Politics

Mo. House Adds Gov. Nixon's Amendment To Capital Improvements Bill

St. Louis Public Radio | By Marshall Griffin,

Marshall Griffin

Published May 2, 2013 at 4:46 PM CDT

Marshall Griffin/St. Louis Public Radio

The Missouri House has adopted Governor Jay Nixon’s (D) proposal announced Thursday to add $86 million to a capital improvements bill.

The move follows the release of April’s general revenue report, which shows revenue collections for the current fiscal year are up by more than 11 percent. The Governor’s proposal includes $13 million for a new state mental hospital at Fulton, $45 million for state parks, and $28 million for structural repairs to the State Capitol. House Speaker Tim Jones (R, Eureka) says it’s an agreement that will be especially beneficial to the nearly century-old Capitol.

"We have a lot of moisture problems in this building, we have a lot of mold problems in this building," Jones told reporters. "We think we better do some basic maintenance which has been on the books for a long time, if we’re gonna preserve this building and not have it be incredibly costly down the road.”

The Governor’s amendment was easily approved and the bill it was added to received first-round approval. The Missouri Senate took part in negotiations with the House and the Nixon administration, and is also expected to pass it. However, that won't happen today, as the Senate has already adjourned for the week.

House Bill 19 also includes a new state office building to be built near the old Missouri State Prison in Jefferson City. It will serve as a new home for the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) and provide additional office space for other state agencies.

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Marshall Griffin

Missouri Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a proud alumnus of the University of Mississippi (a.k.a., Ole Miss), and has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off the old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Mason, and their cat, Honey.

See stories by Marshall Griffin

Marshall Griffin

St. Louis Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a native of Mississippi and proud alumnus of Ole Miss (welcome to the SEC, Mizzou!). He has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off an old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Liberty Belle, and their cat, Honey.