Latest entries in Politics Watch
Political updates from Columbia, Jeff City and Washington by The Maneater's political reporters.
Aug. 17, 2010
Missouri public colleges to see more funding cuts
Gov. Jay Nixon and his budget staff said today that public colleges and universities around the state should prepare for deeper cuts to their state funding next year.
Nixon and state Budget Director Linda Luebbering warned of the cuts while speaking at an education summit in Jefferson City attended by more about 150 college officials. Last month, Luebbering's office put out budget instructions for fiscal year 2012 that say funding could be reduced as the last of federal stimulus package funds are spent.
"For Fiscal Years 2011 we are currently projecting modest growth in collections, with stronger growth in Fiscal Year 2012," the guidelines stated. "However, the Fiscal Year 2012 budget will be made more challenging by the phase-out of $860 million of federal budget stabilization funds."
This year, funding for public colleges and universities was cut by $50 million and the colleges agreed to keep their tuition rates frozen at 2007 levels for another year. The legislature also cut $54 million in state scholarship funding.
Aug. 5, 2010
Bond opposes Kagan nomination
Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., announced that he will oppose U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan's nomination to the Supreme Court when the Senate votes on her confirmation later today.
In a brief statement this morning, Bond said he felt Kagan would not adhere to the Constitution in her rulings.
“The massive expansion of government power we've seen over the last 18 months puts our country at a unique time in history," he said. "Putting a check on activist government power and adhering to our Constitution is too important to take a chance on a nominee with a lack of judicial experience and history of liberal advocacy."
Some had thought Bond might support Kagan's nomination, because he voted earlier this year to confirm justice Sonya Sotomayor. Most Democrats are expected to support Kagan in a vote today, as are four Republicans. Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., has said he will vote against Kagan's nomination.
If confirmed, Kagan will replace the retiring John Paul Stevens as an associate justice. She will become the fourth woman ever to serve on the Supreme Court.
Aug. 4, 2010
MU enters Yellow Ribbon program for veterans in 2010-11
MU will be one of 1,100 schools in the country to offer veterans help in paying for college as part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs "Yellow Ribbon" Program, the department announced this morning. The department made 152 agreements with Missouri colleges and universities and a full list of schools is available here.
According to a VA press release, the VA-administered Post-9/11 GI Bill normally reimburses students for tuitions that don’t exceed the highest in-state undergraduate tuition rate for a public institution. Under the Yellow Ribbon program, when schools contribute to the difference between the in-state maximum and their usual cost, VA will match them dollar for dollar up to 50 percent of the difference.
Veterans eligible for the program are those who are elgible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill's benefits who served at least 36 months on active duty or served at least 30 continuous days before being discharged due to a service-related injury.
The Post-9/11 GI Bill, passed by Congress in 2008, allows every eligible veteran, service member, reservist and National Guard member to receive an in-state, undergraduate education at a public institution at no cost.
The release said the VA launched a special outreach effort in January to encourage more schools to participate in the program during the coming academic year. The deadline was extended to July 23 and letters were also mailed to school officials and reminder e-mails sent to promote maximum participation. The application process was streamlined to allow schools to fax and e-mail agreements to VA rather than send through regular mail.
July 28, 2010
Budget announcement sees slight revenue growth, utility hikes
Columbia City Manager Bill Watkins gives his budget message at a press conference at City Hall. Watkins said the city is proposing a conservative budget for FY 2011 in anticipation of tough fiscal straits in the next few years.
City Manager Bill Watkins is giving his budget message for fiscal year 2011 this morning. He began speaking moments ago and said the city will be making cuts due to the economic downturn.
"Even though operating expenses are up slightly, we're making significant cuts in total budget expenses," Watkins said. "Some of this reduction involves sacrifice; some is just planning and executing."
According to a copy of his remarks obtained by The Maneater, the city expects revenues to increase 2.7 percent from last year, which means the city will see $9 million more in income, but most of that (about $8 million) comes from utility increases approved by voters.
The remarks say that there will not be any fee or tax increases, but the city is budgeting an 'unavoidable' utility rate increase that will cost about $8.25 per month for the average residential customer.
General fund revenue is expected to fall by $578,000 because several grants for police, public health and non-motorized transportation will be ending.
The FY 2011 would eliminate eight vacant firefighter positions and would close one of the two engine companies at Fire Station No. 2, on Columbia's northwest side, but would maintain an engine company at Station No. 9, on the city's northeast side.
The city does estimate that general fund sales tax revenue will grow about $185,000 or about 1 percent, which Watkins said was good news.
"Last year we did not expect any growth," Watkins said. "So this trend is somewhat encouraging."
Citing state budget cuts and slow economic revenue, Watkins said overall, the city's fiscal picture for FY 2011 will have little room for spending increases.
"Frankly, our current budget and what i propose for FY 2011 are based on getting through FY 2012, which we think will be a very tight year," Watkins says in the remarks.
July 27, 2010
Access Missouri scholarships face cuts by up to 50 percent
The Missouri Department of Higher Education announced Tuesday that individual Access Missouri scholarships will be cut by as much as 50 percent in the coming school year.
In a letter to presidents and chancellors of the state's colleges and universities Tuesday, the department's Interim Commissioner for Higher Education, David Russell, announced the cuts, attributing them to reduced funding and increased numbers of qualified students.
Russell said the estimated award amount for 2010-11 at public four-year institutions, like MU, will be $950 this year, down from as much as $2,150 the previous year. Awards at four-year private institutions are estimated to be $1,900, down from as much as $4,600 available last year.
The cuts come as a result of state budget cuts that saw appropriations for the scholarship program cut from $83 million. Some of that cut was offset with a $30 million loan from the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority in a deal that was announced last week.
Russell said in his letter that more than 102,000 students qualify for Access Missouri this year, compared to 86,000 eligible students in 2009-10, prompting the sharp decreases in funds, in spite of the loan. He also said the amounts may be cut even if further if more students qualify for the scholarships.
"These estimated amounts are based on conservative models to ensure there are adequate funds for the number of qualified students who enroll," he stated. "The MDHE will re-evaluate award levels prior to the beginning of the fall semester and again in December. At both of these decision points, award levels may be adjusted in order to ensure the program has sufficient funding."
DHE spokeswoman Kathy Love said in an interview Tuesday that Russell's letter will be the first time institutions have heard about exactly how deeply the scholarships were cut. She said the cuts are the result of an increase in the number of qualified students and a decrease in the amount of state funding for the program.
"There is less money available for more students," she said. "Obviously it will affect students' ability to pay for college. It's an unfortunate situation."
July 26, 2010
Bond calls for jail time for source of leaked war documents
U.S. Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., put out a statement Monday afternoon about a collection of reports on the war in Afghanistan made public by the organization WikiLeaks on Sunday. Bond called for the source of the leak to be jailed.
WikiLeaks, a website that publishes sensitive leaked documents as a form of whistleblower reporting, obtained some 92,000 previously unreleased military reports on the conflict on Afghanistan, most of them reports from officers in the field and made them public on its website and also to three newspapers on Sunday: The New York Times, the British newspaper The Guardian and the German newspaper Der Spiegel.
The documents appear to show that Pakistan intelligence officials were aiding the Taliban, in contrast with statements by American officials that Pakistan is America's ally in the fight against the Taliban. The documents were released as the Senate is set to debate a war funding bill this week. Wikileaks obtained the documents through an unnamed source within the Pentagon.
Bond, who is vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement Monday that the source should be prosecuted for potentially endangering the lives of soldiers by releasing the documents.
“It is shocking that any American, much less someone in the Pentagon, would betray his country and possibly put our soldiers at risk by leaking information on the ongoing war in Afghanistan,” Bond said in the statement. “The damage to our national security caused by leaks like this won’t stop until we see more perpetrators in orange jump suits.”
Wikileaks said it withheld releasing some reports because they would have threatened the troops.
"We have delayed the release of some 15,000 reports from total archive as part of a harm minimization process demanded by our source," the group said on its website.
July 22, 2010
Carnahan calls for three debates in Senate race
Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan called for her opponents in the race for Missouri's U.S. Senate seat to take part in three debates before the Nov. 2 general election, according to a press release put out by her campaign this afternoon.
Carnahan is the presumed Democratic nominee in the race to fill the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Kit Bond. In Thursday's statement, she called for the winners of the Republican, Libertarian and Constitution Party primaries to participate in debates with her before the general election, but said the format would have to be agreed upon by all of the nominees. In the release, Carnahan said the debates were an important part of helping voters choose a candidate.
"The opportunity for voters to hear candidates debate the major issues affecting their lives is the hallmark of our democracy," Carnahan said in the statement. "I hope the other candidates agree and will accept the challenge to a series of three general election debates, should they be their party's nominee."
Carnahan's presumed Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., has a counter on his campaign website titled the "Carnahan Counter," tracking how long the Senate campaign has been going on until Carnahan agreed to participate in a debate. At this writing, the counter stood at 535 days.
Reached shortly after Carnahan sent our her press release, Blunt campaign spokesman Tim O'Toole said he didn't know if the campaign would take its counter off the website. Later this afternoon, the Blunt campaign issued a statement responding to Carnahan's release, saying it wants more than three debates she called for.
“We have been calling for debates and forums for over a year so we are pleased she has finally accepted Roy Blunt's offer to debate," the statement said. "It's about time Robin Carnahan comes out of the shadows and explains to Missourians why she is rubberstamping the Pelosi, Reid, Obama liberal agenda of higher job-killing taxes, government takeovers and a failing "stimulus" bill that grows government, not jobs. Three debates is a good start, but it's not enough. Robin Carnahan clearly wants Missourians to have the fewest number of opportunities to see her rubberstamping the Washington liberals agenda.”
July 19, 2010
Carnahan to stop in Columbia on 'Stop the Bull' tour
Missouri Secretary of State and U.S. Senate Democratic candidate Robin Carnahan will be speaking in Columbia Tuesday as part of her campaign to fill the seat of outgoing Republican Sen. Kit Bond.
Carnahan will speak at Farm Power Lawn & Leisure in north Columbia at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday. She will also make stops Tuesday in Springfield and Kansas City, according to a press release from her campaign. The Democrat is expected to speak about the economy, earmarks and bringing down the federal deficit.
Carnahan made a similar stop in May, when she spoke at Shakespeare’s Pizza about similar issues. According to a July 14 Rasmussen poll, Carnahan trails her probable Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt, in the polls 47 percent to 45 percent.
June 28, 2010
WV senator Byrd dies, Bond praises longtime colleague
The longest-serving member of the U.S. Senate has died in Washington DC. Sen. Robert Byrd, D-WVa., was 92.
In a news release this morning, Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., praised Byrd's dedication to his constituents in West Virginia and the lessons he shared with other senators.
"From humble beginnings, Senator Byrd became the longest serving member of the Senate," Bond said. "Throughout his many years of service, there has been no greater student, teacher, and protector of the Senate institution.”
Byrd was elected to the Senate in 1959. Bond, who is retiring this year after four terms in the Senate, was first elected to that chamber in 1986.
June 25, 2010
Bond, McCaskill sponsor cybersecurity laws
Each of Missouri's senators have teamed up with one of Utah's senators to propose separate cybersecurity bills within hours of each other.
On Thursday, the office of Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., announced that he and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, will sponsor a bill aimed at curbing cyber attacks. The National Cyber Infrastructure Protection Act of 2010 would give Congress some regulatory power over the Internet and would designate one senate-confirmed person to coordinate national cybersecurity.
It would also create an entity known as the Cyber Defense Alliance, an organization for private companies and the government to share information on cyber threats. Bond, the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, characterized the efforts as part of the War on Terror, referring in a press release to the Christmas Day airline bomber.
“Our enemies won’t wait for us to do our homework, solve our turf battles, or modernize our laws before using our networks as a deadly weapon; in fact, the attacks have already started," Bond said. "We don’t have another day to waste, and our bill is the best solution to address this threat.”
Friday, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., introduced legislation aimed at curbing leaks of government information, co-sponsored by Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah. The Secure Federal File Sharing Act would forbid government workers and contractors from download file-sharing software for music and files.
McCaskill said in a statement that advances in information technology created the need for the new law.
“In this age of information technology, it’s critical that the federal government take the next step in ensuring that their data is fully protected,” McCaskill said. “It’s important that our government and our citizens’ confidential information is no longer vulnerable to exposure from the use of insecure peer-to-peer networks.”