Missouri House disaster response committee delays report

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Members of the House of Representatives' Committee on Disaster Recovery want more time to finish a report on the committee's findings.

The committee spent about an hour-and-a-half Thursday looking over a draft of a report pulled together after several hearings in various parts of the state during the last six months.

The report contains recommendations on eight separate issues the committee saw as important topics to be addressed by the Legislature when it returns in January.

The report is due by Dec. 31 and the committee chair, House Speaker Pro Tem Shane Schoeller, R-Willard, said there is no reason to rush to a conclusion.

"Certainly there is no rush, we have until December 31, so we felt that it was best to get everybody's input and we're going to do that," Schoeller said.

Committee members said they wanted to work on sections of the report that deal with medical personnel reciprocity, prevailing wage for rebuilding efforts in disaster zones and emergency communications among other items.

The committee did seem to come to a consensus that it would not support any sweeping changes to the state's Rainy Day Fund that would make it easier for lawmakers to utilize emergency funds.