Missouri

Competitive and transparent license office award process implemented by Nixon was embraced by overwhelming majorities in the General Assembly

July 1, 2009 -- SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Immediately after taking office in January, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon ended a longstanding tradition of political patronage by putting up for competitive bid the state's system of 183 license offices. Today, Gov. Nixon signed into law House Bill 381 and House Bill 683, which codify his reforms in statute and ensure that the open and transparent bidding system he implemented will remain in place in future years.    » read more »

Bi-state Governors sign memorandum outlining cooperative efforts to compete for recovery act funds for Chicago-to-St. Louis line

June 22, 2009 -- ST. LOUIS - Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and Illinois Governor Pat Quinn today visited the St. Louis Gateway Amtrak Station to detail their shared priorities for competing for federal recovery funds to establish a high-speed passenger rail line between Chicago and St. Louis.    » read more »

Gov. Nixon signs bill creating new fund to benefit families of emergency personnel killed in the line of duty

June 19, 2009 -- KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Standing inside a Kansas City fire station, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon today signed a bill to benefit the families of Missouri emergency personnel killed in the line of duty. House Bill 580, which establishes the Line of Duty Compensation Act, allows a claim to be filed with the Division of Workers' Compensation on behalf of a law enforcement officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, air ambulance pilot or air ambulance registered nurse for a benefit of $25,000.    » read more »

June 17, 2009 -- JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missouri Governor Jay Nixon today released the following statement on the announcement that Fiat/Chrysler will reopen its Missouri truck plant to produce 2009 and 2010 models:

"I am encouraged that Fiat/Chrysler is planning to reopen its Missouri truck plant on June 29th. This is a step in the right direction.

"My administration has had productive discussions with Chrysler and I will continue to work with the company on finding a way to keep its Missouri plant open for the foreseeable future.

"Missouri is home to the best-trained, hardest-working, most-productive auto workers in America, and my administration is committed to fighting for Fiat/Chrysler's presence here and the jobs that go with it.    » read more »

Payments made possible under bill signed Friday by Gov. Nixon

June 17, 2009 -- JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missourians who have exhausted their unemployment insurance while they continue to look for work have begun receiving their first payments of extended benefits under House Bill 1075, a bill signed into law last Friday (June 12) by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon. The bill will inject up to $65 million of federal Recovery Act funds in Missouri's economy by extending the period for Missourians to receive unemployment benefits.    » read more »

Missouri to Receive Nearly $79 Million in Disaster Recovery Funds

June 10, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kit Bond announced today that Missouri will receive nearly $79 million in federal dollars from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to be used for recovery and clean-up efforts following a federally declared disaster.

“Unfortunately we in Missouri know all too well the damage that Mother Nature can inflict on families, homes and businesses. These funds will help hard-hit cities and rural communities rebuild and recover,” said Bond.    » read more »

Bipartisan-Bi-state Senators Designate Region as the Kansas City Animal Health & Nutrition Corridor

June 9, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Recognizing the high number of animal health and nutrition businesses and educational and research assets available in the Kansas City area, U.S. Senators Kit Bond (R-MO), Sam Brownback (R-KS), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), and Pat Roberts (R-KS) today introduced a resolution to bolster jobs by designating the region from Manhattan, Kansas to Columbia, Missouri as the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor.    » read more »

June 3, 2009 -- JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missouri Governor Jay Nixon shared his ideas about developing high speed passenger rail service at a roundtable today in Washington, D.C., with Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and the Governors of several other states. The Governor said he wants Missouri to be at the forefront of high speed rail projects that could be funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). A portion of ARRA specifically mandates funding for improving and deploying high speed rail systems in the United States.    » read more »

June 1, 2009 -- JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missouri Governor Jay Nixon announced today that applications and guidelines for the Missouri Small Business Loan Program are now available to Missouri businesses. Created by the Governor's executive order and approved by the Missouri Development Finance Board, the start of the Small Business Loan Program marks another advance in Gov. Nixon's agenda for economic development by providing much-needed capital to small businesses during these difficult economic times.    » read more »

May 29, 2009 -- JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Standing next to an antique 1951 John Deere Model A tractor on the South Lawn of the State Capitol, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon today signed HB 93 & 216, a bill to make tractor parades in Missouri legal. Gov. Nixon was joined at the signing by bill sponsor state Rep. Mike Thomson of Maryville; by state Sen. Frank Barnitz of Lake Spring, who handled the bill in the Senate; by Jon Hagler, director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture; and by Col. James Keathley, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol.    » read more »

May 28, 2009 -- JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missouri Governor Jay Nixon today sent President Barack Obama a request for additional federal assistance for infrastructure damage in 46 counties impacted by the severe weather and storms from May 8 to May 16. This is in addition to Gov. Nixon's previous request for a disaster declaration from the federal government.

Damages to public property and infrastructure exceeded $48.7 million in the 46 counties canvassed by the federal/state/local joint damage assessment teams. This amount also includes damages to the public utilities and electric cooperatives, estimated at more than $37 million. Power was finally restored to all citizens over Memorial Day weekend, Gov. Nixon said.    » read more »

May 22, 2009 -- U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill announced today that the Department of the Interior is providing the State of Missouri with a total of $1,190,996 in federal grants to fund conservation and recovery initiatives for imperiled fish and wildlife throughout the state of Missouri.

Grants are distributed through the State Wildlife Grant (SWG) program. This project was selected to receive federal dollars for the development and implementation of programs that benefit fish and wildlife, including species that are not hunted or fished. The grants will support both planning and implementation activities and will assist in conservation of the highest priority Missouri wildlife, plants and habitat.    » read more »

McCaskill sends letter asking for answers on Missourians awaiting Disability Claims

May 22, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill sent a letter this week to Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), calling for answers about what the agency is doing to deal with the current backlog of disability claims in Missouri and requesting information about the status of hiring of new Administrative Law Judges to accelerate the process.

Hundreds of thousands of people across the nation are awaiting decisions on their disability claims. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided the agency with $500 million to process its workloads, including the disability backlog.    » read more »

Request information on behalf of Missouri dealerships

May 22, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a letter sent today to the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry, U.S. Senators Claire McCaskill and Kit Bond sought answers to concerns raised by those Missouri dealerships selling Chrysler and General Motors vehicles that learned last week that their contracts will soon be terminated.    » read more »

May 20, 2009 -- JEFFERSON CITY - Missouri Governor Jay Nixon today asked President Barack Obama to declare a major disaster for the state of Missouri as a result of the severe storm system that plagued many parts of the state from May 8 to May 16 with high winds, hail, tornadoes, heavy rain, flooding and flash flooding.

The storm system was responsible for seven fatalities, 21 serious injuries, widespread property damage, and, at its peak, more than 150,000 utility customers being without power. Approximately 1,700 customers remain without power in Iron, Madison and Ripley counties as a result of the storm system.    » read more »