Lawmakers mark Capitol centenial, advance legislation for upgrades

The money, part of a fast-tracked capital improvements bill, must pass the full Senate and get another round of approval from the House this week, but legislative leaders involved in the plan say they expect it will pass – providing $121 million in general revenues for upgrades at the Capitol and other state facilities, including the state psychiatric hospital in Fulton.

“I think we have that responsibility as lawmakers to preserve our state Capitol,” said Sen. Mike Parson, R-Bolivar.

The current Capitol building, which was built to replace the Capitol that burned down in 1911, is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and officials have long complained that it has mold and other problems related to water leakage. Deferring such repairs also has threatened the historical and structural integrity of the building, said Senate Appropriations Chair Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia.

Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, was among the speakers at a centennial celebration in the Capitol rotunda today to remark on the building’s history and aesthetics.

During the gubernatorial inauguration in January, a woman – a relative of Parson’s wife – fell on one of the stairways. Paramedics had to carry the gurney with the woman down two flights of stairs because none of the Capitol elevators are large enough for a gurney.

An additional $38 million in the capital improvements bill would fund a new state office building for the Missouri Department of Transportation. Plans then call for some Capitol offices to relocate to the current MODOT building, located near the Capitol.

“There is just no way to make this building ADA compliant in the current arrangement,” Schaefer.

Other projects in the capital improvements bill include $13 million for the initial planning of a new facility at the Fulton State Hospital. The state Department of Mental Health has revealed early plans for $200 million in upgrades for the hospital first opened in the 1850s, but lawmakers say that more work needs to be done before the project can move forward.

“It gets us toward our goal,” Schaefer said of the preliminary funding.

The bill also provides funding for upgrades to state parks.

Schaefer said the bill has to pass in its current form to meet the state deadline for budget bills to pass. That means that the House likely will need to approve whatever the Senate sends to it, rather than requesting a conference to work out differences.

Much of the background on the legislation appears to have been handled behind-the-scenes, with Nixon announcing his support last week – just hours before the House pushed the proposal through.

(The capital improvements bill is HB19.)