Governor of Missouri Archives

Governor to speak at school administrators’ conference as many districts return this month

August 3, 2021 4:19 AM Zola Crowder

State Commissioner Margie Vandeven will also speak at the conference Tuesday.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Will Missouri’s vaccine incentives work?

July 22, 2021 2:05 AM ABC 17 News Team

Missouri is having a surge in coronavirus cases health officials say is being powered by the more contagious delta variant combined with a low vaccination rate. About 40% of the state is fully vaccinated.

Missouri to offer cash prizes for coronavirus vaccine; new health director named

July 21, 2021 2:23 PM Chanel Porter

The state will offer people 12 and older who have had at least one shot of a coronavirus vaccine a chance to enter a drawing for $10,000 starting Aug. 13. Drawings will be held every two weeks through Oct. 8. People under 18 will be entered to win a $10,000 education savings account.

Missouri governor receives federal pandemic loan for farm

July 21, 2021 3:39 PM Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s Republican Gov. Mike Parson has received roughly $6,300 for his beef cattle ranch through a federal program designed to help small businesses during the pandemic. The Kansas City Star on Tuesday reported Parson was approved for a $6,288 loan in March. The loan is part of a federal effort

TUESDAY UPDATES: Gov. Parson to discuss COVID-19, statewide vaccine incentive program and new DHSS Director during Wednesday press conference

July 20, 2021 8:56 AM ABC 17 News Team

Check back here for updates on COVID-19 in Missouri.

Parson: State will ‘probably’ help fund COVID overflow site

July 16, 2021 6:43 PM Associated Press

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson says the state will “probably” provide funding for a site to help handle the overflow of COVID-19 patients in Springfield, where hospitals are struggling to keep up with a surge driven by the delta variant and vaccination hesitation. But the Republican governor suggested Thursday that federal stimulus

Missouri preparing to put vehicle charging sites in parks

July 16, 2021 6:21 PM Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri is preparing to install electric vehicle charging stations at some of its state parks. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that a budget measure approved by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Mike Parson provided $1 million to the state Department of Natural Resources to begin installing stations in parks.

Governor says health officials playing blame game as state health department issues advisory

July 15, 2021 1:29 PM Associated Press

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson says some officials at Springfield hospitals are trying to find someone to blame for a large increase in COVID-19 cases in the region.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Will Missouri’s gas tax increase be worth it?

July 14, 2021 1:34 AM ABC 17 News Team

Gov. Mike Parson on Tuesday held ceremonial signings across the state of a law that will increase Missouri’s gas tax by 12.5 cents over five years.

Parson signs gas tax increase meant to boost transportation funding

July 13, 2021 3:27 PM Chanel Porter

The bill will provide about $500 million more each year to the Missouri Department of Transportation for roads and bridges by increasing the gas tax by 2.5 cents every year for a five-year period.

Missouri governor vetoes public records bill

July 9, 2021 3:49 PM Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has vetoed a bill that would have limited public access to certain government records. Parson vetoed the bill Friday. The measure would have allowed Missouri government agencies to close off public access to people’s addresses and phone numbers provided for mailing lists. More broadly, the bill

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Should vaccination teams go door to door in coronavirus hot spots?

July 9, 2021 2:08 AM ABC 17 News Team

President Joe Biden this week announced plans to send volunteer teams door to door in some areas to get more Americans vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Details released on CDC surge teams already deployed to Missouri

July 8, 2021 5:44 AM Molly Stawinoga

Federal surge teams are in Missouri to help with the rising cases, low vaccination rates, and the spread of the Delta variant.

Missouri Gov. Parson signs bill for to-go cocktails

July 7, 2021 8:08 PM Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri restaurants will be able to sell to-go cocktails permanently under a new law. Republican Gov. Mike Parson on Wednesday signed the legislation into law. Missouri had eased restrictions on to-go mixed drinks during the coronavirus pandemic as a way to help struggling restaurants maintain business. The new law makes

Gov. Parson signs COVID-19 liability bill

July 7, 2021 11:23 AM Josie Anglin

Gov. Mike Parson will ceremoniously sign Senate Bill 51 at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at the State Capitol.

Missouri seeks damage assessments across 17 counties in preparation for federal disaster declaration request

July 6, 2021 7:24 PM Karl Wehmhoener

JEFFERSON CITY, MO. (KMIZ) Gov. Mike Parson announced that Missouri has requested the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to participate in joint Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDAs) in 17 counties in response to severe storms and flooding. Teams will survey the damage that began on June 19 with severe weather and continued through July 1 in

Missourians to rally Thursday, when voter-approved Medicaid expansion was supposed to take effect

July 1, 2021 5:58 AM Zola Crowder

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) On Thursday, the day Medicaid expansion would have taken effect, Missourians plan to rally outside the Governors Mansion at 11 a.m. Missourians in support of expansion plan to share their personal health care stories during the rally. Missouri Jobs with Justice has set up a hotline where Missourians can express their

Parson signs bill requiring online sales tax collection

June 30, 2021 3:06 PM Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Gov. Mike Parson has signed a bill to require online retailers to collect sales taxes on purchases made by Missouri residents. Parson signed the bill Wednesday. Missouri is the last state with a sales tax to approve such a requirement. Buyers are still required to pay sales taxes. But many

Mo. Supreme Court sides against state in open records case

June 29, 2021 6:10 PM Karl Wehmhoener

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Public governmental bodies in Missouri cannot charge fees for the time attorneys spend redacting documents prior to their release to the public, the state Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the court ruling noted that the Missouri Sunshine Law allows officials to charge requestors for “research”

New Missouri law makes it a crime to reveal lottery winners

June 29, 2021 3:27 PM Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has signed legislation that could keep the identity of lottery winners secret. The bill signed Tuesday makes it a misdemeanor crime for Missouri Lottery officials or contractors to release the name, address or any identifying information about anyone who wins the lottery, unless the winner asks