Householders are horrific.

“With 16 victims so far, we believe this to be one of the most widespread cases of sexual, physical and mental abuse patterns against young girls in Missouri history,” Schmitt announced in March.

Boyd Householder is charged with 80 felonies, including 56 counts of child abuse or neglect. Many of the charges are for alleged sex crimes.

Court documents allege that Boyd Householder punished one girl for drinking water, by forcing her to drink 220 ounces of water and then run until she vomited. In another case, duct tape was placed over a child’s mouth for several hours, before Boyd Householder allegedly “ripped the pieces off all at once,” according to court documents.

The 22 felony charges against Stephanie Householder include 12 counts of child abuse or neglect and ten counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

The next court appearance for the Householders is a preliminary hearing, which is set for May 20 in Stockton.

Ingle, the top Democrat on the Missouri House Children’s and Families Committee, was featured during a February episode of NBC’s “Dateline”, for her legislation.

Missouri Attorney General Schmitt to provide Wednesday update on Circle of Hope facility

March 9, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s attorney general has called a press conference for Wednesday in Jefferson City regarding his office’s investigation into the troubled Circle of Hope Girls’ Ranch. The ranch is near southwest Missouri’s Humansville.

Attorney General Eric Schmitt (R) will brief reporters at noon, outside the Missouri Capitol.

The “Kansas City Star” newspaper, citing sources, reports the owners of Circle of Hope have been arrested on numerous charges, following a months-long investigation by Schmitt’s office. Missourinet Springfield television partner KOLR-10 reports the two owners have been charged with 102 felonies between them.

The issues at Circle of Hope, Agape Boarding School near Stockton and other facilities have drawn the attention of Missouri lawmakers in both parties.

State Reps. Keri Ingle, D-Lee’s Summit, and Rudy Veit, R-Wardsville, have filed bipartisan legislation that’s aimed at regulating faith-based boarding schools. Ingle notes that current state law doesn’t allow any regulation or oversight on residential care facilities for children, as long as the facilities declare themselves as religious.

“That meant that they had absolutely zero oversight at all. There were no regulations, no oversight. And that means no health and safety standards. No background checks, no criminal background checks,” Ingle told Missourinet in February.

Ingle was featured in February on NBC’s “Dateline”, for her legislation. She has told Missourinet that the issue with faith-based boarding schools goes well beyond the Circle of Hope, and appears to be a systemic issue in facilities across the state.

“Dateline” also profiled the story of Colton Schrag, who traveled to Jefferson City in mid-February to testify for Ingle’s bill. Schrag testified that he was physically abused and barely fed while living at the Agape ranch. Schrag told lawmakers that he was abused by four staff members at Agape.

Rep. Ingle: Issues with Circle of Hope and other Missouri facilities appear to be systemic (AUDIO)

February 15, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

The top Democrat on the Missouri House Children’s and Families Committee was featured Thursday night on NBC’s “Dateline”, for her legislation aimed at facilities like the troubled Circle of Hope Girls’ Ranch near Humansville.

State Reps. Keri Ingle (D-Lee’s Summit) and Rudy Veit (R-Wardsville) testify before a Missouri House committee in Jefferson City on
February 10, 2021 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Rep. Keri Ingle, D-Lee’s Summit, spoke on-camera to “Dateline” correspondent Keith Morrison about Circle of Hope, the Agape Boarding School near Stockton and other facilities. She tells Missourinet that the issue with faith-based boarding schools goes well beyond the Circle of Hope.

“This appears to be a systemic issue. We’ve heard about this in not just one facility but facilities across the state,” Ingle says.

Ingle and State Rep. Rudy Veit, R-Wardsville, have filed bipartisan legislation aimed at regulating faith-based boarding schools. Representative Ingle says current state law doesn’t allow any regulation or oversight on residential care facilities for children, as long as the facilities declare themselves as religious.

Click here to read Ingle’s House Bill 560. It’s a six-page bill.

“Dateline” also profiled the story of Colton Schrag, who traveled to Jefferson City last week to testify for Ingle’s bill. Schrag testified that he was physically abused and barely fed while living at the Agape ranch in southwest Missouri’s Stockton. Schrag told lawmakers that he was abused by four staff members at Agape.

Others submitted written testimony to the committee. Another former student at Agape says he was restrained twice there, between 2009 and 2011. The former student testifies he was attacked by a staff member and defended himself, saying he was then punched, kicked, elbowed and molested.

Another student testified that children were forced to eat their own vomit, at a Missouri facility.

Votes on the Ingle and Veit bills are expected this week in Jefferson City.

“I plan to vote the bills out of committee this week,” House Children’s and Families Committee Chairwoman Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, R-Arnold, tells Missourinet.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s interview with State Rep. Keri Ingle, D-Lee’s Summit, which was recorded on February 11, 2021:

Missouri House Committee approves Presidential election resolution; Giuliani and Missouri Democrats clash

December 15, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A Missouri House committee approved a resolution Monday night in Jefferson City that declares the Missouri House’s lack of faith in the 2020 presidential election results.

Missouri House Special Committee on Government Oversight Chairman Robert Ross, R-Yukon, speaks at the Statehouse in Jefferson City on December 14, 2020 (photo courtesy of Ben Peters at House Communications)

The party line vote was 6-3, with Republicans on the House Special Committee on Government Oversight in favor and Democrats opposed. The hearing, which took more than two-and-a-half hours, was heated from the start, and featured testimony from former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who clashed with Democratic lawmakers on the committee.

The GOP chairman of the House Rules Committee announced Monday evening that he will not hold a hearing on the resolution, so the issue won’t be heading to the Missouri House floor.

State Rep. Justin Hill, R-Lake St. Louis, sponsored the resolution, saying future elections are at stake. His resolution names Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada. The resolution says that if a full and fair investigation isn’t done, Congress should refuse to accept the electoral votes from those six states.

During the hearing, Hill testified that critics have called for him to be hanged for his resolution, and that he’s been called a seditionist. He says the fraud in other states is enough to change the election results. Hill read letters he’s received from Missourians and others supporting his effort.

“This obviously is perceived by the public nationwide as an election that there is very little confidence in the results of those six swing states,” Hill testifies.

During the hearing, State Rep. Keri Ingle, D-Lee’s Summit, questioned some information contained in Hill’s three-page resolution. She says the allegation that 20,000 nonresidents cast ballots in Georgia has been debunked. Hill says it has not been.

Former Mayor Giuliani, who’s leading the Trump campaign’s post-election legal challenges, testified via zoom before the committee. Giuliani describes Philadelphia as a “crooked Democratic machine,” and alleged fraud in Georgia as well. State Rep. Peter Merideth, D-St. Louis, clashed with Giuliani, with the two speaking over each other several times.

“I think we’re right to be upset about this action and about your spreading of misinformation and lies that are inflaming things across our country, at a time when we need to move on and accept the results of an election. Thank you,” Merideth tells Giuliani.

“Obviously, you have no interest in the truth. All you have an interest in is lecturing me,” Giuliani responds.

“I have no interest in more and more lies from you,” Merideth says. “I am tired of your lies. America is tired of your lies, and they are dangerous, sir. They are dangerous.”

“You are very dangerous, because you’re covering up a massive election fraud,” Giuliani responds.

The two continued to speak over each other, until committee chairman Robert Ross, R-Yukon, hit the gavel multiple times.

Veteran State Rep. Jon Carpenter, D-Gladstone, voted against Hill’s resolution. Carpenter and Hill note they are friends, despite being from different parties.

“We’ve just had a national election and what the current President of the United States and what a number of his supporters, including yourself, are doing is incredible divisive. I think it undermines faith in our democracy,” says Carpenter.

Giuliani and Carpenter also clashed during the hearing, saying the other has demeaned themselves.

Hill’s resolution alleges that 50,000 votes held on USB cards are missing in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It also says that 86,000 Pennsylvania absentee ballots are questionable.

66 Missouri GOP state representatives signed Hill’s resolution. They include House Majority Floor Leader Rob Vescovo, R-Arnold, who will be Speaker in January.

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, participated in the hearing. While she’s not on the oversight committee, she is an ex-officio member of all House committees.

“The only evidence of fraud at tonight’s hearing was the litany of lies and debunked conspiracies House Republicans put forth in their dishonest attempt to steal the presidential election for Donald Trump,” Quade says, in a written statement.

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft (R) also testified at the hearing, for informational purposes. Republican and Democratic members on the committee requested that he appear, to answer questions about Missouri’s November election. Ashcroft answered about 20 minutes of questions from the committee.

Missouri Chamber backs Medicaid expansion, which remains key issue in gubernatorial race

June 12, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s most influential business group is endorsing a Medicaid expansion issue that will appear on your August ballot. Medicaid, which is formally known as MO HealthNet, is a federal and state program that assists with medical costs for residents who have limited incomes.

Governor Mike Parson (right) briefs Missouri Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on June 11, 2020 (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

Missouri’s current Medicaid budget is about $10 billion, accounting for about one-third of the state’s $30 billion operating budget.

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry has endorsed Amendment Two, which will be on the August 4 statewide ballot. The Chamber describes the Medicaid expansion proposal as a “pro-jobs measure that will help fuel economic growth throughout our state.”

The Chamber quotes 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, while increasing personal income by $1.1 billion annually. The Chamber says most of the new positions would be outside St. Louis and Kansas City, and that 90 percent of those jobs will pay more than $15 an hour.

The Missouri Hospital Association says ten rural Missouri hospitals have closed since 2014.

“Let’s not miss this chance to bolster our economy during this recovery, while expanding access to healthcare for our fellow Missourians,” Missouri Chamber President Dan Mehan says, in a written statement.

36 states have approved Medicaid expansion.

While the Medicaid expansion issue will be decided by voters in August, it has also emerged as a key issue in Missouri’s November gubernatorial race. It’s also a key issue for lawmakers in both parties.

Missourinet asked both Governor Mike Parson (R) and State Auditor Nicole Galloway (D), the presumptive Democratic gubernatorial nominee, about Medicaid expansion when they filed in February in Jefferson City.

“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 told Missourinet in February, at the Kirkpatrick Building.

Parson also said that day that no one verified Missouri’s Medicaid rolls, for more than a decade. He also emphasized that children who qualify for Medicaid should receive those services, and that his administration wants them to receive the services.

Auditor Galloway supports Medicaid expansion, noting the ten rural Missouri hospitals that have closed since 2014. The Columbia Democrat told Missourinet in February that it’s 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 said that day.

Medicaid expansion has been discussed in the General Assembly for years, with most Republicans opposed to it and Democrats supporting.

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

House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, agrees, telling Missourinet Friday evening that he opposes Medicaid expansion because he worries it will blow a hole in the state budget. Other GOP members on the House Budget Committee have the same concern.

Democrats in the Legislature disagree. State Sen. Jill Schupp, D-Creve Coeur, who hopes to unseat U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin, this fall, backs Amendment Two. Schupp says it will ensure that an additional 300,000 Missourians have access to health care.

State Rep. Keri Ingle, D-Lee’s Summit, spoke about the issue on the Missouri House floor during the May budget debate. Ingle predicted that day that Missourians would approve Medicaid expansion at the ballot box.

Meantime, the coronavirus outbreak has impacted Missouri’s Medicaid numbers, as well as the budget.

The number of Missourians on Medicaid has increased by about 75,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Online statistics from the state Department of Social Services (DSS) show there were about 848,000 Missouri Medicaid enrollees in February.

That number increased to about 923,000 in May.