January 3, 2007

The Missouri General Assembly is gearing up for their regular session, which begins on January 3rd. Staffers are getting file folders ready for pre-filing of bills, which began on December 1st.

Robin Carnahan Takes a Pass on the Governor's Race

Ending several weeks of speculation regarding the 2008 Democratic race for governor, Secretary of State Robin Carnahan announced this week her intention not to seek that office. Carnahan cited her recent engagement and her battle against breast cancer as the two predominant reasons for not running for governor. She did say that she would seek a second term as Missouri Secretary of State.

Senator Chuck Gross to Leave the Senate in May

Confirmation of a rumor regarding Senator Chuck Gross' (R-St. Charles County) departure from the Senate came in the form of an announcement from newly sworn-in St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann. Ehlmann indicated that Gross would assume the position of Director of Administration for the county in May, after the General Assembly adjourns its regular session. Gross' departure sets the stage for the Republican and Democrat Senatorial Committees to select the nominees to run in a special election. It is widely speculated that Rep. Tom Dempsey (R- St. Charles County, Majority Floor Leader) and Rep. Carl Bearden (R-St. Charles County, Speaker Pro Tem) will vie for the nomination on the Republican side. No leading Democratic names have surfaced to date. Sen. Gross will continue his chairmanship of the Senate Appropriations Committee during the coming session.

Session Convenes on Wednesday

On January 3, the General Assembly convenes and will conduct swearing in ceremonies for all newly elected and re-elected members. The leaders of both parties will also be formally elected by the Senate and House, previously chosen in caucus meetings directly after the November election. Speaker Rod Jetton and President Pro Tem Michael Gibbons will address the House and Senate, respectively, outlining their visions and goals for the session. That evening at 6:00 p.m. the inaugural ball will commence and there are multiple social events in the various elected officials' offices.

Medicaid Will Be a Top Priority in Session

State lawmakers return to Jefferson City today to begin a new legislative session. Medicaid reform will be a top priority. Senate Majority Leader Charlie Shields of St. Joseph doesn't hesitate to say Medicaid is a major issue. Shields says health care reform will dominate the session as the legislature stares down the 2008 deadline to end the current Medicaid system. Shields co-chaired the Medicaid Reform Commission. He says lawmakers hesitated to take up the commission's recommendations last session, because Governor Blunt hadn't outlined his priorities. That will come this year, most likely in the State of the State address. Representative Margaret Donnelly, a Democrat from St. Louis, will be listening to hear whether Republicans intend to expand coverage. Donnelly says Democrats won’t be content unless the proposal put forward this session expands health care coverage and restores coverage for those cut from the program. Democrats have been harshly critical of Republicans in general and Governor Blunt in particular, for cutting the Medicaid budget, leaving 90,000 Missourians without coverage.

Don't Count Out the Bird Flu, Although it's Been Quiet Lately

It's been a while since we've heard fears voiced of a bird flu pandemic but that does not mean it has gone away. The Bird Flu is still out there. A couple of cases recently showed up in Egypt. And health officials worldwide maintain a bird-flu watch. The Emerging Infections Coordinator at the state health department, Eddie Headrick, says there's a difference between the Bird Flu and a pandemic....He says a pandemic happens every 35 to 40 years, and we're due. It might be the bird flu...or it might be something else. He says pandemics happen about three times a century and there hasn't been one since 1968. Headrick says there has been "a lot of activity" in recent years with viruses jumping from birds to humans. He says the H5N virus, known as the bird flu, was spotted in 1997. Since then two other strains have developed and have made the jumps. Headrick says it's hard to predict which strain will mutate. He says the health department has to be prepared to fight a pandemic, regardless of the breed of flu that constitutes it. He says his job is to try to stay ahead of the mutations. He says an elaborate international watch program reports anything happening in any country within 24 hours. But Headrick says we're due and it's likely a pandemic of some kind will hit in the near future.

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