John Martin — John Martin asked for clarification on National Guard budget items, specifically whether they were separate from additional disaster funds approved last year and prior disaster funding related to events like those in St. Louis.
John Martin — Representative Martin was recognized and then asked the commissioner for clarification about the Office of Childhood description on page 621.
John Martin — Representative Martin asked a follow-up question about the relationship between First Steps and early childhood special education, specifically asking how the First Steps early intervention program differs from the early childhood special education program because they appeared nearly identical.
John Martin — Representative Martin asked follow-up questions about the unclaimed lottery transfer, continuing the same line of inquiry across the two mentions.
John Martin — Representative John Martin was engaged in the same ongoing discussion about salary adjustments and mandatory raises, including questions about how such changes would be enforced legally and how commissioner and staff salaries were being handled.
John Martin — Asked whether the statewide pretrial program started recently and whether it was modeled on other states.
John Martin — Continued asking whether the pretrial program was modeled on effective programs in other states.
John Martin — Asked about staffing for the pretrial program, including whether employees would be administrators or attorneys.
John Martin — Interjected positively and then asked about the $7 court fee that has not changed since 1994.
John Martin — Asked about the $7 court fee and whether it could be raised to generate more funds.
Don Mayhew — Don Mayhew is called during the roll call.
Bill Owen — Bill Owen is called during the roll call.
Bill Owen — Representative Bill Owen was called on to inquire of the witnesses/department representatives.
Bill Owen — Bill Owen continued probing whether any alternative fund sources or funding flexibility could be used to pay judiciary salaries, framing it as a follow-up question and suggesting possible ways to close the funding gap if the committee wished to do so.
Cameron Parker — Cameron Parker was called during the roll call.
Cameron Parker — Asked for a list of the 18 detention centers mentioned on page 46.
Raychel Proudie — Called during the roll call; transcribed as 'Prouty'.
Raychel Proudie — Representative Raychel Proudie was recognized to ask a question and then pushed back on the idea that partnerships with social services are only relevant in early childhood, arguing that the need continues as children move into elementary and secondary education. She emphasized that early childhood programs are the best setting for this work because trained professionals are well positioned to notice signs of abuse and neglect. Later in the discussion, she was referenced again as part of the same broader exchange.
Raychel Proudie — Called on by the chair to ask a question or comment.
Raychel Proudie — Raychel Proudie is referenced and then invited to speak, after which she delivers a sustained response supporting school counselors and arguing that schools, districts, and DESE should accept a licensed doctor’s diagnosis rather than second-guess it. She emphasizes that students can come off IEPs, shares her own experience, and rejects harmful attempts to change children through punishment, underscoring that such approaches do not work.
Raychel Proudie — Representative Raychel Proudie was recognized and then immediately raised a point about House Bill 11, noting that about $500,000 had been expended for purposes beyond opioid use.
Louis Riggs — Called during the roll call.
Greg Sharpe — Called during the roll call; transcribed as 'Sharp'.
Kathy Steinhoff — Called during the roll call.
Kathy Steinhoff — Kathy Steinhoff questioned the governor’s office budget reductions, asking whether the core had previously been increased to accommodate a new administration, why the governor’s office was not taking a larger share of cuts if the state needed reductions, and why FTE were not lowered in the core when positions were being moved elsewhere. She then sought clarification that the FTE reduction was handled during the department request process.
Kathy Steinhoff — Was called on for an inquiry.
Kathy Steinhoff — Representative Steinhoff asked whether officers had been funded in the previous year and whether that funding had been vetoed, then continued probing related budget and staffing issues, including bed capacity, staffing levels, and whether security officers or mental health support should be prioritized.
Mike Steinmeyer — Called during the roll call; transcribed as 'Steinmeier'.
Kemp Strickler — Called during the roll call.
Kemp Strickler — Representative Kemp Strickler is called on to proceed and immediately asks about the funding recommendation, specifically why the department recommended $47 million while the governor recommended $35 million and what happened to the remaining $12 million.
Del Taylor — Called during the roll call; transcribed as 'Taylor Dell'.
Del Taylor — Representative Del Taylor was recognized and then asked for additional detail about treatment courts and mental health courts, including how NDIs differ from core funding.
Del Taylor — Asked for the page number and followed up on the treatment courts reduction.
Tim Taylor — Called during the roll call; transcribed as 'Taylor Tim'.
Tim Taylor — Representative Taylor questioned how mental health courts differ from treatment courts and how funding would work, then followed up on the treatment court fund transfer referenced on page 33. He expressed support for treatment courts and said they showed the need for a similar approach for mental health courts. Taylor then asked why the governor would not fund mental health courts despite the judiciary’s recommendation, noting that 10 circuits had already created them. He concluded by thanking the witness.
Tim Taylor — Asked how continuing education works for judges and others in the judicial system.
Tim Taylor — Representative Tim Taylor first checked whether he still needed recognition, then was recognized and asked follow-up questions for emphasis about opioid dollars and medically assisted treatment funding. He pressed for confirmation that the funds had been fully utilized and asked what the reported lapse represented, including where the one- and two-million-plus dollar amounts had gone.
Jeff Vernetti — Called during the roll call.
Jeff Vernetti — Likely the person addressed as 'Mr. Terman' is a transcription error; the transcript then turns to Representative Voss.
Jeff Vernetti — Jeff Vernetti, after being invited to speak, commented on the heavy workload and paperwork burden placed on special education teachers. He emphasized that these demands create significant stress and likely contribute to teachers leaving the field, noting that the cost of this burden is not captured by funding alone.
John Voss — Called during the roll call; transcribed as 'Foss'.
John Voss — Commented favorably on the governor's office budget cut, saying it set an example.
John Voss — Representative John Voss asked a general question about how to prevent fraud and ensure that child care providers and centers are legitimate, raising concerns about verification systems.
John Voss — Representative John Voss is recognized and then asks for follow-up data on how many Missouri students, by age, are served by the program and what share of the population they represent.
John Voss — Representative Voss asked for clarification on the age range for the program on page 668.
John Voss — Representative Voss is praised for asking a strong inquiry that helped clarify the regulations and safeguards in place.
John Voss — Representative Voss asks whether the technology change to pay on authorization can be undone.
John Voss — John Voss raises an inquiry about judges' salaries, asking whether they must be paid from general revenue or if other funding sources are available.
Christopher Warwick — Called during the roll call.