Parson recalling Missouri lawmakers to Capitol for lame duck session after election
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Wednesday called an unusual lame duck special session of the General Assembly to begin two days after the November election – potentially providing a chance to fund a witness protection program supported by Kansas City leaders.
Parson, who is on the November ballot, announced the session for the purpose of passing a supplemental budget bill that includes funding for school lunches, homeless programs, job training grants and other issues.
“COVID-19 has had an overwhelming impact on our state, and while we have made great progress, this additional funding will be critical as we continue to respond and work through the recovery process,” Parson said.
The session also opens the door to appropriating money for witness protection as Kansas City and St. Louis struggle with high numbers of homicides this year.
Parson’s proclamation calling the session doesn’t explicitly mention the fund. But it cites a need “to ensure the health and safety of the public” and says Parson may expand the scope of the session after the General Assembly convenes.
Lawmakers approved the fund during an earlier special session focused on violent crime but didn’t appropriate money for it. That session ended with the passage of two bills, though Parson had originally proposed more than half a dozen.
The witness protection fund had been sought by Mayor Quinton Lucas and Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker. The Star has reported that Kansas City police detectives have had to use their own money to relocate witnesses during murder investigations.
Kansas City has experienced a record 159 homicides so far in 2020.
The special session, which will begin Nov. 5, will be an unusual lame-duck gathering of legislators that will almost certainly include some who were defeated two days earlier. Additionally, the session will provide Parson a final chance to push for legislation if he loses his race to Democrat Nicole Galloway, the state auditor.
