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Missouri’s 2021 legislative session starts Wednesday; Rob Vescovo set to become House Speaker

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Missouri lawmakers will return to Jefferson City on Wednesday for the start of the 2021 session. Both the Senate and House will gavel-in at noon.

The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to be the major issue again this session, like 2020. Missouri’s current operating budget is about $38 billion, which includes two major supplemental budgets with federal money.

State Rep. Steven Roberts (D-St. Louis) will be sworn-in to the Senate on Wednesday. He’s seen here on House floor on April 27, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Republicans will control the Missouri Senate 24-10 this session. That’s a supermajority.

11 newly-elected state senators and six returning state senators will be sworn-in on Wednesday. Several of the new state senators are moving over from the House. They include State Reps. Greg Razer, D-Kansas City, Holly Rehder, R-Scott City, Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, and Steven Roberts, D-St. Louis.

Razer, Rehder, Moon and Roberts were elected to the Senate in November.

The Republicans also have a supermajority in the Missouri House this session, 114-47. There is one vacancy that was created when then-State Rep. Kip Kendrick, D-Columbia, resigned to become chief of staff for Senator-Elect Razer.

The House Wednesday is expected to elect the first Speaker in state history from eastern Missouri’s Arnold. State Rep. Rob Vescovo (R) has served as the House Majority Floor Leader for three years. Vescovo was first elected to the House in 2014 and will be starting his fourth term.

Vescovo is a former member of the Jefferson County Port Authority.

Springfield Republican Elijah Haahr served as Speaker from November 2018 until last Thursday, and has termed out of the House.

Missouri House Majority Leader Rob Vescovo, R-Arnold, stands on House floor on May 15, 2020. He’s set to become Speaker on Wednesday (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft (R) will briefly preside over the House on Wednesday, once session begins. The House will then elect a temporary speaker from the chamber, who will preside over the vote for Speaker.

All Missouri House members will be sworn-in on Wednesday. That will include 46 new members who have never served before. It also includes the six members who were elected during November 2019 special elections. They are State Reps. Yolanda Young, D-Kansas City, Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis, Mark Sharp, D-Kansas City, Trish Gunby, D-Manchester, Mike Person, D-Ferguson and Scott Cupps, R-Shell Knob. Young, Aldridge, Sharp, Gunby, Person and Cupps were re-elected in November.

There will also be three new Missouri House members who served in the chamber previously. They are State Reps. Joe Adams, D-University City, Wayne Wallingford, R-Cape Girardeau, and Bill Owen, R-Springfield.

Owen will return to the Missouri House for the first time since 1981-1982. He served one term, after being elected in 1980.

There will also be a bipartisan legislative prayer service Wednesday morning in Jefferson City, to mark the start of session. It will take place at 9 a.m. at Concord Baptist Church, which is across the street from Capital Mall. There will not be a breakfast this year.

Copyright © 2021 · Missourinet

Missouri lawmakers to hear testimony Monday on 2020 presidential election resolution (AUDIO)

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A Missouri House committee will hear testimony Monday evening in Jefferson City on a proposed House resolution that declares that the House has no faith in presidential election results from six key states.

State Rep. Justin Hill, R-Lake St. Louis, speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on November 10, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Rep. Justin Hill, R-Lake St. Louis, filed the resolution, which names Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada. Hill represents St. Charles County in the Legislature.

“Many of my constituents through all forms of media reached out to me, asking me to do something. And it’s not just me, it’s all representatives throughout the state,” Hill says.

66 GOP state representatives have signed Hill’s resolution. They include House Majority Floor Leader Rob Vescovo, R-Arnold, who will be Speaker in January. Outgoing Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, and Speaker Pro Tem John Wiemann, R-O’Fallon, did not sign the resolution.

State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis, is critical of Hill’s resolution, saying President Trump lost the election. Aldridge describes Hill’s resolution as meaningless, and says it “will do nothing of substance.” In a statement, Aldridge says Missourians want lawmakers to come together to work on issues like COVID.

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.

“We’re seeing in key states where we have razor-thin margins, lots of evidence of fraud, and most of it is not being investigated. So, we as a state have to make a statement,” says Hill.

Hill’s three-page resolution alleges that 50,000 votes held on USB cards are missing in one Pennsylvania county, and that more than 20,000 nonresidents cast ballots in Georgia. It also says that absentee ballot and mail-in ballot laws passed in the six states were likely ignored and violated.

“Future elections are at stake,” Hill says. “If we don’t do anything now, even though we’re Missouri and we did it right, if we don’t do anything now, if we don’t file our grievances, then we have no argument later.”

The House Special Committee on Government Oversight will hold Monday’s hearing at 5 p.m.

The oversight committee’s ranking Democrat, State Rep. Peter Merideth, D-St. Louis, wants Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt (R) to appear before the committee on Monday, regarding his decision to join the Texas federal litigation.

The U-S Supreme Court on Friday rejected the Texas lawsuit. The “New York Times” reports the lawsuit sought to bar Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin from casting their electoral votes for former Vice President Joe Biden (D).

Representative Merideth says Schmitt’s recent decision is directly relevant to the resolution that will be heard on Monday.

“To be clear, you did not simply join in the Texas federal litigation. You led a group of 17 attorneys general in backing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s baseless legal theories,” Merideth writes, in part.

Merideth also says there is no evidence of alleged widespread election fraud.

If the oversight committee approves Hill’s symbolic resolution, it would then head to the Missouri House floor for debate this month.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s interview with State Rep. Justin Hill, R-Lake St. Louis, which was recorded on December 10, 2020:

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

St. Louis Police Chief: “We desperately need more officers and we need them now”

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Legislation eliminating the residency requirement for St. Louis police officers, firefighters and EMS personnel is heading to the Missouri Senate floor in Jefferson City after being approved Tuesday in committee.

St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden testifies before the Missouri House Judiciary Committee in Jefferson City on August 17, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The Senate Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee approved the bill by a party-line 5-2 vote. State Sens. Karla May, D-St. Louis, and Brian Williams, D-University City, cast the two no votes.

St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden traveled to Jefferson City on Tuesday to testify for the bill, saying “we (St. Louis Police) desperately need more officers and we need them now.” During his testimony, Hayden discussed recent violence against his officers.

“That’s seven officers shot, one officer shot and killed in the line of duty and one retired captain shot and killed in the past three months,” Hayden testifies.

St. Louis Police officer Tamarris Bohannon was shot and killed in the line of duty this weekend. St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner has charged suspect Thomas Kinworthy, 43, with first degree murder and numerous other felonies.

Chief Hayden says his department is currently down 145 officers and that the residency requirement is the greatest challenge his department has with recruitment and retention. Hayden testifies that there has been an unprecedented surge in gun violence in St. Louis in the past 12 weeks, with the city averaging more than nine homicides per week.

“Bringing us up to 183 homicides compared to 137 at the same time last year. 32 homicides in June, 53 in July and now 29 in August,” says Hayden.

The Missouri Police Chiefs Association and the St. Louis Police Officers Association testified for the legislation on Tuesday.

State Public Advocate Arnie Dienoff testified against it, saying the only elected official in St. Louis who supports the bill is Mayor Lyda Krewson. He also says the bill only applies to St. Louis and not Kansas City, Springfield or Columbia.

Dienoff notes the bill sponsor, State Rep. Ron Hicks, R-Dardenne Prairie, is not from St. Louis City.

State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis, and other bill opponents have also said that St. Louis residents feel safer with officers living in their neighborhoods.

Chief Hayden testifies that no other department in the St. Louis region has a residency rule, and says citizens want more visibility and more enforcement.

The Missouri State Council of Firefighters also testified for Hicks’ bill on Tuesday, saying St. Louis is now down 32 EMS staffers.

Missouri Senate committees approved four other crime bills on Tuesday, including witness protection legislation from State Rep. Jonathan Patterson, R-Lee’s Summit, that would create a fund to provide security to witnesses, potential witnesses and their immediate families in criminal proceedings or investigations.

All five bills are part of Governor Mike Parson’s special session call on violent crime.

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, told Missourinet last week that the juvenile certification bill is dead.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

UPDATE: Missouri House gives final approval of five crime bills; juvenile certification bill is dead

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The Missouri House voted Tuesday in Jefferson City to give final approval to five bills that are key components of Governor Mike Parson’s (R) special session call on violent crime. The five bills received initial House approval on Monday.

Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, gavels the House into session on August 24, 2020 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Meantime, House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, confirms that juvenile certification legislation that has drawn criticism from state lawmakers in both parties will not be taken up by the House, and is dead.

“There’s no consensus about moving a juvenile certification bill, so at this point we’re going to let the law remain where it is,” Speaker Haahr told Missourinet late Monday morning, during an interview in his Capitol office in Jefferson City.

Earlier this month, the Missouri Senate approved legislation that would allow Missouri courts to certify juveniles 14-18 as adults for violent weapons offenses. Governor Parson called for the provision, saying it’s aimed at violent crime like murder. But State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis, and other critics say it would lock up children and put them in prison with violent offenders and murderers.

The Missouri House Special Committee on Criminal Justice amended the bill last week, changing the ages to 16-18.

“You know I always had concerns with it. Senate Bill One came over and there was some concerns about a variety of parts. We thought it was better for the House to break them down and analyze them separately,” says Haahr.

The five bills given final approval by the House today include witness protection legislation and legislation eliminating the residency requirements for St. Louis police officers, firefighters and EMS personnel.

The bipartisan witness protection bill was approved today by a 147-3 vote. The legislation from State Rep. Jonathan Patterson, R-Lee’s Summit, will create a pretrial witness protection services fund, to be operated by the state Department of Public Safety (DPS) to law enforcement agencies. The money would be used to provide security to witnesses, potential witnesses and their immediate families in criminal proceedings or investigations.

We learned Monday that a second special session will be called to fund the program. House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, told colleagues on the House floor that if lawmakers approve the Patterson bill, Governor Parson will call the second special session to fund the program.

State Rep. Ron Hicks, R-Dardenne Prairie, sponsored the legislation that eliminates the residency requirements for St. Louis police officers, firefighters and EMS personnel. It has a three-year sunset clause. Today’s final House vote was 117-35.

State Rep. Barry Hovis, R-Cape Girardeau, sponsors the legislation that increases penalties for witness and victim tampering. The vote was 133-11.

The other two crime bills are sponsored by State Rep. Nick Schroer, R-O’Fallon. The Schroer bills passed 117-33 and 103-45.

Neither the Senate nor House has held a hearing yet on the governor’s amended special session call involving St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner (D). Speaker Haahr says he’s been in touch with his Senate colleagues.

“The (special session) call was sort of expanded in the middle of the special session. We’ve been in constant dialogue with the Senate. Neither side seems to be prepared at this point to move forward yet on that issue. So I think we are going to try to put these other ones (crime bills) to bed before we figure out what to do with that,” Haahr says.

The governor wants to allow the Missouri Attorney General’s office to take on some murder cases that haven’t been prosecuted yet by Gardner’s office. Circuit Attorney Gardner and the bipartisan Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys oppose that plan.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Second special session appears likely for Missouri witness protection

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The Missouri House voted Monday afternoon in Jefferson City for initial approval of several bills that are top priorities for Governor Mike Parson’s (R) special session on violent crime.

State Rep. Jonathan Patterson, R-Lee’s Summit, presents his witness protection bill before a Missouri House committee on August 17, 2020 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The House has voted for initial approval of bipartisan legislation that is aimed at providing witness protection. The bill from State Rep. Jonathan Patterson, R-Lee’s Summit, will create a pretrial witness protection services fund, to be administered by the state Department of Public Safety (DPS) to law enforcement agencies. The money would be used to provide security to witnesses, potential witnesses and their immediate families in criminal proceedings or investigations.

The provision does not include funding. Missouri House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, tells lawmakers that if they approve the Patterson bill, Governor Parson will call another special session to fund the program.

State Rep. Deb Lavender, D-Kirkwood, offered an amendment that would ensure that funding is included for the witness protection bill. Budget chairman Smith spoke against the Lavender amendment, which was defeated 95-46 by the GOP-controlled House.

The Missouri House has also voted for initial approval of legislation that eliminates the residency requirements for St. Louis police officers, firefighters and EMS personnel, and has a three-year sunset clause.

State Rep. Ron Hicks, R-Dardenne Prairie, sponsors the bill. He emphasizes that he is a state representative, and must take care of the entire state.

State Rep. LaKeySha Bosley, D-St. Louis, urged House members to vote no, noting that St. Louis residents will be voting on residency requirements in November. Bosley notes that Hicks is from St. Charles County, and that St. Louis City state representatives are not carrying the bill.

State Rep. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, D-University City, switched her position and voted for the bill. She spoke on the Missouri House floor about Hazel Erby’s firing in St. Louis County, and notes that many of the appointees that St. Louis County Executive Sam Page wants to hire are from St. Louis City. She voted for the Hicks bill, because of that.

State Rep. Alan Green, D-Florissant, also voted for the Hicks bill. Green says many St. Louis County Police officers live in St. Charles County.

State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis, is opposed to the Hicks bill, saying St. Louis residents feel safer with officers living in their neighborhoods.

The Hicks bill says St. Louis Police cannot impose a residency requirement on their officers, more stringent than a one-hour response time. Aldridge proposed an amendment, changing that to 30 minutes. The Aldridge amendment was defeated on a voice vote.

St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden traveled to Jefferson City last week to testify for the bill, saying the St. Louis Police Department is currently 143 officers short from its authorized strength.

St. Louis has had 172 homicides. Chief Hayden says six St. Louis police officers have been shot in the past few months, and that retired Police Captain Dorn was shot and killed in June.

Advocacy group “Empower Missouri” testified last week against the bill. Former State Rep. Jeanette Mott Oxford, D-St. Louis, is the organization’s policy director. She says when officers live in communities and know their neighbors, they can create partnerships and strategies for reducing crime and unhealthy living conditions.

Mott Oxford testifies that Empower Missouri would rather see more investment in St. Louis schools.

Chief Hayden has testified that the residency requirement is the greatest challenge that his department has with recruitment and retention.

The House also approved legislation from State Rep. Barry Hovis, R-Cape Girardeau, that increases penalties for witness and victim tampering. They also approved two other crime bills sponsored by State Rep. Nick Schroer, R-O’Fallon.

The House did not take up the juvenile certification legislation, which is sponsored by Schroer.

The five crime bills are expected to be debated again on Tuesday. They require one more vote, for final House approval.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Missouri House committees to hear crime bills on Monday; Kendrick wants to expand special session call

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Three Missouri House committees plan hearings on Monday afternoon in Jefferson City, relating to the special session on violent crime.

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, Speaker Pro Tem John Wiemann, R-O’Fallon, and Majority Leader Rob Vescovo, R-Arnold, announced earlier this week that they would simplify the process with single-subject bills to protect the integrity of the lawmaking process and to ensure the issues are thoroughly vetted.

Missouri House Judiciary Committee Chairman David Gregory, R-St. Louis County, checks paperwork at a hearing on August 10, 2020 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of Ben Peters at House Communications)

The House Judiciary Committee, which is chaired by State Rep. David Gregory, R-St. Louis County, will hear three bills on Monday, including legislation from State Rep. Ron Hicks, R-Dardenne Prairie, that would eliminate the residency requirement for St. Louis Police officers.

The Hicks bill says that St. Louis Police cannot impose a residency requirement on their officers, more stringent than a one-hour response time. St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden has testified that the residency requirement is the greatest challenge that his department has with recruitment and retention. Opponents of the plan say it’s safer for neighborhoods to have the officers living in the city.

The Judiciary Committee will also hear a bill on Monday about witness protection. State Rep. Jonathan Patterson, R-Lee’s Summit, has filed legislation that would create a pretrial witness protection services fund, which would be administered by the state Department of Public Safety (DPS) to law enforcement agencies. The money would be used to provide security to witnesses, potential witnesses and their immediate families in criminal proceedings or investigations.

The Judiciary Committee will also hold a hearing on legislation from State Rep. Barry Hovis, R-Cape Girardeau, regarding witness and victim tampering.

The House Special Committee on Criminal Justice will hold a Monday hearing on legislation from State Rep. Nick Schroer, R-O’Fallon, which would allow Missouri courts to certify some juveniles as adults for violent weapons offenses.

Governor Mike Parson (R) has called for this provision, saying it’s aimed at violent crime, such as murder and rape.

But State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis, and other critics say it will lock up children and put them in prison with violent offenders and murderers. Aldridge and others protested in downtown Jefferson City this week.

“Charge them as an adult because that is how we are going to fix violence- by being tough on crime to individuals that have made a mistake and should be held accountable but you are charging our youngest babies,” Aldridge said Thursday. “When do we go to ten? When do we go to nine? What’s going to be next? Eight? Seven? We are locking up literally babies and putting them in jail with serial killers.”

The House General Laws Committee will hold a Monday hearing on two bills from Representative Schroer. One involves the unlawful transfer of weapons, and the other involves endangering the welfare of a child.

Meantime, Governor Parson spoke to Missouri House members today about the special session on violent crime. The governor hosted conference calls with House members. Parson spokeswoman Kelli Jones tells Missourinet that there have been several calls today.

There have been 167 homicides in St. Louis in 2020. The city had 194 murders in 2019. The “St. Louis Post-Dispatch” reports there have been 15 child homicides so far in 2020, which tops all of last year.

Across the state in Kansas City, there have been 124 homicides. There were 90, at this point in 2019 in Kansas City.

The governor expanded his special session call on Monday, to include a provision to allow the state attorney general’s office to take on some murder cases that haven’t been prosecuted yet by St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner (D). The governor says this is about fighting violent crime.

Circuit Attorney Gardner and the bipartisan Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys oppose that plan.

A hearing on a Gardner-related bill has not been scheduled, at this time.

The Missouri Senate approved the crime bill earlier this month, by a bipartisan 27-3 vote. The full Missouri House is scheduled to return to Jefferson City on Monday August 24.

There was another development in Jefferson City on Friday, when State Rep. Kip Kendrick, D-Columbia, requested that the governor expand the special session call to address absentee ballots for the November general election.

Representative Kendrick, the House Budget Committee’s ranking Democrat, wants the General Assembly to take legislative and appropriation action to ensure that every Missourian’s properly postmarked, but late delivered, absentee ballot for November will count.

Kendrick, House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, and others will address Capitol reporters Monday in Jefferson City, about the issue.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Protesters hit streets of Jefferson City to oppose governor’s special session crime bill

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Protesters marching down High Street in Jefferson City

Protesters marched the streets in the heart of Jefferson City today to voice their opposition to the governor’s crime package. They walked down High Street in front of the Missouri Capitol and made a pitstop at the Governor’s Mansion. Police were on the scene to try and keep protesters from blocking the streets.

Gov. Mike Parson’s special session crime plan would let judges choose whether children 14 to 18 years old should be tried as adults for certain weapons crimes. It would also allow the Missouri attorney general to prosecute some St. Louis murder cases. Parson says out of at least 161 St. Louis murders so far this year, 33 suspects have been charged.

Rep. Rasheen Aldridge

State Representative Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis, participated in the protest.

“Charge them as an adult because that is how we are going to fix violence – by being tough on crime to individuals that have made a mistake and should be held accountable but you are charging our youngest babies,” says Aldridge. “When does we go to ten? When do we go to nine? What’s going to be next? Eight? Seven? Are we locking up literally babies and putting them in jail with serial killers?”

Missouri Congressional candidate Cori Bush

Cori Bush of North St. Louis County, who defeated longtime St. Louis Democratic Congressman Lacy Clay in this month’s primary election, was among the crowd of protesters. They marched to the Cole County Jail and Bush had a message for law enforcement.

“We are about saving lives,” she says. “And so if you think we want to destroy your property – we don’t. If you think that we want to just disrupt just to disrupt – we don’t. We’re disrupting because you won’t stand up and do the right thing and make sure your work is to save lives.”

The legislation would also scrap a requirement for St. Louis police officers to live within the city and would create a witness protection fund to compel more witnesses to come forward in crime cases.

The Missouri House of Representatives gets back to work next week on the legislation. Three committees have scheduled hearings for Monday afternoon.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Missouri protests continue over the death of Minnesota’s George Floyd

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Hundreds of protesters have lined streets in Kansas City, Springfield, Columbia, and the St. Louis area this weekend chanting phrases like “Hands up, don’t shoot” and “No justice, no peace”. They have been calling attention to this week’s death of George Floyd, an African-American man in Minneapolis. A white police officer is accused of third-degree murder after pinning Floyd to the ground by pressing his knee into Floyd’s neck for about eight minutes.

Photo courtesy of KMBC-TV

The casualty is stirring up the pain felt when 18-year-old Michael Brown, Jr. was shot to death in 2014 by a Ferguson police officer. Brown, an unarmed African-American man, was killed by Darren Wilson, who is white.

Brown’s death led to protests for days on the streets of Ferguson, looting, and vandalism – some of the same acts happening in Minneapolis, Atlanta, and elsewhere during protests. His death also sparked a movement driven to stop unarmed African-Americans from getting killed by law enforcement.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas tells KMBC-TV he wants this weekend’s protesters to work for change in the community between African-Americans and police.

“What we are not out here to do is act a fool, is to have generalized hooliganism, is to do something that will, I think, tarnish not just the life of George Floyd but also to tarnish, I think, what is a wonderful peaceful rally,” he says.

Lucas, who is African-American, spoke with passion about bringing people together – not driving them apart.

“We’re not here to just try to start something that is tangential to what the goal of us is – is to make sure that people can live equally, to make sure that people can walk around feeling safe, to make sure that every black mother in this city has the chance to say ‘I know my son’s going to come back and he’s not going to get shot by somebody on the street, he’s not going to get shot by the police, he’s not going to get messed by somebody in those different areas.’ That’s all I’m asking,” says Lucas. “And that’s all we want today.”

Taylar Johnson Coody spoke with heavy emotion.

“I’m tired of having to wake up and go to social media to see every, I’m sorry, of having to see another black person on the floor. I’m tired of people dying and I’m tired of having to come out here and protest for the people I love and care about,” she tells KMBC.

In Kansas City, some protesters have been arrested and police have used pepper spray on some individuals. On Twitter, the Kansas City Police Department confirmed officers are using tear gas to keep people off of streets.

In the St. Louis region today, protesters lined the streets in Clayton, University City, and in Ferguson. Some demonstrators blocked traffic on Interstate 70.

State Representative Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis, spoke during today’s rally.

“This is our moment. Let’s make it right. This is our moment to show the world that we ain’t f***ing around no more,” he says. “Just because we’re mad don’t make us violent. Just because we’re pissed don’t make us terrorists.”

Before an Urban League donation drive today, Missouri Congressman Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, said there should be justice for George Floyd.

“If George Floyd would have been white, would he have died on the street like an animal begging for mercy while he struggled to breathe,” asks Clay. “The three officers who stood by and did absolutely nothing to save his life must be charged as accessories to murder.”

After Brown’s death, Clay helped to create a consent decree between the City of Ferguson and the U.S. Department of Justice to help change policing practices.

Here are scenes from earlier today in southwest Missouri’s Springfield:

In response to the protests, Gov. Mike Parson has declared a state of emergency. He has signed an executive order giving the Missouri Adjutant General or his designee the power to activate National Guard soldiers if necessary. In a press release, Parson says the Missouri National Guard and the Missouri Highway Patrol stand ready to support local authorities.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of George Floyd. We are also saddened by the acts of violence that have transpired across our nation and state in response to this event. At this time, we are taking a proactive approach to protect Missouri and its people,” the governor says. “Citizens have the right to peacefully assemble and protest, and the State of Missouri is committed to protecting the lawful exercise of these rights.”

Parson says despite the many peaceful assemblies, other events have created conditions of distress and hazards to the safety, welfare, and property of residents and visitors that are beyond the capacities of local authorities.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Missouri lawmakers to return to Jefferson City on April 27; they’ll practice social distancing (AUDIO)

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Missouri’s governor believes it’s safe for state lawmakers to return to the Capitol in Jefferson City later this month, adding that the decision is up to legislators. The top leaders in the GOP-controlled Missouri Senate and House say lawmakers will come back on April 27.

State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis, speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on January 28, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Governor Mike Parson (R) responded Wednesday to a question from Missourinet during his daily media briefing, asking him about the COVID-19 health concerns raised by State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis.

“There’s still work to be done everyday here at the state, the state keeps going,” Parson says. “So I look for them to be back and I think they will but I think also they’ll take precautions to make sure people can be as safe as they can when they come back to the Capitol.”

Legislative leaders note they have until the May 8 constitutional deadline to approve the state operating budget.

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, and other legislative leaders say lawmakers will continue to practice social distancing when they return, and that infection mitigation procedures will continue.

They also say it’s critical that lawmakers keep state government funded and services operating without interruption.

State Rep. Bob Bromley, R-Carl Junction, is screened for COVID-19 symptoms by a Capitol Region Medical Center professional on April 8, 2020 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Representative Aldridge has COVID-19 safety concerns, for the 163-member House and for staff and Capitol visitors.

“We haven’t really reached the peak of this COVID-19 outbreak for cases being reached, deaths being reached in the state and not also having enough tests to know exactly who has this potential virus,” says Aldridge.

Aldridge says the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation projects that Missouri will reach its peak deaths per day on April 29.

Legislative leaders say they’ll use the time between now and April 27 to monitor the trajectory of Missouri’s coronavirus cases.

Aldridge would prefer that lawmakers tackle the budget in a special session this summer.

“We could be entering something that we just don’t know, I mean no one knows, and I’m not blaming anybody,” Aldridge says. “But we don’t know what’s going to happen in the next couple of weeks, and Missouri is continuing to see an increase in COVID cases.”

State health officials say there are now 4,895 confirmed coronavirus cases in Missouri, along with 147 deaths.

Pro Tem Schatz, Speaker Haahr and other GOP legislative leaders say the decision to move forward on April 27 was not an easy one. They say the General Assembly will continue with social distancing and that hearings and proceedings will be open to the public.

They’re still encouraging you to participate in the process remotely, when possible.

State lawmakers left Jefferson City on April 8, after approving a historic $6.2 billion emergency relief package to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, which has cost thousands of jobs across the state. Haahr notes it’s the largest supplemental budget in state history.

The House debate was unlike anything that’s ever been seen in the chamber, with Speaker Haahr wearing a mask and the chamber limited to ten people at one time. There were no visitors in the upper galleries, which normally are filled with schoolchildren, lobbyists and the general public.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis, which was recorded on April 15, 2020:

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Twice-daily Amtrak service across Missouri gets bipartisan support in House Budget Committee

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A bipartisan group of lawmakers on the Missouri House Budget Committee teamed up this week to support a GOP amendment, which removes the restriction to once-daily Amtrak passenger service across Missouri.

The amendment is from State Rep. Aaron Griesheimer, R-Washington. The Missouri River Runner train stops in his hometown of Washington, which has an Amtrak station near the Missouri River.

State Reps. Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis, and Wes Rogers (far right), D-Kansas City, listen to testimony during a House Budget Committee hearing on March 15, 2020 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis, voted for the Griesheimer amendment on Sunday. Representative Aldridge has ridden the Missouri River Runner train from St. Louis to Jefferson City, for session.

“I’ve used the Amtrak quite often, and I know how essential it is not just to me but to people that are trying to see our great state,” Aldridge says. “If it’s getting to Kansas City, Jefferson City, other stops that people like to visit.”

Representative Aldridge tells colleagues that both the morning and afternoon Amtrak trains are usually 90 percent full when he rides, and emphasizes the service’s need.

The train stops in downtown St. Louis, near 14th Street. It also stops in several Missouri towns, including Sedalia, Warrensburg and Hermann.

The Budget Committee has voted 19-16 to approve the Griesheimer amendment, which is aimed at preserving twice-daily service from St. Louis to Kansas City.

State Rep. Wes Rogers, D-Kansas City, also voted for the amendment, telling Griesheimer that twice-daily train service is good for tourism too.

“When we visit my in-laws in St. Louis, we like to get on the train in Kirkwood (a St. Louis suburb), take it to your district, spend the day and get back on the train and then go home. It’s my son’s favorite thing to do. Without your amendment, would that be impossible?” Rogers asks.

“Yes,” Griesheimer responds.

“Thank you, no more questions,” Rogers says.

The Amtrak issue could come up again on the House floor, when the full Missouri House begins budget debate. It’s unclear now when that will be, due to coronavirus concerns.

The state owes Amtrak more than $6 million in unpaid bills.

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