JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri legislative leaders say providing resources to help with flood recovery efforts is a top priority.
At the start of the session Wednesday, GOP House Speaker Todd Richardson says the plan is to work with the administration to ensure needed resources are provided.
Missouri Department of Transportation spokesman Matt Hiebert says the agency still is assessing the extent of damage from the rare winter flood. But Hiebert says the agency so far has identified three or four locations where pavement has been affected by the floods.
Ways to pay to fix roads and bridges and changes to ethics polices also were named by Republican leaders as top goals.
Legislative leaders in both parties say they want changes to ethics policies as well. Speaker Richardson said in an address to the chamber that ethics was one of his main goals. Democrats also say changes to state ethics laws are needed.
The push follows the resignations in 2015 of two former lawmakers accused of inappropriate behavior toward interns.
While Richardson cited spending on Medicaid health care as a problem, House Minority Leader Jake Hummel says Democrats want to expand eligibility for the program. Hummel also says it’s important to ensure communities have resources to deal with recent flood damage.
Three new Missouri House members are serving in the Legislature in the session that kicked off Wednesday. House Speaker Richardson swore in two Democrats and a Republican on the first day of session. They were picked in special elections held because of vacancies.
Democrat Rory Rowland is serving in the suburban Kansas City seat vacated when Republican Rep. Noel Torpey resigned before the start of the 2015 session.
Democrat Daron McGee succeeds former Democratic Representative Kevin McManus of Kansas City.
Republican Dean Plocher took the suburban St. Louis seat previously held by former GOP Representative John Diehl. Diehl served as House speaker last session but resigned after admitting to exchanging sexually suggestive texts with a Capitol intern.
Republicans hold veto-proof majorities in both the House and Senate.