© 2024 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

A 'miserly attitude' toward the Missouri budget

The Missouri House has passed a budget that leaves almost $2 billion in state revenue unspent, and some lawmakers aren’t too happy about it — especially when it comes to funding for teachers. Now the budget goes to the Missouri Senate, which is expected to make major changes.

Last week, the Missouri House passed a state budget for the coming year in a series of 15 bills that cover different areas of spending — from schools to Medicaid to transportation. Together they added up to a price tag of $46.5 billion. But a whole $1.8 billion in general revenue remains untouched.

"I'm alarmed that we left that much sitting on the table, particularly as we sent that budget over to the Senate, who we know have been really reckless," says Missouri Rep. Ingrid Burnett of northeast Kansas City.

Burnett is part of House Democratic leadership and sits on the Budget Committee. She joined KCUR's Brian Ellison to take a deeper dive into what the budget pays for, and what's been left on the cutting room floor.

Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR onTwitter andFacebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love with Trevor Grandin and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate

As a host and contributor at KCUR, I seek to create a more informed citizenry and richer community. I want to enlighten and inspire our audience by delivering the information they need with accuracy and urgency, clarifying what’s complicated and teasing out the complexities of what seems simple. I work to craft conversations that reveal realities in our midst and model civil discourse in a divided world. Follow me on Twitter @ptsbrian or email me at brian@kcur.org.
As an on-demand producer, I am focused on using my skills and experiences across multiple digital applications, platforms and media fields to create community focused audio, video and on-demand products for KCUR Studios. The media that I produce aims to inform, entertain and connect with the Kansas City metro area as we continue to learn from each other. Email me at byronlove@kcur.org.
KCUR serves the Kansas City region with breaking news and award-winning podcasts.
Your donation helps keep nonprofit journalism free and available for everyone.