Marshall Griffin

Credit Maria Frank
Statehouse Reporter

St. Louis Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a native of Mississippi and proud alumnus of Ole Miss (welcome to the SEC, Mizzou!).  He has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off the old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Mason, their cat, Honey, and their newly-adopted puppy, Liberty Belle.

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Concealed Gun Legislation
12:30 pm
Wed May 11, 2011

Mo. Senate backs bill lowering concealed gun age

Credit (Marshall Griffin/St. Louis Public Radio)
The Missouri State Capitol building in Jefferson City, Mo.

The Missouri Senate has passed legislation that would lower the age for getting a concealed firearm permit from 23 to 21.

The conceal-carry language was added onto a larger firearms regulation bill.  The bill's Senate handler, Brian Munzlinger (R, Williamstown) says lowering the concealed permit age to 21 would bring Missouri into line with most other states.

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Morning round-up
9:20 am
Wed May 11, 2011

Morning headlines: Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Credit SLPRnews
The local control issues has been delayed again in the Missouri Senate.

Local Control Hits Another Roadblock

Just when it appeared the local control issue was moving forward in the Missouri Senate, the bill has been delayed again.  This time, some Senate Republicans are holding off on advancing the bill in order to force the House to pass the Senate’s tax credit overhaul measure. 

While no one’s openly saying that the local control bill is being held up, Senate President Pro-tem Rob Mayer indicates they’re willing to delay bills from the House if their leaders continue to sit on Senate bills.

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Welfare Drug Testing
12:32 pm
Tue May 10, 2011

Mo. House passes welfare drug testing legislation

Credit (UPI/Bill Greenblatt)
The chambers of the Missouri House of Representatives.

The Missouri House has given final passage to legislation that would require some Missourians on public assistance to undergo drug testing.

Under the bill, work-eligible recipients of the state’s Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program would lose that assistance for three years if they test positive for drug use or refuse to take a drug test.

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Missouri Lawmaker Term Limits
11:32 am
Tue May 10, 2011

Mo. Lt. Gov. speaks out against term limit change

Credit (Official Photo via Office of the Lt. Governor)
Mo. Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder.

Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder says the House should not pass legislation that would allow changes to the state's term limits for lawmakers.

Lawmakers currently are allowed to serve about eight years in the House and eight years in the Senate. A proposed constitutional amendment passed by the Senate last month would allow lawmakers to serve 16 years total, with all that time either spent in one chamber or split among the two.

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Local Control
2:11 am
Tue May 10, 2011

Mo. Senate stops short of approving local control legislation

Credit (UPI/Bill Greenblatt)
The Thomas Jefferson statue stands on the steps of the Missouri State Capitol Building in Jefferson City, Mo.

The Missouri Senate last night stopped just short of approving legislation to restore local control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

Some amendments were added to the local control bill.  They include giving two-thirds of the slots on the police pension board to retired officers and those associated with the police retirement system.  GOP Senator Kevin Engler of Farmington says they held off on first-round approval last night in order to give both sides time to review the changes:

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