COVID-19 Cases Force Missouri Senate To Delay Meetings For Special Session

From the Missouri Independent:

Rudi Keller

November 16 2020

COVID-19 cases among members and staff of the Missouri Senate will force it to postpone consideration of an emergency spending bill and pandemic liability protection, Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden announced via tweet Monday.

Republican members of the Senate were on a conference call Monday to discuss the situation and Rowden issued his tweet after several sources told The Missouri Independent the postponement was coming.

The Senate had been scheduled to meet Tuesday and planned to hold hearings this week on both bills under consideration in the session that opened Nov. 5.

Now, no action will be taken until the first week of December, Rowden tweeted.

“Due to a number of positive COVID-19 cases among members and staff, the Missouri Senate will postpone action related to the special session until after the Thanksgiving holiday,” Rowden wrote. “This decision was not made lightly and, although disruptive, is in the best interest of protecting members, staff, and the public.”

Due to a number of positive COVID-19 cases among members and staff, the Missouri Senate will postpone action related to the special session until after the Thanksgiving holiday. 1/2 #MOLeg
— Caleb Rowden (@calebrowden) November 16, 2020

Rowden was not immediately available for comment on his announcement. Other members of the Senate Republican Caucus also did not respond immediately to text and voice messages sent by The Independent.

Republican members of the Senate were together last week in Branson for a caucus and retreat. They met with Gov. Mike Parson and photos from that meeting show few, if any, members wearing masks.

Met with the Senate Republican Caucus this morning to share my vision for the next legislative session.
We will continue to focus on workforce development, infrastructure, combatting COVID-19, economic recovery, and public safety. We are working to move #MissouriForward! pic.twitter.com/f557cvHgvI
— Governor Mike Parson (@GovParsonMO) November 11, 2020

The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is spreading rapidly in the state, with 60,010 cases reported so far this month, more than any other full month since the virus was first identified in the state in March. The Missouri Hospital Association on Friday sent Parson a letter pleading for a mask mandate and warning their ability to treat patients is being overwhelmed by the rapid rise in sickness.

Parson, who has said it is up to Missourians to take personal responsibility for avoiding the virus, was diagnosed with an infection in September, forcing postponement of an election debate.

The Missouri House has already passed the $1.3 billion spending bill sought by Parson that would provide $752 million in new spending authority for federal CARES Act funding, $18.7 million for local agencies working to prevent homelessness and $96 million in child support payments.

The child support funds come from money intercepted from federal stimulus payments, unemployment supplements and tax refunds. With the postponement, some families may be left waiting for money until the emergency spending bill is passed.

Payment were still going on as of Nov. 9 but the creative accounting used to deliver them will be exhausted by the end of the month, state Budget Director Dan Haug told the House Budget Committee that day.

“We can’t send it out to the custodial parents until we get this authority,” Haug said.

Check back later for more on this developing story.

The Missouri Independent is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization covering state government, politics and policy. It is staffed by veteran Missouri reporters and is dedicated to its mission of relentless investigative journalism that sheds light on how decisions in Jefferson City are made and their impact on individuals across the Show-Me State.