Ingrid Burnett: Republicans finally fund Missouri Medicaid expansion; now they're working to eliminate it

(From Rep. Ingrid Burnett, D-Kansas City)

Of course, the big news from last week was the final approval of the Emergency Supplemental Budget Bill that I have been writing about. 

You will recall that right after the session began in January, Governor Parson presented the $4 billion bill that would provide appropriations to give state workers a pay raise of 5.5% and create a base pay rate of $15/hr. 

It also contained $2 billion of federal spending authority from Biden’s pandemic relief funds to local public and private schools which were set to expire on March 24 if not appropriated by then. 

Finally, along with funding for other health and social services, it will fully fund the State’s Medicaid program for the rest of the FY 2022 fiscal year. Parson wanted the bill finalized by February 1 so that the raises could take effect then, but after stalling for weeks, the House Budget Chair brought his own version forward which cut the base pay to $12/hr and reallocated some of the Education Department funds to create a scholarship program to be managed by a 3rd party vendor.

In the meantime, the Senate was involved in a spat among the Conservative Caucus members and their Republican colleagues about Congressional Districts which devolved into an argument about proper chamber attire and decorum and resulted in legislation being held up for days at a time. 

It did not stop the bill from going to the Senate Appropriations Committee, however, and that committee restored the Governor’s recommendation for funding the higher wages and removed the restrictions on the Education dollars. 

While the hardliners ultimately allowed the bill to come to a final vote, they all voted against it. When the bill came back to the House on February 24, one day after the Department of Education ran out of spending authority for the school lunch program, the changes were accepted, and by a vote of 133-12, it passed, and was signed by the Governor that day.

Republicans Attempt to Undo Medicaid Expansion by Undermining Voters

Passing the Emergency Supplemental bill within the next few weeks also prevented the state Medicaid program from exhausting its spending authority. 

Majority Republicans intentionally underfunded Medicaid in the FY 2022 state operating budget in a last-ditch attempt to thwart a voter-mandated expansion of the program’s eligibility, but the Missouri Supreme Court later ruled the state was still constitutionally required to provide services to the expanded population. 

Now, the next attempt is a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at undoing a voter-mandated expansion of eligibility. HJR 117 would accomplish what the Supreme Court said isn’t currently allowed by amending the constitution to grant lawmakers the power to block services to the expanded population by withholding funding. 

The House voted 95-45, also on February 24 to advance HJR 117 to the Senate. If the Senate also approves HJR 117, it would go on the Nov. 8 statewide ballot for voter ratification.

House Republicans Propose to Gut the Initiative Process

The House of Representatives on Feb. 24 granted first-round approval to another proposed constitutional amendment that would make it virtually impossible to amend the Missouri Constitution via the initiative petition process. 

It marked the second time in as many weeks that the chamber endorsed legislation to gut the state constitutional right to initiate legislation independently of the General Assembly – the process which was used to bring Medicaid expansion to a vote of the people. 

The latest attempt, House Joint Resolution 91, would drastically increase the minimum number of signatures of registered voters required to use the initiative to place a constitutional amendment on the statewide ballot to about 350,000 – more than double what’s required today. 

It also would create a confusing system under which some proposals that managed to qualify for the ballot would need the support of two-thirds of voters to be ratified while others could still win ratification with a simple majority. A second vote is required to send HJR 91 to the Senate, and if passed by the upper chamber, the measure would go the Nov. 8 statewide ballot and require just a simple majority for ratification.