Mo. House passes unemployment benefit legislation

JEFFERSON CITY, MO (MISSOURI DIGITAL NEWS) - Governor Nixon's signature is all that's left before 10,000 Missourians get their unemployment benefits restored. The Missouri House sent legislation to the governor to extend unemployment benefits by a vote of 138 to 13.

The bill came from the Senate where a Republican filibuster had held it up for weeks.

The delay made benefits expire on April 2 for 10,000 long-term unemployed Missourians.

Republican Representative Barney Fisher from Western Missouri says it was time for the bill to reach the governor.

"We had to accept them really and concur in what the Senate did. I don't think their changes were drastic. I think they were reasonable and it was time to pass that bill and get it to the governor," Fisher said.

Democrat leader Mike Talboy says the House needed to pass the bill or fear "sending this over to, whether there called the four horsemen of the apocalypse or as I've dubbed them, the lunatic fringe," Talboy said.

Future unemployed Missourians will see their benefits cut by six weeks, a concession the House made to the Senate.

Governor Nixon's spokesman says the bill will now go under an "expidited review process."

Brian Bondus, Missouri Digital News

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Missouri House recommends axing Carnahan's district

JEFFERSON CITY, MO (MISSOURI DIGITAL NEWS) - The Missouri House Redistricting Committee passed a map that would eliminate Democrat Russ Carnahan's congressional seat in St. Louis.

Republican committee chairman John Diehl proposed the map that looks very similar to the one passed in the Senate on Monday.

"Everybody's criticizing it, but nobody can show you anything better. So it's probably a pretty good map," Diehl said. "And I think the fact that the Senate and the Democrats came up with a map that's only about two percent different than this one ... I think tells you we are probably pretty close to the right answer."

Democratic Representatives Penny Hubbard and Jamilah Nasheed from St. Louis both served on the committee and voted for the new map.

Even though St. Louis lost a district, Nasheed says it will strengthen the city.

"It should be one, because the city of St. Louis is polarized right now. I think now is the time to be able to do away with the polarization in the city of St. Louis and I think this will help," Nasheed said

The only "no" vote came from Crystal City Democrat Ron Casey, who's from the congressional district that's going away.

Diehl's map will now go to the House floor.

Brian Bondus, Missouri Digital News

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