Missouri bill could take away funding for Healthy Homes program
LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. — Missouri House Bill 1316, which aims to eliminate rental registrations, was discussed during a committee meeting Tuesday at the State Capitol.
The measure's potential to eliminate funding for Healthy Homes and similar programs across Missouri concerns some Kansas City metro health officials.
Republican Missouri State Representative Hardy Billington introduced House Bill 1316.
He explained some of his reasons for the measure during Tuesday's committee meeting.
Clay County detective fired for Facebook post about Liberty ICE raids
'So anytime you add cost to a landlord, they've got to add that cost to each month people pay rent, and rent is already high, and you don't want to increase that cost,' Billington said Tuesday.
Both Jackson County and Kansas City health officials say they've seen rental inspection programs positively impact both landlords and tenants.
'They help the tenants because it gives them another avenue if their property owner, their landlord, is not responding to something in their dwelling that might be a health hazard. They can go to the city for additional resources to help with that issue,' said Meghan Senne, policy coordinator for Jackson County Public Health.
'This is not just a matter of protecting the 46% of Kansas City families who rent (representing over 230,000 people). Registration benefits landlords as well. Landlords receive help with tenants not following basic safety standards, such as in hoarding situations,' Kansas City's Health Department Director Dr. Marvia Jones said in a statement to FOX4.
The Healthy Homes rental inspection program has been in place in Kansas City since 2018 and is entirely funded by the $21 annual fee that all rental property owners pay.
'This would impact quite a few municipalities in Jackson County. It's not just Kansas City. It's also small communities and has quite a big impact,' Senne said.
WATCH: Southwest plane, jet narrowly avoid collision at Chicago's Midway Airport
Jones said, ' The $21 registration fee is a small price to pay for the immense benefits it provides – protecting renters, supporting responsible landlords, stabilizing access to affordable homes, and preventing costly public health crises. I urge the committee to carefully consider the value of the current rental registration process in maintaining the well-being of our communities.'
'I think there was some confusion on the occupancy permits at the hearing today and why those aren't sufficient. I think the main thing is that those rental registration inspection programs offer a routine inspection, not just that initial occupancy, code inspection,' Senne said. 'So if something comes up two years down the line with the tenant, there's still an opportunity for that to be addressed.'
The full statement from Kansas City Health Department Director Dr. Marvia Jones is below:
'Access to safe and healthy housing is among the most critical elements of an opportunity to lead a healthy life. Unhealthy housing directly contributes to mental and physical health problems. These include chronic disease, infections, injuries caused by structural issues (like my mother's fall), organ damage caused by mold or infestations, and developmental challenges in children caused by lead exposure. These illnesses due to substandard housing impact people from all walks of life, regardless of race, ethnicity, creed, or any other factor.'
'At the Kansas City Health Department, we work hard to prevent these disastrous health outcomes through a program known as Healthy Homes, which ensures rental properties meet basic health and safety standards. This program is entirely funded by the modest $21 annual fee required of landlords through their rental registration process. House Bill 1316 aims to eliminate rental registrations, effectively stripping away the funding that sustains Healthy Homes and similar programs across Missouri.'
'This is not just a matter of protecting the 46% of Kansas City families who rent (representing over 230,000 people). Registration benefits landlords as well. Landlords receive help with tenants not following basic safety standards, such as in hoarding situations. The registration process also enables the Health Department to maintain a database of property owner contact information, allowing for quick contact in case of emergencies such as fires, water line breaks, or heating and cooling failures. Many landlords are small business owners who depend on this swift communication from the City to prevent costly damages. The small annual fee protects renters, rental property owners, and the community at large.'
Download the FOX4 News app on iPhone and Android
'House Bill 1316, if enacted, would dismantle a program that safeguards the health of Missouri families and the stability of our housing market. Kansas City's housing stock includes a large number of aging buildings, which are often the most affordable options for hard working families. As our family homes and apartment buildings age above 100-years in many neighborhoods, proper upkeep is critical to keeping affordable housing available to the public. The $21 registration fee is a small price to pay for the immense benefits it provides – protecting renters, supporting responsible landlords, stabilizing access to affordable homes, and preventing costly public health crises. I urge the committee to carefully consider the value of the current rental registration process in maintaining the well-being of our communities.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Utah Alzheimer's Disease advocates visit Washington, D.C.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (Good Things Utah) – Alzheimer's Disease advocates are on the move to support the more than 7 million Americans living with Alzheimer's Disease, and their caregivers and family. More than one thousand advocates participated in one of the largest advocacy events of the year in Washington, D.C. recently – the Alzheimer's Association Forum – including a number of people representing Utah. Jeremy Cunningham from the Alzheimer's Association, Utah Chapter visited GTU to share the details and impact of that visit to the Nation's Capitol and with our elected officials. The forum is an opportunity for advocates to meet with lawmakers in support of people living with dementia and Alzheimer's and their caregivers. Cunningham also reminded us of the wonderful resources available in here Utah as part of a partnership between the Alzheimer's Association and Utah Department of Health and Human Services. A warehouse of information and resources are available to Utahns through this partnership – available to anyone with questions or concerns dealing with Alzheimer's Disease. Visit for resources and useful information about dementia and Alzheimer's care in Utah. You can also visit for more information from the Alzheimer's Association, Utah Chapter. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Sponsored by Alzheimer's Association, Utah Chapter. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
2 hours ago
US Senate seeks to add expanded compensation for nuclear radiation victims to tax bill
WASHINGTON -- A program to compensate people exposed to radiation from past nuclear weapons testing and manufacturing could be restarted and expanded under a provision added by U.S. senators to the major tax and budget policy bill. The language added Thursday to the Senate version of the massive tax bill would overhaul the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, which was originally enacted in 1990 and expired about a year ago. The law compensated people in about a dozen western states who developed serious illnesses from nuclear testing and manufacturing stemming from World War II-era efforts to develop the atomic bomb. The new Senate provision would expand the coverage to states including Missouri and Tennessee, among other places. It would also cover a wider range of illnesses. The program's limited scope in the West has led Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri to push for its expansion to include uranium sites in St. Louis and victims in other states. His advocacy led the Senate to twice pass a major overhaul of the program, but it stalled in the U.S. House amid concerns about its cost. Without an agreement over the program's scope in Congress, the program lapsed. Hawley said the new language compensates many more people, but at a far lower cost than previous legislation. 'These folks deserve to be recognized for the sacrifices they made and compensated when the government has poisoned them without telling them, without helping them, without making it right," Hawley said Friday. 'This is a chance, finally, to make it right.' Still, the new provision's pathway remains uncertain when the House considers the Senate's changes. While there is broad Senate support for the payments, it is unclear how the addition of Hawley's legislation will be received by cost-conscious Republicans as they barrel toward a self-imposed July 4 deadline for the overall tax bill. House leaders are waiting to see what comes out of the Senate before deciding whether they might make further changes or simply try to pass the Senate bill and send it to President Donald Trump's desk. St. Louis played a key role processing uranium as the United States developed a nuclear weapons program that was vital for winning World War II. But that effort exposed workers and nearby residents to radiation, with lingering issues remaining to this day. An elementary school was closed down a few years ago because of radioactive material found on site. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers remains years away from finishing environmental cleanup work. An investigation by The Associated Press, The Missouri Independent and MuckRock found the federal government and companies responsible for nuclear bomb production and atomic waste storage sites in the St. Louis area in the mid-20th century were aware of health risks, spills, improperly stored contaminants and other problems but often ignored them. Nuclear waste contaminated Coldwater Creek, and those who live nearby worry their cancers and other severe illnesses are connected. It's difficult to definitively link specific illnesses with the waste, but advocates for an expanded compensation program said there's evidence it made people sick years later. After the report by the AP and others, Hawley said sick St. Louis residents deserved help, too. He was joined by Dawn Chapman, co-founder of Just Moms STL, which brought attention to local nuclear contamination. She has called St. Louis a 'national sacrifice zone.' 'Many of us have had extreme amounts of devastation in the form of illnesses in our families,' Chapman said Friday. The provision added Thursday would also expand coverage areas in several states for those exposed to radioactive contamination that blew downwind from government sites. In New Mexico, for example, advocates have sought to expand the program for people near the spot where the first Manhattan Project-era bomb was tested. These residents didn't know the blast was why ash had fallen. It poised water, crops and livestock. Attention for these 'downwinders' rose following the release of the film Oppenheimer. 'Our federal government has a moral responsibility to support Americans that helped defend our country — and it has a moral responsibility to include all people who were exposed. That begins with reauthorizing RECA and amending it to include those who have been left out for far too long,' said Sen. Martin Heinrich, Democrat of New Mexico. Prior to the addition of the radiation compensation measure, Hawley had so far withheld support for the overall tax package, questioning cuts to Medicaid programs and the potential effects on rural hospitals and low income residents. He said he still wants to see improvements in the package, but added that help for radiation victims was essential. 'It would be very hard for me to vote for a bill that doesn't include (the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act). This is extremely, extremely important to me," Hawley said. ___
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Big Beautiful Bill' could cause thousands of Kansans to lose Medicaid
TOPEKA (KSNT) — Kansas is facing possible Medicaid cuts due to a bill that was recently passed by the U.S House of Representatives. The Republican-backed bill is widely known as the 'Big-Beautiful Bill,' and one Kansas lawmaker believes it could have an impact on tens of thousands of Kansans. The United Methodist Health Ministry Fund released a report on June 11 detailing how much money Kansas might lose out on. The organization estimates that if the bill is passed, Kansas will lose more than $3.7 billion in Medicaid cuts over the next 10 years. Additionally, it's projected that 13,000 Kansans would lose Medicaid coverage. Kansas State University lowering GPA requirements for 2029 students Republican lawmakers believe passage of the bill could curb federal spending. However, Kansas Democrat Representative Suzanne Wikle is urging Capitol Hill to oppose the bill. 'It is really damaging to Kansans and to Kansas not only in terms of what it could do to our healthcare system especially in rural Kansas, but what it could do to the food assistance program in Kansas, families who want to receive the child tax credit,' Wikle said. 'There's just a lot of implications here that harms Kansans across the board, so I really encourage them to oppose the bill and support Kansans.' The report also says, the 'Big-Beautiful Bill' would cut $700 billion dollars from Medicaid nationwide. For more Capitol Bureau news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
