Springfield's Crystal Quade criticizes Mike Parson's administration but sees areas of hope in budget

JEFFERSON CITY — The leader of the House Democrats rebuked Gov. Mike Parson and his administration following his State of the State address Wednesday, criticizing Missouri's pandemic response and saying the state had "a long way to go" on a number of priorities.

Even so, the Republican governor's proposed budget for fiscal year 2023 had reasons to be hopeful, Minority Leader Crystal Quade of Springfield said — though she expressed some doubt that they would all come to pass.

"The governor is in a strong position to do a great many things," Quade said. "But too often in the past, he has let Missouri down. We truly hope that that won't be the case this year."

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Quade called Parson's description of triumph over the virus "frustrating," pointing to what she sees as a lack of action during the latest COVID-19 surge in Missouri.

"My own children are here today in Jefferson City, I had to drive home last night and come back because our school is closed," Quade said. "And our school is closed because we had to stop masking because the attorney general is suing our school."

Springfield Public Schools, where Quade's children attend, along with several other districts and schools in southwest Missouri, said Tuesday they were shutting down for the week. They cited staff shortages and student absences caused by COVID-19. Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican running for U.S. Senate, has said he is finalizing lawsuits against districts that require masks or quarantining for students.

Quade praised several of the governor's budget priorities — namely an increase to teachers' starting salary in Missouri, which her party has frequently advocated for.

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"We're excited to hear the governor talk about it," she said. "I don't know if you all noticed, but the Democratic caucus stood up and it took a while for the other side to join us in that clapping. I hope that's not indicative of what's about to happen in that fight."

But the proposed increase, which would take the minimum starting salary for Missouri teachers from $25,000 to $38,000, isn't enough, Quade emphasized. She shared that sentiment regarding the budget as a whole, praising federal stimulus funds as an opportunity to make significant investments not just as single-use but for longer-term items. Many of Parson's recommendations for spending American Rescue Plan funds are intended to be one-time expenditures.

"We have decades and decades of cuts that our state budget has seen," Quade said. "And so while this money gives us a really great place to do some really wonderful investments, the reality is we have decades to make up for."

She took issue, however, with several areas of his address to the General Assembly, including no mention of fully funding Medicaid.

Parson's promise to defend law enforcement a year after signing the Second Amendment Preservation Act also was "confusing," Quade said. The law nullifies some federal gun laws in Missouri and has been criticized by some in law enforcement, including the Missouri Police Chiefs' Association, as well as Democrats.

Galen Bacharier covers Missouri politics & government for the News-Leader. Contact him at gbacharier@news-leader.com, (573) 219-7440 or on Twitter @galenbacharier.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Quade criticizes Parson's administration but optimistic on budget