Swan updates legislative actions

Missouri's budget, upcoming ballot issues and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic were among the topics discussed by 147th District State Rep. Kathy Swan Friday as part of her annual legislative update Friday during the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce's First Friday Coffee.

Coronavirus, Swan said, has impacted Missouri's revenues and has forced the state to make deep funding cuts.

"We had to cut $700 million from what the governor's original proposed budget was," she said.

While funding through the federal CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act has helped lessen the impact of the state budget cuts, Swan said the financial pinch is continuing into the current fiscal year, which began July 1.

"On June 30 we realized our revenue picture was not what we hoped it would be," she said, "so again there are $448 million of (budget) restrictions. The good news, if there's good news in this, is that K-12 and higher education will both be funded at the same level as last fiscal year."

She also noted Missouri lawmakers approved legislation exempting federal coronavirus stimulus payments from state income tax: "They're already exempt from federal taxes, but now they're (also) exempted by the state."

In her comments about voting and election processes, Swan said the state has reduced restrictions on absentee voting by mail. Typically, absentee ballots must be notarized.

"However, if you are over 65, if you have a medical condition such as chronic lung disease, diabetes, serious heart disease, chronic kidney disease, liver disease or if you're immunocompromised, or if you are a resident in a long-term care facility, you do not have to have that ballot notarized," she said.

Swan briefly commented on a pair of proposed constitutional amendments on the November ballot -- one that would impose term limits on all statewide officeholders and the other designed to lower the cap on campaign contributions and eliminate gifts from lobbyists to state legislators and officeholders.

In August, voters will be asked to consider a constitutional amendment that would expand Medicaid coverage in the state. Passage of that amendment, Swan said, would require a 10% match of federal Medicaid funding. "That's $300 million per year," she said, noting that because the state has to have a balanced budget, cuts would need to be made from various budget funds including education, mental health services and services for senior citizens in the state.

"So that's very concerning from a budgetary standpoint," she said.

Finally, Swan commented on the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"While it might be easy to look back and ask 'Why did we do this' or 'Why did we not do something else,' we need to consider that decisions are being made with the best information we have in hand at the time," she said.

Swan's remarks were carried on the chamber's Facebook page because chamber meetings, including First Friday Coffee gatherings, have been taking place online as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

Do you crave business news? Check out B Magazine, and the B Magazine email newsletter. Check it out at semissourian.com/newsletters to find out more.