Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, also said the state has taken a step back in terms of combating homelessness because of its cuts to Medicaid and other safety net programs.
When Sen. Chuck Graham (D-Columbia) ran a filibuster blocking a name change for Southwest Missouri State University into the early morning hours on St. Valentine's Day, it wasn't Blunt but McClure on the phone negotiating a compromise with University of Missouri System President Elson Floyd, who called off Graham.
Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, criticizing the UM System's prioritization techniques, said he was not surprised Gross had not heard of the plan because the system tends to go for the biggest possible projects.
Higher education sustained several significant cuts and withholdings of appropriated money in recent years, a trend which both Columbia Democrats Sen. Chuck Graham and Rep. Judy Baker said was disturbing.
Although no one has announced their intent to run for the seat, Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, said he thought Talent's seat was vulnerable and that many Democrats, himself included, were looking into it.
But Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, said the proposed changes should come with a plan for how to fund them. He said this was especially important because many of the Republican senators oppose using gambling to pay large percentages of vital state programs.
Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, who voted against the bill in committee said he was greatful for the effort Bartle had put into his legislation, but the bill did not address the real issue.
Other lawmakers view the bill as government's intrusion into the rights of families. Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia said that if someone in a vegetative state did not have a living will, the fate of the patient should be decided by the patient's family, not the government.
Boone County Democratic Senator Chuck Graham says the bills' speedy trip to passage is an attempt to decrease public influence on Republican Senators who might be convinced to vote against the cuts.
The tactic of freezing action on the Senate floor through extended debate is known as a filibuster. Unlike House members, Senators may speak for as long as they wish. The filibuster is typically used by a minority to prevent a vote on a bill which appears to have majority support. A constitutional majority of Senators could move to shut off debate and force a vote but the measure is rarely used. On St. Valentine's Day, Columbia Sen. Chuck Graham's failed attempt at blocking a name chan..
Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, said he supported competitive bidding but filed a bill to require Senate confirmation for the contracts because he said it stood a better chance for discussion.
The bill overcame a Senate filibuster organized by Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, after UM system President Elson Floyd told Graham to permit the bills passage in an e-mail.
Passage of the bill, HB 285, would deliver the name change to the desk of Gov. Matt Blunt, who has made no secret of his desire to finalize it as soon as possible. The Republican majority in the House is under pressure to vote it through without any amendments. Any change would require the bill be sent back to the Senate, where Columbia Sen. Chuck Graham staged an all-night filibuster last month.
The issue has been filibustered twice by Democratic senators from Columbia, but the most recent attempt was broken last week after UM system President Elson Floyd sent an e-mail to Sen. Chuck Graham telling the senator to permit a vote.
"To try to say that the judicial branch of government is not allowed to interpret the constitution is insane," Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, said. "Why don't they propose a resolution to just dissolve the judiciary?"
Although the university name change passed, Senator Chuck Graham says Governor Blunt is not in touch with important issues for all of Missouri's citizens.
"We do need to address some things in the current worker's compensation system, and I think this bill will be helpful," Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, said. "It's a lot better than the version that was first filed."
The long-awaited debate over changing the name of Southwest Missouri State University to Missouri State University stretched late into the night Monday. Columbia Sen. Chuck Graham and other Democrats stalled a vote by holding the floor with an extended filibuster.
JEFFERSON CITY - Just before the senate judiciary committee prepared to vote on anti-cloning legislation Monday evening, Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, wiped tears from his eyes.
"We do need to address some things in the current worker's compensation system, and I think this bill will be helpful," Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, said. "It's a lot better than the version that was first filed."
Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, said he believed that only a freshman legislator would guarantee the passage of a bill. Separate groups working on the issue, Graham, charged, was beginning to slow the process.
The Blunt Administration still has not responded to a memo that Democrat Senator Chuck Graham sent Thursday. The memo called for the naming of all candidates under consideration as well as those involved in the selection process. Senator Graham says he is concerned.
JEFFERSON CITY - Chuck Graham sent a memo to Governor Blunt's office requesting the release of public records regarding cabinet committee appointments, committee members and all nominations.
"With all the other cutting, I am pleased higher education will not bare the brunt, as it has for the last several years," said Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia.
After the vote, Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, implied he was willing to use the same filibuster tactics Columbia's former senator, Ken Jacob, had used to block Senate action.
Like his predecessor Ken Jacob, Columbia Senator Chuck Graham voiced his concern over the historical significance of the name Missouri State University.