Politics

Mo. House Committee On Downsizing State Govt. Submits Findings To Speaker

St. Louis Public Radio | By Marshall Griffin,

Marshall Griffin

Published July 26, 2013 at 4:21 PM CDT

Mo. State Rep. Paul Curtman (R, Pacific)

The chair of a Missouri House committee looking at ways to downsize state government says they've handed off their findings to the Speaker's office.

Those findings consist of testimony from citizens who told the committee which commissions, offices or practices they say should be scrapped. Chairman Paul Curtman (R, Pacific) says a lot of people suggested cutting taxes by way of overriding Governor Jay Nixon's (D) veto of this year's income tax cut bill.

"Our committee doesn't really necessarily have a lot of jurisdiction over an outright repeal of a Governor's veto, but I think that their testimony does highlight a very important set of principles here," Curtman said.

Other suggestions included decriminalizing marijuana use, doing away with some of the state's planning commissions, and cutting the advertising budgets of state agencies.

"We had one woman come before the committee, and her idea (was) making sure we rein in some of the state's spending from the Department of Health and Senior Services," Curtman said. "A lot of people run advertising, not just public service announcements that are usually free, but also are paying for advertising on websites to remind parents to have their kids immunized before they attend school."

The suggestions will be used to craft a list of recommendations for next year's legislative session. There's no word yet on when that list will be put together or made public.

Follow Marshall Griffin on Twitter: @MarshallGReport

Politics

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.