MDN Menu

MDN Home

Journalist's Creed

Print

MDN Help

  Exit  

MDN.ORG: Missouri Digital News

MDN Menu

MDN Home

Journalist's Creed

Print

MDN Help

  Exit  

MDN.ORG Mo. Digital News Missouri Digital News MDN.ORG: Mo. Digital News MDN.ORG: Missouri Digital News

Help  Close

Legislature moves to take control of Capitol office space

JEFFERSON CITY - Gov. Mel Carnahan might be packing up and moving out of the state Capitol under a resolution passed by the House Budget Committee.

The legislature has the right to take control of all of the offices in the building, including the governor's.

Resolution sponsor Rep. Tim Green, D-St. Louis, said the measure is designed to make the Capitol more accessible to visitors with disabilities, not to kick the Governor out.

"We need to have more office space," he said. "Some lawmakers have offices that are very small, or up stairs, and a lot of disabled visitors can't get into them."

However, the resolution did not specifically exclude executive offices, which would mean the legislature could ask the governor to leave.

The governor has no veto authority over the resolution if the House and Senate pass the measure.

Chris Sifford, Carnahan's spokesman, said he does not believe the resolution is anything the governor's office is worried about.

"I don't suspect that there will be any significant change in who is housed in the state Capitol," Sifford said.

Green said he would like to see some offices move into the Missouri Transportation Department building located next door to the capitol.

"I think we can move staff people, research, create larger committee rooms if we move over there," he said. "It would make hearings more accessible to members of the public."

While Green said he was not taking aim at the governor's office, he did not rule out moving other groups who have office space in the capitol building, including several press organizations.

"They might be a group to look at," he said. "They were given the space several years ago -- it isn't a requirement that they be here. The legislature will have to decide that on the floor."

Rep. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, agreed there are legislators who need additional space.

"I think there are entities here that probably don't need to be here, like the Office of Administration," he said. "Some of the statewide offices -- like the auditor and treasurer -- don't have a lot to do with the legislature."

However, keeping some offices in the Capitol makes sense, Graham said.

"People come to the state Capitol to meet with the governor," he said.