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NewsBook: Missouri Government News for September 30, 2002

 

. Auditor blasts Missouri Department of Conservation (10/04/02)
JEFFERSON CITY - State Auditor Claire McCaskill released an audit on Thursday faulting the conservation department for questionable land purchases and accounting practices.

McCaskill criticized the earmarked permanent sales tax that funds the department, saying employees "don't have the same kind of pressure on their budget that the rest of state government does."

Here are some expenditures criticized in the audit:

- a $2.3 million donation to improve a duck habitat in Canada;

- $75 million to buy 82 percent more wetlands than initially planned;

-$492,000 donated to a logging heritage museum as yet unbuilt;

- $1.1 million to make up for a 31 percent cost overrun in construction at the Kansas City Discovery Center.

. Anti-abortion groups disagree on cigarette tax increase (10/04/02)
JEFFERSON CITY - Missouri's largest anti-abortion group, Missouri Right to Life, opposes a ballot initiative that would quadruple the cigarette tax to pay for health-care services.The group's president, Pam Manning, accuses the ballot initiative of being a "back-door way for the state to subsidize Planned Parenthood."

The Missouri Catholic Conference and Campaign Life Missouri, both anti-abortion groups, support the initiative which they agree is abortion-neutral.

. Tobacco tax increase wouldn't fix budget mess (10/04/02)
JEFFERSON CITY - A proposed 55-cent increase in the state cigarette tax could bring in a third of a billion dollars in new tax revenues. However, the money wouldn't solve the state's current budget shortfall as most of it is earmarked for new health care spending.

Get the newspaper story.

. Governor's Mansion to be lit for Breast Cancer Awareness (10/03/02)
JEFFERSON CITY - To commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Governor's Mansion will be lit pink starting Thursday night.

Last year, the Capitol was lit, but First Lady Lori Hauser Holden said she chose the Governor's Mansion this year to show the importance of family.

Get the radio story.

. State audit lauds parents-as-teachers program (10/03/02)
JEFFERSON CITY - The $30 million state program, Parents as Teachers, is run fairly, and nearly 90 percent of its participants called the program a success, according to an audit released by state Auditor Claire McCaskill.

Parents as Teachers tries to inform parents of delays in their children's development and provide useful information and guidance to parents for instructing their children.

. Missourians get to keep $18 million from Miss Cleo (10/03/02)
JEFFERSON CITY - Miss Cleo couldn't have predicted this one.

The companies behind the TV psychic pleaded guilty to criminal charges of unlawful merchandising practices in St. Charles County Circuit Court. As a result of the guilty pleas, Access Resource Services and Psychic Reader Network along with the companies' current and past presidents, will not collect $18.8 million from Missourians who were billed for the service.

. State may change transportation planning process (10/01/02)
JEFFERSON CITY - The State Transportation Commission will consider a plan to revamp the transportation planning process when it meets Thursday and Friday in St. Louis.

The proposal, which is supported by the Department of Transportation, would shift greater power to local districts.

Get the newspaper story.

. Governor appointees to investigate Missouri Foster Care program (10/01/02)
JEFFERSON CITY - Gov. Bob Holden has appointed retired judge Frank Conley and Dick Dunn, the past chairman of the Children's Trust Fund, to investigate Missouri's Foster Care program.

The program came under fire after the death of a 2-year-old southeast Missouri boy. The boy suffered fatal injuries after the Division of Family Services returned him to his foster home despite concerns raised by family court workers.

. Governor's new Medicaid rules go into effect; will cost $3.5 million (10/01/02)
JEFFERSON CITY - Gov. Bob Holden's plan to let Medicaid recipients keep more of their money and still qualify for Medicaid went into effect today.

It is expected to cost the state $3.5 million through the end of the fiscal year, but the governor doesn't know where the money will come from.

Get the radio story.

. MoDOT says it spent more than $1.2 million on audits (09/30/02)
JEFFERSON CITY - The Department of Transportation says it's possible internal and state auditors could find greater efficiencies.

Audit commitee chairman Jim Anderson met with state Auditor Claire McCaskill's office to review processes.

Get the radio story.

. Holt County botches Senate race ballots (09/30/02)
JEFFERSON CITY - One voter in Holt County called the Secretary of State's office after receiving a ballot identifying Jean Carnahan as a Republican and Jim Talent as a Democrat.

County officials say the mistake was made by a contracted publisher, and that everything will quickly be set right.

Get the radio story.

. Voters to decide on state regulation of municipal utilities (09/30/02)
JEFFERSON CITY - Missouri voters will get to decide whether municipalities could join together to own and control power plants without state regulation.

The current law requires state regulation of utility rates and safety measures of power plants owned by more than one municipality.

If voters adopt the amendment, the municipalities will no longer have to submit to governmental oversight.

Get the newspaper story .

. Tobacco tax increase - necessary or regressive? (09/30/02)
JEFFERSON CITY - Some argue that the tobacco tax increase on the November ballot is targeting the wrong socioeconomic group. The median income for smokers in Missouri is about $26,000.

This raises the question of whether the tax is regressive since it taxes the poor instead of the rich.

If passed, the tax will bring in about a third of a billion dollars a year. The measure requires the money be used for health care, medical research and childcare programs.

. MoDOT loses $10.4 million in construction funds because of open containers(10/01/02)
JEFFERSON CITY - Missouri's roads have lost $10.4 million in federal construction funds because the legislature has failed to put the lid on open container legislation by today's deadline.

Instead the state will be forced to spend the money on highway safety programs.

Get the newspaper story.

. Firefighters say they want same rights as private employees (09/26/02)
JEFFERSON CITY - Firefighters say they hope Missouri citizens will give the collective bargaining and binding arbitration rights. State firefighters council president says he hopes private citizens will given the the rights that will help them take care of their families.

Missouri Municipal League says binding arbitration for state firefighters could result in increased taxes for Missouri residents.

Get the radio story.

. Conservation Department to investigate allegations made against Talent (09/23/02)
JEFFERSON CITY - The mud-slinging is heating up in Missouri's race for the U.S. Senate.

After Sen. Jean Carnahan, a Democrat, participated in a skeet-shooting event, Republican challenger Jim Talent announced that while he didn't shoot firearms, he did go fishing. The Democratic Party today announced that Talent does not have a valid Missouri fishing license.

The Conservation Department said that Talent's case will be treated like any other case. The maximum penalty for fishing without a license is $1,000 fine or up to one year in jail.

Get the radio story.

. State health department reviewing bioterrorism plans (09/23/02)
JEFFERSON CITY - The State Health department is reviewing the Centers for Disease Control and Protection's plans for dealing with smallpox. The Center for emergency response and terrorism says CDC guidelines strengthen exisiting state plans.

Get the radio story.

. MoDOT shifts accountability call to legislature, looks for fuel tax revenue (09/24/02)
JEFFERSON CITY - Following the voters' resounding defeat of a transportation tax increase, MoDOT suggests taking money from cities, counties and other state agencies to fill its budget needs.

Department Director Henry Hungerbeeler said the Transportation Commission "might consider" asking for all revenue from the 6-cent fuel tax.

Get the newspaper story.

. Missouri cities oppose strengthening firefighters' bargaining power (09/24/02)
JEFFERSON CITY - A constitutional amendment to strengthen the bargaining power of Missouri firefighters has drawn the opposition of city governments.

While firefighters say the measure would merely give them the same rights afforded workers in the private sector, an association of Missouri municipalities said it would cost taxpayers a bundle.

  • Get the newspaper story.
    . Another aide is leaving the governor's staff (09/24/02)
    JEFFERSON CITY - Gov. Bob Holden's deputy chief of staff, Deirdre "D.K." Hirner, is quitting to become vice president of Drury University.

    She is the fifth high-level official to leave the leave the governor's personal staff in recent months. Others who have resigned include his chief of staff, legal counsel, budget director and his chief spokesman.

    . The latest Post-Dispatch poll shows the Carnahan-Talent race still in a dead heat (09/23/02)
    JEFFERSON CITY - Support for Sen. Jean Carnahan and Republican candidate Jim Talent remained within the margin of error in a Zogby poll published by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch over the weekend.

    The poll showed Carnahan with 48 percent and Talent at 40 percent -- within the 4.5 percentage point margin of error.

    An earlier poll also showed also showed the two in a dead heat with a closer margin.

    . A former state budget director warns of long term budget problems for the state (09/20/02)
    JEFFERSON CITY - Former state budget director Jim Moody warned a meeting of the Missouri Institute of Public Administration that state government's budget problems will continue into the next fiscal year -- and, possibly beyond that.

    In addition to being a former budget director, Moody also had served as the commissioner of the Office of Administration and director of the state's Social Services Department.

    Moody, who now works as a lobbyist, said the state had cut taxes so deeply in recent years that an economic upturn would not solve the state's budget problems.

    . Conservation Department to test 6,000 deer for chronic wasting disease (09/20/02)
    JEFFERSON CITY - The Missouri Dept. of Conservation will test 6,000 deer for chronic wasting disease during this fall's hunt in response to outbreaks of the disease in southern Wisconsin and several western states.

    Last year the state tested 72 sick deer reported by hunters and the public. None tested positive for the disease.

  • Get the newspaper story.
    . Holden raises poverty level, tells departments to find money (09/20/02)
    JEFFERSON CITY - Gov. Bob Holden announced that state departments will have to prioritize existing funds in favor of Medicaid recipients. Raising Medicaid income guidelines to 80 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, he said his plan would benefit about 25,000 people who are eligible for the spenddown program. The announcement gave no indication of the benefits' cost. Spokeswoman Chris Kelly said the governor expects individual agencies to make the fund reorganization a priority.
    . Secretary of State will not block cigarette tax proposal (09/19/02)
    JEFFERSON CITY - Secretary of State Matt Blunt will not appeal a judge's decision to allow the cigarette tax increase proposal on the November ballot.

    Blunt had ruled earlier that the petition did not have enought valid sigantures to be included on the ballot. A Cole County judge disagreed and accepted the signatures.

    Get the radio story.

    . Holden promises $31 million for UMKC, but doesn't know where to find the money (09/19/02)
    JEFFERSON CITY - Gov. Bob Holden's budget director said Holden does not know where the money he promised Kansas City will come from.

    Holden pledged to release $31 million in state funding to the building of a life science building on the UMKC campus.

    Get the radio story.

    . Judge rules voters should decide cigarette tax hike (9/16/02)
    JEFFERSON CITY - A Cole County judge has ruled a proposal to raise the cigarette tax by 55 cents a pack should go on this November's ballot.

    The ballot initiative had been blocked by Secretary of State Matt Blunt, who ruled that its proponents had fallen just hundreds of signatures short of the state requirement.

    Get the newspaper story.

    Get the radio story.

    . Carnahan says she thinks Bush will wait for U.N. support to attack Iraq (09/16/02)
    JEFFERSON CITY - Sen. Jean Carnahan says she thinks President Bush will wait for U.N. support to attack Iraq but that he will strike unilaterally if necessary.

    Carnahan refused to say if she supports pre-emptive strike without further debate.

    Get the radio story.