KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Wednesday called for a special legislative session to begin next month to distribute additional CARES Act funding for the state's COVID-19 response.
Parson said the special session, which will begin Thursday, Nov. 5, will focus on funding for several programs, including the School Nutrition Services Program; job training grants; the Emergency Solutions Grant Program for homelessness prevention; domestic violence grants; and child support payments.
He said the session would likely be "very short" and that he hopes to use the budget to provide access to federal CARES Act funding. Missouri has received additional federal funding since the General Assembly adopted the fiscal year 2021 budget in May.
“We are looking forward to working with the General Assembly to make sure these funds are distributed across Missouri as soon as possible,” Parson said at a news conference.
Federal rules require CARES Act funding to be distributed by the end of the year. Funds that have not been used by Dec. 30, 2020, are required to be returned to the Department of the Treasury.
It's the second time this year the governor has called a special session. Parson brought lawmakers back to Jefferson City over the summer to discuss legislation aimed at curbing an increase in violent crime across the state. The legislature ultimately only passed two of Parson's proposals.
Parson spoke Wednesday amid rising COVID-19 case numbers in the state. He urged residents to concentrate on seven-day averages, rather than daily spikes, saying that data can fluctuate greatly depending on when local health departments and laboratories report new cases and deaths.
Parson said Missouri currently is seeing a seven-day average of 1,600 new cases per day. He said that increase in cases is being mirrored in other states across the Midwest.
He also warned that agencies can calculate the positivity rate — a major factor that public health officials consider when looking at the spread of the virus in a community — in different ways. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looks at the total number of cases and total number of tests when determining the state's positivity rate, while the state counts each individual only once if they have numerous negative test results, according to Parson.
On Wednesday, the state's method showed a positivity rate of 21% in Missouri, while the CDC shows the rate at 10.7%, Parson said, while adding that "both methods can help understand the spread" of the virus.
Parson also said that hospitalizations in the state have increased to a seven-day average of 1,400. While the governor acknowledged that hospitalizations are increasing from earlier levels, "overall, our health care system is still stable and meeting the demand."
