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MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Tammy Cavender (573)
751-7500
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 13, 2006
Missouri Department of Labor Supports Gov. Blunt’s 2006 Priorities
Jefferson City – Acting Director Katharine Barondeau commends Gov. Blunt for his leadership and keeping his promises to the people of Missouri during his first year in office. Under the governor’s direction, Missouri has gone from having a massive deficit to the first surplus in five years. Moreover, the state now has a budget that lives within the taxpayers’ means and is truly balanced.
“Due to Gov. Blunt’s vision and policies, education spending is up, thousands of new jobs have been created and the economic climate has improved,” said Katharine Barondeau, acting director for the Missouri Department of Labor. “I look forward to working with the governor to achieve the priorities he outlined in his second State of the State address. We will continue to ferret out waste and abuse, control government spending and find additional ways to provide more efficient services.”
Continued economic and job growth is a priority for Gov. Blunt during his second year in office. To assist the governor, the Department will strengthen its working relationship with the Division of Workforce Development to assist unemployed workers find jobs. In addition, the Department will work to find long-term solutions for the solvency of the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund. The Department will also continue to aggressively investigate fraud in the workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance programs.
Gov. Blunt’s pro-jobs and pro-growth policies have contributed to the creation of more than 28,000 new jobs since he took office. Blunt supported law changes made last year to the workers’ compensation system, the most significant changes in over 10 years. The changes made will protect employers from fraudulent claims, while preserving the integrity of the system so that rights of injured workers are still protected.
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Information and Planning · 421 East Dunklin
· P.O. Box 504 · Jefferson City, MO
65102-0504
573-751-7500 · 573-751-6552 (Fax)
Relay Missouri: 1-800-735-2966 (TDD) 1-800-735-2466 (Voice)