State Rep. Sara Walsh Archives

Remote testimony will likely be up to discretion of Missouri House committee chairs this session

January 12, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

A Missouri House committee decided Friday that remote testimony via zoom will be up to individual committee chairmen and chairwomen this session.

State Rep. Sara Walsh, R-Ashland, who chairs the Missouri House Consent and House Procedures Committee, hands the gavel over to new House Speaker Rob Vescovo on January 6, 2021 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of Ben Peters at House Communications)

The Missouri House Consent and House Procedures Committee held about a 90-minute hearing on Friday in Jefferson City, discussing zoom testimony and numerous other rules issues.

Committee members in both parties agree that COVID continues to be a concern, but the GOP-led committee is giving discretion to Missouri House committee chairs. State Rep. Sara Walsh, R-Ashland, chairs the committee.

Remote testimony happened in mid-December, when former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani testified via zoom before the Missouri House Special Committee on Government Oversight. There were some technical issues with Giuliani’s computer that night, and at one point, he was upside down in the screen that Missouri lawmakers were facing.

As for the Consent and House Procedures Committee, they also voted down a proposed amendment Friday from ranking Democratic State Rep. Tracy McCreery, D-Olivette. She says House committees should not hold a hearing on bills and vote the same day, saying lawmakers need more time to study any bill.

McCreery also wants to see masks required in the Missouri House, particularly during committee hearings.

House Majority Floor Leader Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, testified before the committee on Friday. The committee approved one of his proposals, which would allow Missouri House committees to meet without a quorum. That can be an issue when there is snow and/or ice in Jefferson City.

The committee also discussed the importance of subpoena enforcement for Missouri House committees.

Central Missouri lawmaker files bill aimed at helping forensic investigators at scenes (AUDIO)

December 10, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Legislation aimed at providing forensic investigators with better access to crime and crash scenes has been filed by a mid-Missouri state lawmaker.

State Rep. Sara Walsh, R-Ashland, speaks outside the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City on September 10, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Rep. Sara Walsh, R-Ashland, says forensic investigators often can’t get past the vehicles backed up at the scene.

“It would allow forensic investigators, coroners and medical examiners to display fixed, flashing or rotating red or blue lights on their vehicle when they’re responding to a crime scene or accident,” Walsh says.

Under current Missouri law, forensic investigators are not authorized to use lights or sirens when responding to scenes. Walsh notes that in some interstate traffic fatalities, vehicles are backed up for miles.

“If they (forensic investigators) are in their personal vehicle responding at late hours, a lot of folks that are there waiting in the traffic backup just think they are an impatient citizen, when they really need to get to the head of the line to be able to do their work,” says Walsh.

She notes that law enforcement officers cannot finish their work, until the forensic investigator has arrived and finished his or her work.

Walsh represents Boone, Cole, Cooper and Moniteau counties in the Missouri House, and chairs the House Subcommittee on Appropriations for Public Safety.

She credits local central Missouri forensic investigators and Columbia Police Officers Association (CPOA) Executive Director Dale Roberts for bringing this issue to her attention. Roberts is a constituent in her district.

Walsh predicts the bill will have other benefits as well.

“There might even potentially it could help solve the problem of secondary accidents, because anytime you’ve got traffic backups sometimes folks will run into traffic not seeing that it’s stopped,” Walsh says.

Walsh describes her two-page bill, House Bill 380, as bipartisan. She’s hopeful it will pass in January.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with State Rep. Sara Walsh, R-Ashland, which was recorded on December 9, 2020:

Columbia’s mayor touts radiopharmaceutical corridor and three massive construction projects (AUDIO)

November 23, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Columbia’s mayor says his fast-growing city and all of mid-Missouri will benefit greatly from three massive projects happening in the area.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson (left) and Columbia Mayor Brian Treece (center) speak to businessman Greg Steinhoff on November 17, 2020 at a groundbreaking ceremony at Columbia Regional Airport (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

Mayor Brian Treece notes that more than $500 million in new construction will be happening in the next 12 to 24 months, with some already underway.

“Between a new I-70 bridge at Rocheport, a $200 million NextGen precisional health complex, that will bring life saving cures to Columbia. And now a new $38 million airport terminal (at Columbia Regional). That’s great for mid-Missouri,” Treece says.

The NextGen Precision Health Institute, a $220 million facility, is under construction. It’s expected to train the next generation of scientists who will help Missouri address future health care needs.

The NextGen project is the UM System’s top capital priority, and enjoys bipartisan support in the Legislature from lawmakers such as Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, State Rep. Sara Walsh, R-Ashland, and State Rep. (and State Sen.-Elect) Greg Razer, D-Kansas City.

Mizzou says researchers in medicine and engineering will work in the institute, to advance lifesaving research.

As for the I-70 Rocheport bridge, Missouri has received an $81 million federal grant to replace the current bridge, which was built in 1960. More than 12-million vehicles cross that bridge annually, including three million trucks.

Rocheport is just west of Columbia.

Mayor Treece also predicts that a new terminal that will be built at Columbia Regional Airport (COU) will be a generational investment that will pay big dividends in future economic development for his city and for central Missouri. The mayor says the terminal will also be huge for the University of Missouri.

“For new businesses that want to come to mid-Missouri, that want to take advantage of the University of Missouri’s nuclear reactor and building a radiopharmaceutical corridor right here in central Missouri for life-saving cures that we all benefit from,” says Treece.

The current COU terminal was built in 1968, and Columbia will soon begin flying to Charlotte. Mayor Treece says the new terminal will put further destinations in play, and says Atlanta and Phoenix are two major hub cities Columbia would like to fly to.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with Columbia Mayor Brian Treece, which was recorded on November 17, 2020 at Columbia Regional Airport:

Bipartisan Missouri legislative effort to restore cuts to Mizzou’s NextGen Precision Health initiative

May 4, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

While the budget approved last week by the Missouri House cuts funding for the state’s public colleges and universities, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle hope some of those cuts can be restored this summer. And two key lawmakers from different parties are calling on the Senate to restore funding for the UM System’s top priority, which is a major health initiative.

The $34.9 billion state operating budget approved by the House on Wednesday includes cuts to the state’s public colleges and universities. House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, addressed the issue on the floor on Wednesday, telling colleagues that all public two and four-year schools would receive a ten percent reduction over what was appropriated last year, under the budget.

Missouri House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, speaks about the budget on the House floor in Jefferson City on April 29, 2020 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

“I realize that this causes consternation across the General Assembly, and it’s not an easy thing to do,” Smith says. “But again we’re looking at a tremendously difficult budgetary outlook year.”

Chairman Smith says it’s possible that state lawmakers will be called back for a special session this summer, and says that if additional federal funding comes down, he’d like to see the money restored.

“It will be a conversation that we will need to talk about at that time, if we have some additional federal money to spend, or if we are able to reallocate some general revenue,” says Smith.

The Carthage Republican says the House may be called to return to Jefferson City this summer, for supplemental budgets.

Meantime, State Reps. Sara Walsh, R-Ashland, and Greg Razer, D-Kansas City, are calling on the Senate to restore about $700,000 in cuts to Mizzou’s NextGen Precision Health initiative. The NextGen Precision Health Institute, which is under construction, is expected to train the next generation of scientists who will help Missouri address future health care needs.

The $220 million facility is the UM System’s top capital priority. Mizzou says researchers in areas like medicine and engineering will work in the institute, to advance lifesaving research.

Representative Razer, a Mizzou graduate who is the ranking Democrat on the House Higher Education Committee, announced on the floor Wednesday that someone in his immediate family has just been diagnosed with cancer.

Razer predicts the facility will accelerate medical breakthroughs.

“This is truly a space that can cure cancer. They have the capability of curing cancer at the University of Missouri,” Razer says.

Razer tells the House that the UM System requested $10 million from the state. Governor Mike Parson’s budget recommendation reduced that to $3 million, and as of now, lawmakers have it at $0. Razer wants to see the Senate restore some funding.

Representative Walsh, who chairs the House appropriations subcommittee on transportation, is also a Mizzou graduate. She spoke on the floor after Razer, proposing using $729,000 originally intended for Fort Leonard Wood’s airport. She notes that money will lapse and won’t be needed at Fort Leonard Wood for another year.

“And that is money that I believe is a good purpose for it to be put to use for the precision medicine initiative,” says Walsh, whose district includes part of Columbia.

Walsh announced on the floor that she is working with Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, to partially restore some of the cuts to the NextGen Precision Health initiative and to Boone County Task Force One, which is a Columbia-based search-and-rescue team. She says she supports utilizing state revenues most effectively, to help ease the pain being felt now.

Mizzou says the institute will play a key role in the NextGen Precision Health Initiative, which supports the research activities of the UM System’s four campuses and health system.

University leaders broke ground on the institute last June.

“The NextGen Precision Health Initiative will help bring us bring laboratory research to effective treatments, which will benefit all Missourians as well as the rest of the world,” UM System President Dr. Mun Choi said at the 2019 groundbreaking ceremony.

The institute is being funded through a combination of private and corporate support, state support and contributions from Mizzou and the UM System.

Missouri’s governor warns about shortage of police officers; “Back the Blue” plates unveiled

September 17, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri Governor Mike Parson (R) says law enforcement agencies across the state are having a difficult time finding enough officers.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson briefs Capitol reporters on September 13, 2019. (Brian Hauswirth photo)

The governor spoke Friday afternoon at the Statehouse in Jefferson City, telling Capitol reporters it’s a dangerous job.

“If you talk to any county, any city police department, especially St. Louis (and) St. Louis County, you’re hundreds of people short of being able to put them in uniforms,” Parson says. “Simply because people are not wanting to work in that arena.”

Governor Parson says it’s important to “have the officers’ backs,” saying they are the front-line defense for Missourians.

He’s signed legislation into law, that gives Missourians the opportunity to obtain “Back the Blue” license plates. The plate is entirely voluntary.

State Rep. Sara Walsh, R-Ashland, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Appropriations for Public Safety, sponsored the “Back the Blue” bill, which was House bill 898.

Walsh spoke at the recent license plate unveiling ceremony, noting that a $10 donation will be collected from each license plate applicant for the Missouri Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation.

“This will help ensure the memorial that stands behind us (near the Capitol in Jefferson City) continues to stand in memory of Missouri’s fallen law enforcement officers,” says Walsh.

David and Beverly Thomas, the parents of murdered Columbia police officer Molly Bowden, help State Rep. Sara Walsh (left) unveil the “Back the Blue” license plate on September 10, 2019 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The memorial is located on the river side of the Statehouse.

House Speaker Pro Tem John Wiemann, R-O’Fallon, also spoke at the ceremony. Wiemann is praising the new plates, saying they give residents the opportunity to show support for law enforcement officers. He notes some of his family members are law enforcement officers and first responders.

“This license plate I think will do a lot to help out our men and women in blue, and I’m just honored to be part of this ceremony,” Wiemann says.

Walsh and Wiemann were joined at the ceremony by House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, Missouri Department of Public Safety (DPS) Director Sandy Karsten, Missouri State Highway Patrol Colonel Eric Olson, Ashland Police Chief Lyn Woolford and several other state lawmakers and law enforcement officers.

Walsh became choked-up during the ceremony when she introduced David and Beverly Thomas of Rocheport. They are the parents of former Columbia Police Officer Molly Bowden, who was killed in the line of duty during a 2005 traffic stop.

Missouri lawmakers to hear more testimony about county jail reimbursement

August 30, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri corrections officials are scheduled to testify before a legislative committee in Jefferson City in September about county jail reimbursement.

Missouri House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, speaks on the House floor on March 28, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Missouri Public Defender System Director Michael Barrett says the state has budgeted about $43 million this fiscal year to local jails for holding citizens who are awaiting trial.

Missouri Department of Corrections (DOC) budget director Trevor Foley is set to testify before the House Budget Committee on September 10 about the county jail reimbursement program and the issue of electronic monitoring of offenders.

House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, tells Missourinet he also expects sheriffs and county commissioners to be at the hearing, and possibly prosecutors.

Missouri is the only state in the country that reimburses counties for a portion of the defendant’s entire local jail time, while the person’s case goes through the court system.

House Appropriations Subcommittee on Corrections Chairwoman Sara Walsh, R-Ashland, tweeted at Missourinet today that this is an issue that state lawmakers want to continue to explore. Walsh says the Legislature budgeted $1.75 million in the current fiscal year to all Missouri counties with unpaid jail reimbursements.

Walsh says she’s invited county commissioners and sheriffs from her mid-Missouri district to the hearing.