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Nixon denounces partial funding of license agency

Jay Nixon
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KBIA
Governor Jay Nixon

Democratic Governor Jay Nixon on Wednesday warned Republican lawmakers that he’ll lay off state workers if full funding isn’t restored to the budget for the Missouri Department of Revenue’s Motor Vehicles division. GOP budget writers chose to fund the division for only eight months because of the continued scanning and storing of source documents of driver’s license applicants.  Republican Senator Kurt Schaefer of Columbia says the practice is illegal and that the governor is being irresponsible:

"There’s absolutely no reason for him to lay off anyone, in that they have a full budget for eight months, until we come back (next year), and provided they comply with the law, which they’re currently violating still today, we’ll give them the rest of the year’s budget…but if the Governor wants to use it as an opportunity to cut state employees, he’s the Governor and he can do that,” said Schaefar.

It’s too late to amend any of the budget bills.  However, if the Nixon administration agrees to stop scanning applicants’ personal documents before the budget is voted out Thursday, lawmakers could choose to allow the DMV’s budget bills to return to conference where they could be fully funded.

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.