JEFFERSON CITY — Gov. Mike Parson claimed victory Monday in the wake of the General Assembly’s annual session.
In an interview in his Capitol office, Parson beamed as he ticked off a laundry list of wins for his administration, ranging from a massive investment in Interstate 70 to increased spending for projects at community colleges and universities.
“We probably, behind the scenes, had one of the best sessions I would say a governor’s ever had,†Parson told the Post-Dispatch. “We literally checked the box on about everything we addressed in the State of the State.â€
In January, during his annual speech to a joint session of the House and Senate, Parson asked the Republican-controlled Legislature to finance an $859 million partial widening of I-70, bankrolled in part by an influx of federal pandemic relief money and robust state tax revenues.
People are also reading…
What he received in return as lawmakers wrapped up their work Friday was $2.8 billion to widen the traffic-choked highway to three lanes in each direction between Wentzville and Blue Springs.
“That’s huge to be able to do that,†the Republican said.
At the same time, he said the $50 billion spending plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1 contains too much pork barrel spending. He said he plans to veto some of it but did not identify any specific projects that are in his cross hairs.
“We know there were a lot of pet projects put in the budget. There will be some that are not going to make it,†he said. “There’s definitely a lot of fluff in the budget.â€
The added spending on infrastructure and workforce development has been his mantra since taking office in 2018, and he suggested he’ll say it again in January when he delivers his final State of the State speech before term limits end his tenure.
He said he has focused on those issues rather than wade into culture war issues that have dominated politics in other Republican states.
“I haven’t gone down a lot of the political roads people go down,†Parson said.
Rather, he said he is focused on getting tangible results that will improve transportation, education and the economy.
“You’re just making things that really matter for the future,†Parson said.
A total of 43 policy bills made it through the House and Senate chambers. That is the lowest production by a General Assembly in more than two decades, not counting the pandemic-limited session in 2020.
That number would have been even lower if Republicans in the House hadn’t spent the final day ramming through a number of proposals to pad their final bill tally.
Parson said he was disappointed that one of his top agenda items did not cross the finish line. The governor had sought a package of tax credits designed to expand access to child care in order to bring more people into the workforce.
“It was really something I felt could help a lot. I’m disappointed that didn’t get done,†he said. “We’ve got to figure out a better way to provide day care for kids in this state. It’s expensive. It’s hard to find. I just really want people to go to work.â€
Parson also said he is disappointed the Legislature could not agree on a plan to legalize sports betting or make it more difficult for citizens to change the state constitution through a vote of the people.
The governor also signaled he’s likely to sign two bills that affect transgender Missourians.
The legislation sent to him would limit access to puberty blockers, hormone therapy or gender-affirming surgeries for transgender minors.
“I’m a big believer that when you become adult, you can live the way you want to live then,†Parson said. “But when it comes to kids, that’s a whole other story.â€
“I think as a last resort we need to let these kids be raised as kids and then let them make a decision some day,†Parson said.
Parson had no advice for families that are considering leaving the state because they have children who are undergoing the kinds of therapies that will be banned if he signs the legislation.
“They’ll have to make those decisions on their own,†he said.