Gov. Jay Nixon said Thursday he and the Republican-controlled General Assembly have worked more together and "made solid progress" more often than many Missourians might believe.
"First of all, mental health," the governor told reporters and editors attending the Associated Press/Missouri Press Association Day at the Capitol. "Two years ago, after tragedies across the nation exposed dangerous gaps in our mental health system, the Legislature followed to a "T' my recommendation to invest more than $10 million to address this critical issue.
"And today, we're already seeing some amazing results."
Nixon said 30 people at community mental health centers around the state work with courts and law enforcement to help individuals get needed mental health care after their time in court.
"In one year, there have been more than 14,000 contacts between these community mental health liaisons, law enforcement and the courts - and over 7,500 referrals for services," he said
Nixon also noted construction should begin "later this year" on the new, $200 million state mental health hospital in Fulton, "replacing the one that opened back in 1851" - thanks to lawmakers' willingness to sell bonds to pay for the project.
He again urged lawmakers to approve Medicaid expansion, which would provide more federal money to serve indigent patients and extend health care coverage to about 300,000 people who can't afford their own insurance, but don't make too much money to qualify for state assistance.
Although the legislature's GOP leaders have opposed expansion, Nixon noted he and the leaders agree Medicaid needs to be reformed, and urged lawmakers to pass a reform plan that gives even poor people more "skin in the game," rewarding work and promoting "personal responsibility."
"Standing still is not going to get those things done," he said.
He said education is a "shared priority" among lawmakers, the people and the governor, with Missouri students' math and reading scores rising higher than in the past.
"Missouri leads the nation in the number of the hands-on "Project Lead the Way' computer science programs," Nixon reported.
And he applauded the state Senate for passing a bonding bill to help college campuses improve their physical facilities.
The governor answered a wide range of questions posed by reporters and newspaper editors from around Missouri.
Nixon applauded the state Transportation department's quick response to his request for information about rebuilding Interstate 70 as a toll road, and for the downsizing over the last five years, including reducing the work force by more than 1,000 jobs.
The governor repeated his analysis that voters' August defeat of a 10-year sales tax for transportation shows that Missourians believe "trucks should have to pay something, too."
As for tolls, Nixon said: "It is a way that I could support to go forward on I-70; it would also free up a lot of money for maintenance and repair in other parts of the state."
Still, he said, that extra money won't solve all of MoDOT's financial issues, and Missouri likely needs a fuel tax increase, too.
Asked if he should have handled the Ferguson situation in a different way, in the weeks and months after Michael Brown, 18, was killed by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, Nixon said: "I tend to try to spend my time looking forward. I do think that our law enforcement officials ... stayed really tight to our "two pillars' (of protecting) speech and safety."
Nixon said he's not happy people lost businesses in some of the rioting that occurred, but noted no one else was shot and businesses can be rebuilt, while people's lost lives can't be replaced.
The governor acknowledged some think St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCullough should have stepped aside, but said a governor should be very careful about removing an elected official from doing their job.
"He was re-elected by 70 percent of the vote," Nixon said. "I did think the best thing to do was to seek an independent, parallel inquiry by the (U.S.) Justice Department."