93.9 The Eagle – The News and Talk of Columbia, MO
Cole County’s more than 14,000 state employees will find out this afternoon whether Missouri Governor Mike Parson (R) is proposing a state employee pay raise for the next fiscal year.
The governor will outline his budget priorities and his 2024 legislative priorities during his final State of the State address at 3 pm. Governor Parson will deliver it in the Missouri House chamber before a joint session of the Legislature. He’s been in the chamber in the past week to practice his speech, and the speech is running about 40 minutes, without applause.
One of Governor Parson’s top priorities in 2023 was state employee pay. Cole County’s 14,000 state employees received an 8.7 percent pay raise in February, under a bipartisan plan proposed by the governor. We asked the governor about state employee pay during our live coverage at the governor’s prayer breakfast on January 4 in Jefferson City. While he didn’t say whether or not he’ll propose another pay increase today, he told 939 the Eagle “Wake Up Mid-Missouri” listeners that state employees have been on his mind since he became governor in 2018.
“I have put them through the ringer, I mean of things they’ve had to go through whether it was COVID, civil unrest, floods, droughts, you name it, tornadoes, in five-and-a-half years. And I realized how important each one of them were, especially the front-line employees. So I’m a big supporter,” Parson said that day.
More than 14,000 state employees work in Cole County, making state government Jefferson City’s largest employer. Governor Parson told listeners that he wants state government to be competitive with the marketplace, emphasizing the importance of keeping good employees. He is expected to again highlight his two key themes of infrastructure and workforce development this afternoon, including transportation.
We’ll carry the governor’s State of the State address at 3 pm on 939 the Eagle.
