 Gov. Mike Parson had a lot to say about Medicaid expansion, the state budget and job creation Wednesday as part of his annual State of the State speech.

But the ongoing pandemic made the annual event anything but normal.

With multiple lawmakers testing positive or isolating after coming in contact with a person who has the deadly virus, House leaders forced Parson to move the speech out of the traditional venue of the House and into the Senate, where members could practice social distancing more easily.

Parson vowed the last-minute change, which caused a stir under the Capitol dome, would not detract from his message: 

“Missouri has seen some difficult days in the past 200 years, from the Civil War and the Great Depression … women’s suffrage and civil rights … to the COVID-19 crisis and countless other hardships. But through it all, Missouri has prevailed,” Parson said.

&nbsp;Gov. Mike Parson had a lot to say about Medicaid expansion, the state budget and job creation Wednesday as part of his annual&nbsp;State of the State&nbsp;speech.
But the ongoing pandemic made the annual event anything but normal.
With&nbsp;multiple lawmakers testing positive or isolating after coming in contact with a person who has the deadly virus, House leaders forced Parson to move the speech out of the traditional venue of the House and into the Senate, where members could practice social distancing more easily.
Parson vowed the last-minute change, which caused a stir under the Capitol dome, would not detract from his message:&nbsp;
&ldquo;Missouri has seen some difficult days in the past 200 years, from the Civil War and the Great Depression &hellip; women&rsquo;s suffrage and civil rights &hellip; to the COVID-19 crisis and countless other hardships. But through it all, Missouri has prevailed,&rdquo;&nbsp;Parson said.

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