Nixon urges lawmakers to wrap up special session

KANSAS CITY, MO (KCUR) - Missouri governor Jay Nixon reiterated his push today for lawmakers to wrap up their more than three week Special session that’s cost tax payers more than $100,000 dollars.

"You know it’s just time for the house and senate to resolve their differences and get a fisc responsible bill to my desk, or bring the special session to a close,” the governor said.

Nixon also said he’s taking a double look at the revised social networking bill lawmakers recently passed. It overturns a previously enacted law limiting teacher interaction with students through online forums like Facebook … but lawmakers added a clause to the new bill requiring schools to come up with their own policies on such matters.

"I’m not taking a double look at it to try to figure out when to sign it or not sign it, that’s not releveant, it’s just making sure that having an individual school district do a narrower type of policy is an acceptable alternative here," Nixon said.

Nixon spoke in Kansas City Thursday, touting a new $20 million dollar federal grant the state recently got to bring new health service training opportunities to thousands of underemployed residents throughout the state.

Elana Gordon, KCUR

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Crowell adamantly against special session

JEFFERSON CITY, MO (MISSOURI DIGITAL NEWS) - Republican Senator Crowell made it very clear during Tuesday's special session four hour debate that he had no problem ignoring Governor Nixon.

Crowell's animated antics sparked a historical special session debate the capitol has not seen in many years.

The senator expressed his adamant opposition of Governor Nixon's legislative maneuvering.

"The governor's not my dad and I don't live under his rules," Crowell said. "This is crazy! This is unbelievable! We have never had a governor try to tell on such a micro-level what the senate can do on such a variety of topics."

Crowell stressed democracy cannot be micromanaged and it is repugnant to the state's very ideals to do so.

He was also worried the governor's actions might turn Missouri into a monarchy.

Jessi Turnune, Missouri Digital News

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Nasheed doesn't mind if local control is pushed back in agenda

JEFFERSON CITY, MO (MISSOURI DIGITAL NEWS) - One of the leading supporters of local control for the St. Louis Police Department says she doesn’t mind if the issue is pushed back in the legislative agenda.

The Senate's top leader, Rob Mayer refused a Senate vote on local control of the St. Louis Police Department until tax credits were dealt with first.

St. Louis Democratic Representative, Jamilah Nasheed is a lead supporter of the local control issue and says she will respect Mayer's decision on what he thinks is important.

"Quite frankly I don't have a problem with that," Nasheed says.

However, before local control can be addressed the House must approve the restricting tax credits for the China hub.

Becky May, Missouri Digital News

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Nixon expects results from special session

JACKSON, MO (KRCU) - Governor Jay Nixon says that he is confident that the Missouri General Assembly will accomplish a long list of overdue business when it reconvenes for a special session in September.

The legislature will take up an economic development bill and a bill to invest in scientific and high-tech industries.

Nixon said that the General Assembly will also work on natural disaster relief and moving Missouri’s Presidential primary date.

He thinks that these items should all pass during the special session.

"Most of these measures, other than the disaster stuff, have been worked on by the legislature for a couple of years. The Science Reinvestment Act bill has been worked on for a couple of years. I think it’s now in a place that it can pass. Most of them have had votes in either the House or the Senate. So we’re not talking about starting over. And I think that’s one of the advantages we have," Nixon said.

Nixon described the special session’s legislative agenda as items “that didn’t quite get done at the end of the last session.”

No date is set for the September session.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

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Nixon hints at special session

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - Governor Jay Nixon hinted Thursday that he may be prepared to call lawmakers back to Jefferson City for a special session on economic development.

A major economic development bill that created 360 million dollars in tax incentives to boost Lambert Airport as a hub for Chinese cargo got tangled up in a political dispute on the last day of session.

Elected officials have been pushing for Nixon to bring the General Assembly back to complete the job.

Nixon repeated his stance that he won’t call a session unless there’s consensus on an issue. But he says negotiations have gone well over the last five weeks.

“I think that we are headed down a path that if folks are serious and they roll up their sleeves, we might be able to meet that three-part test and get people to provide us some additional tools,” Nixon said.

The dispute centered around attempts to rein in tax credits, especially ones given to companies that want to rehab historic buildings.

Rachel Lippmann, St. Louis Public Radio.

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