Missouri has paid a consulting firm more than $829,000 so far in federal funding for pandemic response coordination, despite Gov. Mike Parson saying a foundation was paying the tab. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports payroll records show the McChrystal Group has received the federal CARES Act funding from the state, instead of Parson saying earlier […]
Tag: billion
Missouri becomes third state in nation to begin paying unemployed workers through Lost Wages Assistance program
Missouri has become only the third state in the nation to begin processing payments to unemployed workers under the federal Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) program. The state began processing the $300 federal supplemental payments last night to eligible individuals. Because Missouri was one of the first states to apply for and be approved for the […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway: “We need a reset on our coronavirus strategy”
State Auditor Nicole Galloway has spent the week touring Missouri as part of her bid for governor. She has visited Hannibal, Cape Girardeau, Joplin, and Sedalia. Galloway is the Democratic nominee and faces Republican Governor Mike Parson in November’s General Election. Much of Galloway’s focus during her visits have been critical of Parson’s approach to […]
Are postal service delays hampering small business?
Operational changes intended to help the financially troubled U.S. Postal Service save money aren’t going over well with some small-business owners in Missouri and other states. Recent modifications, including the end of overtime for workers, have led to numerous reports of delays, both in personal and commercial mail and package delivery. John McHugh, chairman of […]
Green Hills Regional Planning Commission to receive $400K CARES Act grant
The Green Hills Regional Planning Commission in Trenton will receive a $400,000 CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant from the Economic Development Administration. The grant will help the commission respond to the Coronavirus pandemic by supporting business owners and community partners to ensure economic recovery. Congressman Sam Graves of Missouri applauded the announcement of Recovery Assistance […]
Missouri becomes 38th state to expand Medicaid
Missouri voters have spoken. They want to join 37 other states that have expanded Medicaid. About 53% voted during Tuesday’s primary election in favor of providing Medicaid to another 230,000 low-income adults. Roughly 47% of Missouri voters opposed the ballot measure. The outcome highlights Missouri’s urban and rural divide. Of Missouri’s 114 counties, 105 voted […]
Senator Blunt is optimistic a compromise can be reached this week on stimulus package
United States Senator Roy Blunt is optimistic a compromise can be reached this week on another economic stimulus package in the battle against COVID-19 and its impact on the economy. Blunt, a Republican involved in the negotiations, insists Senate Republicans and House Democrats are not that far off, even if the Senate approved a $1 […]
Audio: Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman opposes Medicaid expansion ballot measure
The Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee chairman is speaking out against an August Medicaid expansion ballot measure, saying it pits the Medicaid population against children. Cosby State Senator Dan Hegeman says Medicaid’s current budget in Missouri is about 12-billion dollars. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Dan Hegeman tells Capitol reporters that Amendment Two doesn’t provide […]
Missouri’s state Treasurer, Scott Fitzpatrick, is warning against Medicaid expansion
Missouri’s state treasurer and the House Budget Committee chairman will travel across the state on Monday, urging Missourians to vote against Medicaid expansion on the August ballot. Medicaid, which is formally known as MO HealthNet, is a federal and state program that assists with medical costs for residents with limited incomes. House Budget Committee Chairman […]
Missouri banks ask consumers to deposit, use spare change because of coin circulation slowdown
Time to empty out the piggy banks to help small businesses. Missouri banks are asking consumers to deposit their spare change at their local banks or use change when shopping as the pandemic-related shutdowns have created a slowdown in coin circulation. When COVID-19 restrictions went into place, establishments like retail shops, bank branches, and laundromats […]
Audio: Missouri Receives $15 Million in CARES Act Funding for Tourism
Missouri’s governor announced $15 million in grant funding on Thursday to help rebuild Missouri’s tourism industry, which has been hammered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) says Missouri has seen 30,422 confirmed coronavirus cases, along with 1,113 deaths. State Department of Economic Development (DED) Director Rob Dixon tells Capitol reporters in Jefferson […]
Audio: Missouri Congressman Sam Graves says CARES Act has helped rural hospitals in northern Missouri
A congressman who represents northern Missouri says the federal CARES Act has helped rural hospitals in his district. Tarkio Congressman Sam Graves voted for the bipartisan legislation this spring, which included 75-billion dollars for personal protective equipment for health care employees. Graves who represents 36 counties across northern Missouri, says there is a […]
Auditor Galloway issues statement regarding federal indictments in multi-state $1.4 billion hospital billing scheme
State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released a statement after the head of a hospital management company and nine other people were charged in a federal indictment of conspiring to operate a multi-state $1.4 billion billing scheme that used rural hospitals to submit fraudulent claims. The scheme was first uncovered after a 2017 audit of Putnam County Memorial […]
Audio: Ten people charged in $1.4 billion billing scheme that includes Putnam County Memorial Hospital
Ten people have been charged in a 1.4 billion dollar rural healthcare billing scheme that includes a northern Missouri hospital. The individuals, including hospital managers, lab owners, and billers, are accused of participating in a scheme using rural hospitals in several states, including Missouri, as billing shells to submit false claims for lab […]
Missouri lawmakers to hear testimony on Medicaid expansion and tax credits
Missouri lawmakers will hear testimony on Tuesday in Jefferson City about potential impacts on the state budget if voters approve Medicaid expansion in August. Medicaid, which is officially called MO HealthNet in Missouri, is a federal and state program that assists with medical costs for residents with limited incomes. Missouri voters will cast ballots on […]
Audio: Missouri pays out approximately $2 billion in unemployment claims during pandemic
Missouri’s governor and state officials say initial unemployment claims have dropped from about 100-thousand in late March to about 20-thousand in early June. Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations Director Anna Hui addressed the issue during a Statehouse news conference on Tuesday. The state fully reopened for business on Tuesday, and Director […]
Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry backs Medicaid expansion
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. Missouri’s current Medicaid budget is about $10 billion, accounting for about one-third […]
Water quality report from Missouri Department of Natural Resources shows no violations for City of Trenton
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has released the 2019 Annual Water Quality Report for Trenton Municipal Utilities. The report shows no violations occurred in the 2019 calendar year. The water for TMU comes from the Thompson River as surface water. For regulated contaminants, 90% of water utility levels were less than 0.0142 parts per […]
Missouri House approves $34.9 billion budget, following heated debate on Medicaid expansion
The Missouri House voted Wednesday afternoon to give final approval to a $34.9 billion state operating budget. GOP leaders say it’s a budget that’s about $146 million less than the current budget. Most House members wore masks during the debate, which got heated during a discussion about Medicaid expansion. Due to COVID-19 concerns, there were just three […]
Missouri House to vote on final approval of state operating budget
The Missouri House is expected to give final approval to a proposed $34.9 billion state operating budget Wednesday in Jefferson City. The House will gavel-in Wednesday morning at 10, and House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, tells Missourinet they’ll take up the budget at that time. He notes the Legislature must approve a balanced budget by […]