Lawmakers set to meet for first time since social media controversies, health care cuts
Between Silver Spur Assisted Living and Cherokee Residential Care, Pate and her staff care for 63 residents, all of whom receive help from Medicaid, she said. The residents are treated for mental conditions such as schizophrenia, depression and bipolar disorder, as well as a host of physical ailments.
"We help them bathe, we help them get dressed, we help them with their medications, we make sure they go to the doctor," Pate said. "There's nothing that we don't take care of."
Pate said as many as 10 of her 63 residents will have to leave. The reason: tighter eligibility standards after a tight budget year. Lawmakers hatched a last-minute plan last legislative session to fill the funding hole, but Gov.
That means about 8,300 Medicaid recipients in
Reversing these cuts -- and whether to discipline two lawmakers because of offensive Facebook posts -- will dominate political chatter this week as the Legislature gathers Wednesday in
But whether lawmakers do anything about the two issues is an open question.
The legislative maneuver on health care, known as House Committee Bill 3, squeaked through in the last days of the regular legislative session in May.
Without an override, lawmakers would have to declare a special session, then start from scratch to reverse the cuts.
Likewise, because lawmakers can only consider topics the governor vetoed, they would have to hold a special session if they chose to discipline state Sen.
Rep.
Health care
Greitens vetoed HCB 3 this summer, calling the idea to sweep unused funds from other state accounts an "unconstitutional, one-time fake fix to a real problem."
Because of the veto, a new rule tightened eligibility restrictions affecting 8,300 elderly and disabled people's access to in-home care, assisted living and other specialty services.
The effect will be gradual. A person whose care was first approved last
The move will save the state
"I don't think he gets what we do," Pate said of Greitens, "and the effect it's going to have on so many people until it, like, smacks him in the face and people start losing their services.
"And then his Medicaid budget is really going to skyrocket," she said. "Because it's going to cost a whole lot more to be hospitalized all the time."
This is a point on which both
"Somehow or another I believe the state of
Lawmakers and patient advocates talk about two possibilities for addressing the cuts. One way, considered a short-term fix, is to craft another fund-sweep scheme, one that would gain approval from Greitens.
The other is to reduce funding for the so-called "circuit-breaker" tax credit, which about 100,000 low-income elderly and disabled individuals take advantage of each year.
The credit is available to both homeowners and renters, but some wanted to change the program to focus on homeowners. Critics say some renters depend on the credit to live independently.
Rep.
"I think that's one of the few things we could do at this point that would have any traction with
Social media slips
Lawmakers this week will meet for the first time since two of their own ignited controversies on social media.
After Chappelle-Nadal said she hoped for Trump's assassination, she deleted the Facebook comment, but calls for her to resign were immediate. She later apologized but has refused to give up her seat.
It is not clear whether enough senators would go along with the plan to oust Chappelle-Nadal.
In other action, two new lawmakers will be sworn in Wednesday: Rep.-elect
During the veto session, lawmakers could choose to overrule the governor's vetoes of other measures that haven't generated much attention:
--Senate Bill 65, which exempts certain boats from having protective guard rails. When he vetoed the measure, Greitens said the change would make boating in
--Senate Bill 128, which makes a number of changes to the state's criminal code. Greitens rejected the bill on the grounds that it violated the state constitution by combining too many different and unrelated provisions.
--House Bill 850, which changes the complaint process for members of the state military. Greitens said it took power away from the office of the governor.
--House Committee Resolution 19 would have authorized the sale of bonds to finance a new dance conservatory at the
--Greitens also used his line-item veto power to make minor alterations to three budget bills, House Bills 5, 6 and 9.
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