Community Update

General Assembly Republicans Put Rigid Ideology ahead of Fiscal Responsibility, Economic Growth and Missourians’ Health Care

As the General Assembly’s 2013 regular legislative session concluded last week, the St. Charles County Democratic Central Committee voiced disappointment in the radically partisan priorities of the county’s Republican legislators.
“In 18 weeks in Jefferson City, Republican supermajorities defined their idea of thoughtful legislation by approving bills that were fiscally irresponsible, blatantly unconstitutional and totally inexplicable,” said Committee Chair Morton Todd. “The only people who came out ahead were the Republicans’ biggest donors.”
Moreover, Republicans repeatedly refused to consider the state’s best and easiest way to grow the economy: expanding Medicaid in order to return Missouri tax dollars to Missouri, generate $9.6 billion in new economic activity and provide health coverage to 300,000 additional Missourians.
“Despite more than 60 state and local business groups, including the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and the St. Charles County Economic Development Center, endorsing Gov. Nixon’s plan to strengthen Medicaid, the Republican supermajorities put politics first and repeatedly blocked this middle-of-the-road measure,” said Todd. “But what’s worse is that Republicans’ inaction directly leads to lower quality health care by removing $4 billion from hospitals’ bottom lines.”